Artists have long used music as a means of activism for countless causes. From The Ramones objecting to the Vietnam War to NWA protesting police brutality, music has provided the rallying calls to usher change throughout history. With the release of “The Iceberg” Feb. 24, Sudanese-American and D.C.-native rapper Oddisee expresses his views on many of the pressing issues being widely discussed amongst Americans.
Oddisee has been creating hip-hop for nearly 20 years with a style heavily rooted in D.C.-area go-go music. Each song features quick alternating drum and snare patterns, which is often further layered with a multitude of jazz, soul and R&B samples. Throughout the album, Oddisee adds his own free-form synth and organ lines — giving each song a particular aura of energy it would otherwise lack.
While the production on the album is fantastic, its most striking feature is Oddisee’s addition of political commentary. While Oddisee is normally known for being introspective and speculative in his lyrics, “The Iceberg” showcases him focusing his thoughts and words on America’s political issues. Throughout the album, several songs touch on racial and religious relations — particularly discrimination towards immigrants. As a Sudanese-American, Oddisee displays to listeners the experiences of ostracization that he and many other immigrants in America have recently felt in tracks such as “You Grew Up” and “Like Really.”
Other moments on the album show Oddisee speculating over the aggression demonstrated against his Muslim faith or pondering the relations between the nation’s current leader and minorities. The hard-hitting lyrics fit together with the elegant beats perfectly to create a mature, smooth and addictively intriguing sound.
The overarching themes of the album is identity and how immigrants are perceived by the nation at large. In many ways the album’s title, “The Iceberg,” summarizes the album perfectly — just as only 10 percent of an iceberg can actually be seen, much of Oddisee’s meaning lies below the surface.
Many lyrics throughout the album make use of the rapper’s reflection on personal experience to provide perspective and commentary on an identity that is otherwise underrepresented in American political discourse. “The Iceberg” presents these powerful thoughts in a way that invites speculation as well as enjoyment in a well-polished and elegant project.
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