Experimentation
In this day and age, how often do we come across an emcee that uses his or her talent to relay politically conscious messages? No, I mean an emcee that has been dedicated to fighting causes of all kind through lyrical communication; not one that just hopped on the bandwagon yesterday because they thought they'd look cool getting arrested on TV. While this sounds like a notable and worthy thing to praise, emcee Oaxerai has unfortunately dealt with the backlash of his activism, in and outside of the hip-hop culture. Oaxerai (pronounced wa-ha-rye) started his journey in 1984 with pioneers Run DMC and R&B crooners, New Edition. "I listened to hip-hop from the radio and watched videos while growing up." Inspired by Wise Intelligent, KRS One, and Tuff Crew, Oaxerai started freestyling around 1995. Before I go any further there is something to understand about Oaxerai. He has been around the hip-hop culture for quite some time. "I have been in many projects with different names so I don't have the longevity equivalent to the time I have put in." Some of these projects have included Efflux, The Architects, MOM SUG Dojo, Aguafego and most notably, Disciples of Discipline. "I've had various roles in each project. I've produced, played instruments and been an emcee on a few occasions." Although his musical journey began with hip-hop, it doesn't end there. He was responsible for bringing and maintaining a drum circle in Love Park for a number of years. "Through drumming you can musically feel the power and pressure." His lyrics and style also are influenced with reggae, jazz and world music vibes. The work that Oaxerai has put in on the music circuit is worthy of a mention and respect. He has put out 6 albums on CD, 1 seven-inch vinyl single, and a beat tape. All this has been done within the last 5 years. "Practically no one on any level from indie to major label has put up that kind of work." From his write up in XXL (with Disciples of Discipline) to sharing a stage (with The Architects) alongside Kweli, Mos Def and Dead Prez, Oaxerai is proud of his achievements while staying true to himself. Regardless, he knows there is more music to be made. He just finished a project with Chuck Treece entitled Oaxtree. Since Chuck Treece in an inspiration, he considers it a personal honor to be collaborating with him. When not working on that mission, or preparing to release a 12" this summer, Oaxerai is busy performing on various stages. He recognizes there is a lot of work to be done. But is he prepared to fight the upcoming battles? Time can only tell.

Complex Times
Besides being a Buddhist, and vegan with dreds that loves music and hip-hop, who exactly is Oaxerai? Since the world is visually prejudice, many don't take the time out to find the answer. "People make false assumptions about me all the time." He is one of five siblings that come from a father of Italian descent. "When my parent divorced, all of us formed a tight bond. After attending Cardinal Dougherty and Abington High Schools, Oaxerai went on to Temple University to major in Psychology. Since he can remember, Oaxerai has always been fascinated and observant of the current state of politics and the world. But as he found out, being at the wrong place at the wrong time can lead to complete catastrophe. A few years ago when the Republican National Convention took over Philadelphia, Oaxerai decided to go down to the festivities as a regular citizen that wanted to be in the know. What happened next was something that he never saw coming. "When people were protesting the convention the cops took it upon themselves to try and control the crowd. They started arresting and abusing anyone they suspected was a part of this protest. While watching, I became an instant target based on the stereotype of my image, and was the subject of police brutality and jail time." As a result, Oaxerai was charged with a felony, which he spent 5 days in jail for and also had to carry out community service. The outcome seems to be far behind him. To date his record is clean, and he was never branded a felonist. It turns out that experience led him to his current girlfriend (JBeatz - lead singer of Aguafego and activist). It also produced an album, which he describes as "a healing, provocative, highly political, angry" collection of songs. How is this hip-hop related? Well, because of his community service, Oaxerai has been given the opportunity to start and facilitate workshops across the city on the elements of hip-hop, as well as teaching kids the basic fundamentals of recording and rhyming. "I expose them to the history of the culture, break down the lyrics of songs, and allow them to create their own venture." Oaxerai love da kids!

Poetic Justice
Oaxerai is a man that has been all over this world. I'm not speaking of the shows in Tokyo or other places that he's rocked as a musician. I'm simply referring to the times he's traveled to many countries to not only discover things about himself, but to relate to other ways of life. "I usually leave the country with 300 bucks and a backpack for a few weeks." Better him than me! The fact that he does that over and over, and has learned how to survive proves how physically and mentally strong he is. When on these journeys, Oaxerai is amazed with the progression of the hip-hop culture in other countries. Eventually he'd love to move to Italy, but until the legal and miscellaneous ends get tied up, Philadelphia is where he rests his head. Oaxerai has a reputation for speaking his mind, especially when it comes to politics within America, so I had to ask him why he stays in a country that he verbally insults. "I believe we can improve. This country is still young and according to our rights, it is our responsibility to voice dissent when the government is not in tune with the need and the voices of the people. It our patriotic duty to demand changes and improvements" I know I wasn't the only one that wanted that answer, so I hope I've solved a mystery in some of your minds, along with the mystery of how to say his name (see paragraph one). He is original, spiritual, and it shows within his music. Through his words he speaks what he feels, without being afraid to sound what we like to call "different." Oaxerai just wants the freedom to be a contributing member of the hip-hop culture. Freedom without limitations. Freedom without ignorance. And freedom without negative classifications. Afterall, that is in our constitutional right, right?

oaxerai.com

oaktree.com

Article by Deesha Dyer
PhillyHipHop.com
May, 2003