Los Angeles, CA native Ali Oku is an Alternative Hip-Hop artist and is a notable songwriter for Hip-Hop, Rap and R&B artists. He puts an immense amount of pride and passion in everything he decides to invest himself into. A musician at heart he also plays the Piano and Tenor Saxophone and was a top student at the late Dr. Rachel Eubanks Conservatory of Music. He also plays Classical music, Jazz and is a fan of all genres of music as long as it is “good music”. He sees music as his passion and not his pastime and it is obvious in every song he is a part of.
Ali Oku recently dropped the track – Dream Chasers featuring K-Young, who’s been on songs with such artists as Slaughterhouse, Snoop Dogg, Rick Ross and The Game. The music is different from what you may normally listen to. Ali Oku is very talented vocally and gives you a taste of his method and capabilities on this track. It will certainly catch your attention and entice you to hear more of his music. K-Young, also adds a sweetly irreverent and irresistible hook to the song.
I discovered an unusually multi-talented artist here. Unusual in the sense, that aside from being a singer-songwriter and pianist, Ali Oku is also a saxophone player. And if that just sounds like too much unusual talent for a rap artist, wait…it eventually makes sense, because Ali Oku writes his lyrics like a rapper does, with cinematic attention to story-like detail.
Put this all together and you have a track that is superbly well-thought out, well-paced, well-versed, and very smart. Yes, even the ‘fuck you’ hook is significant and totally within context!
Ali Oku’s flow is laidback and comforting, while the clarity in his delivery is there so you can understand the words too. According to its creator, “the song revolves around the concept that an individual shapes their own destiny and the success you obtain is your own. So when it comes down to it, all the people that tried to impede your progress along the way are insignificant.”
Dream Chasers ft. K-Young makes me hope that more hip-hop artists would use their voice and talents to create challenging and relevant music (and that people will buy smart-hop music by artists like Mr. Oku). I had no idea who this guy was prior to this review. Now I’m scrambling to find some of his older music as well!
Ali Oku’s lyrical and melodic construction is strongly indicative of someone who realizes that a modern black male artist can possibly begin to innovate in the rap/hip-hop spectrum without totally embracing the most juvenile elements of its mass market. And if Dream Chasers ft. K-Young is any indication, this is definitely an artist that admirers of all ‘good music’ will want to keep an eye on in the future!
Ali Oku brings keywords like plush, melodic, smooth, cool and ultra-hip to the table.
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