Hip hop artist and producer Oddisee joined the Eclipse Crew on KGNU ahead of his October 5th show at Cervantes’ Other Side in Denver. He spoke about touring with his live band Good Company, celebrating the 10-year anniversary of his album The Good Fight, his collaborative spirit, production process, and growing up in D.C.’s go-go music scene. (Interview: 9/28/25)
Eclipse Crew: This is Buddha Sheron and Mr. Rico, and we should have Oddisee on the line here. Let’s see if we can holler at him real quick. Oddisee, you there, bro?
Oddisee: I’m good. How you doing?
Eclipse Crew: Oh, we’re awesome, man. We’re here rocking out of the Boulder studio. We should have you coming to Denver in a week, right?
Oddisee: Yes.
Eclipse Crew: Sunday night, rocking at Cervantes’ Other Side. You’re in Cleveland right now?
Oddisee: Yeah, I’m in Cleveland—about to go on stage in a little bit.
Eclipse Crew: You rocking with the whole band? You got Good Compny with you?
Oddisee: Yeah, full company is here with me.
Eclipse Crew: How many pieces is Good Compny rolling with on this tour?
Oddisee: On this trip, it’s four total. I’ve got Dennis Turner on bass, John Lane on drums, and Ralph Real on keys.
Eclipse Crew: Awesome, man. I was checking out your Tiny Desk sets—one from like 10 years ago, and then the Tiny Desk at Home. Both were crazy.
Oddisee: Thank you.
Eclipse Crew: Yeah, super wild, man. And looking at your tour dates, it looks like you’ve got about two dozen shows in the next month.
Oddisee: Yeah, man. We’re steady on the road in North America, hitting a lot of major cities and smaller ones in between. Just looking forward to bringing what we do to every city and having a good time. I promise you, it’s one of the best shows you’ll ever see in your life.
Eclipse Crew: Hey, don’t doubt it, man. Oddisee, you’ve been rocking it for at least a couple decades on the scene.
Oddisee: Absolutely.
Eclipse Crew: With tons of collabos too. I was looking back at your discography and realized you were on a couple joints I didn’t even know you did, man. That “Get Up and Go-Go” remix with Georgia Anne Muldrow—fire. I’ve played that song on here a couple dozen times. Definitely one of my favorites.
You’ve got such a jazzy but sharp style. I love the joint you did with J-Live. Are you looking forward to any collabs with artists you haven’t worked with yet?
Oddisee: There are so many, I wouldn’t even know where to begin. But I’m always open to collaborating with anyone willing to work with me.
Eclipse Crew: Anybody on your fantasy list? Maybe they’re listening.
Oddisee: Yeah, I would love to work with Larry June.
Eclipse Crew: Oh hey, there you go.
Oddisee: Big Larry June fan. I think I listen to him the most these days.
Eclipse Crew: Legit. Anybody else you want to shout out that you’ve been vibing with?
Oddisee: My musical taste is all over the place. That’s a tough question, bro. Let me check… I’ve been listening to Samara Joy, this rapper from Liverpool called Kashtae, the new Erykah Badu album. And of course, the new Jay Electronica too.
Eclipse Crew: That guy’s been fire since day one. I’m still listening to “Exhibit C” like it just came out last week.
We’ll let you go in just a minute, but what do you want to tell Denver about what they should expect from Oddisee and Good Compny?
Oddisee: Denver, we’ve got the four-piece live band coming. I hope you pull up to the show—we’ll be at Cervantes’ Other Side on October 5th. We’re celebrating the 10-year anniversary of The Good Fight album, playing a lot of tracks from that as well as other songs from my catalog. Just a good night of positive hip hop.
Eclipse Crew: The vibe’s gonna be incredible. I can’t make it, but for everybody out there—don’t miss it.
By the way, someone asked me—are you with Mass Influence?
Oddisee: Who? Mass Influence? Ohhh, that Mass Influence from Atlanta. Nah, I’m not part of that group, but me and him are cool. I know Enigma and them.
Eclipse Crew: Got it. And DJ Chris Nathan wanted us to shout you out too. I talked to you earlier on the phone, but my bad on the time difference.
Before we wrap, quick question: production versus emceeing—what’s more essential for you?
Oddisee: Both. I’m the biggest fan of songs. I don’t like breaking rap down to just beats and rhymes. I want the end result to be the best song possible.
Eclipse Crew: That makes sense. What about your production workflow? How do you start?
Oddisee: My process has been the same for years. I start with samples, manipulate them, arrange a melody, then use MIDI instruments. After that, my band comes in and plays over the top, replays parts, and we build it into a full track.
Eclipse Crew: Boom. Sounds simple, but that’s years of craft right there. Congrats on all the success, man, and for bringing hip hop to people in such a positive way. Tiny Desk definitely helped new listeners discover your work and gave people a different view of hip hop beyond stereotypes.
Can I ask you about the go-go scene when you were growing up?
Oddisee: Go-go was always dominant in the DC area. That’s the music the streets listened to. Rap was more of a smaller sub-genre at the time. If you didn’t have a band playing go-go, people didn’t pay you much attention. Over time, rap became more dominant in DC, but the go-go sound has always been there.
Eclipse Crew: Can you list some of the go-go bands you grew up on?
Oddisee: Junkyard Band and Northeast Groovers—hands down, my favorites.
Eclipse Crew: Very cool, man. Makes me want to go back and check them out.
Alright brother, I think we’re good here. Any final shout-outs before we let you hit the stage in Cleveland?
Oddisee: All good. Thank y’all for tuning in. Hope to see y’all October 5th at Cervantes’ Other Side. Appreciate you listening—catch y’all soon.
Eclipse Crew: Thank you, Oddisee. Rock tough in Cleveland, and we’ll see you in a week, brother. Peace.
