The Good, The Bad and the Oddy (LP) - Oddsmokee (Hiphop) Today’s LP review comes from hiphop artist “Oddsmokee” who, with an “Old Town Road” kinda vibe, brings a hiphop/country hybrid soundscape to the forefront on “The Good, The Bad and the Oddy”. The album is an 8-track exploration of substance abuse, coping mechanisms and mindfulness, which we dig into below.
Born in Thousand Oaks California, raised primarily in NY’s 518, Oddsmokee does it all—writing, performing, designing, directing and more, he is truly a 360 degree artist. From his Spotify bio, we see Oddsmokee began making music in 2019 “as a way to escape a dark road of criminal charges through drug dealing, as well as to help overcome addiction.” On “The Good, the Bad and the Oddy” specifically, the focus is on the “downsides, dangers and pitfalls that come with substance abuse” and its poor utility as a coping mechanism for emotional or mental distress.
By utilizing rap and autotuned vocals over 808s and trap percussion, this exploration is certainly grounded in hiphop, however a notable country infusion through guitar loops gives the entire project its unique identity. The production is perfection, each mix crisp and clean and lathered in professional gloss. While the sound is consistent, each track has a unique identity, with some even veering into ballad territory (which were some of our favorites). We were often reminded of later Timbaland works—post the Justin Timberlake collabs.
Vocally, Oddsmokee has a real grit to his performance, chewing on his rhymes throughout. The resonant baritone and reedy qualities remind us of the sound of a Lil’ Wayne, while the passion in the performance and underlying fire give us Eminem vibes, yet all packaged in a youthful and modern delivery. Slipping back and forth between rapping and singing, the latter is leaned the more Oddsmokee becomes introspective and emotional, which feels correct.
We specifically want to highlight the sequencing of the album, as each track seems to discover yet another new insight into substance abuse and Oddsmokee’s specific struggles as it moves along. As such, the album progresses like an enlightening in progress—the listener stands beside Oddsmokee during his mindfulness journey, unpacking issues in real time as if each song is another step in the therapeutic process. This is best exemplified by analyzing bookends “11:15”, which sets the status quo of a life of sex and drugs, and “Overdosaa” where 8 tracks in Oddsmokee is connecting the destructive behavior to issues with his youth and upbringing and the need to fill an emptiness. When listening sequentially, one might miss how far we’ve travelled over these tracks, but taking a step back, you realize just how deep the album gets, one step at a time.
Our favorite tracks are the more introspective ones. “Dommy Ps” is extremely catchy, reminding us of 00s Timbaland productions, and feels the most radio friendly of the bunch. The introspective analysis touched on there is further developed in other standout “Snow Dayy”, on which Oldsmokee connects his perceptions of the world to his internal struggles and coping mechanisms. It’s followed by our absolute favorite, album closer “Overdosaa”, where Oldsmokee does the most internal analysis in connecting what the drugs are numbing him from.
With a signature sound and great production, we were happy to join Oddsmokee on the beginning of his journey of self-exploration, and look forward to more breakthroughs in works to come.