Search - Onry Ozzborn :: The Grey Area

Return of the Mad Monk from Northwest's Oldominion crew. F/guests Karim & DJ Scene of Boom Bap Project Qwel & Qwazaar of Typical Cats & PSC of Mystik Journeymen/Living Legends as well members of Oldominion. It has been said "Edgar Allen Poe's spirit lives on in Onry Ozzborn" (Mean Street Magazine). While this may be true, Onry's spirit also manifests in his ability to bust catch-22 lyrics with perplexing and surrealistic observations on pop culture, hip hop, his crew Oldominion, life in the Pacific Northwest, his past growing up in New Mexico, and most of all his son Nicholas. "Being where I'm from, I talk about things no one else in hip hop talks about," he says. "Hip hop talks about the streets. Well, I heard about that stuff but never saw it. So I'm left with what I grew up with." What exactly was it that Onry grew up with? The answer lies in New Mexico. Onry grew up in Farmington, NM (kitty-corner to Roswell, NM) where UFOs, skin walkers, dreamcatchers, red chilies, the desert, and Native American and Hispanic cultures are predominant. In New Mexico, the state motto is "The Land of Enchantment". It is a unique and interesting place to say the least. Attend a Zozobra festival and you will begin to understand where Onry draws his unique personality. A personality which lends itself to many things, including his name. The name, "Onry" was given to him by his mom for being such an "ornery" kid. "Ozzborn" was later added by his crew as a joke stemming from his signature production utilizing heavy metal samples, his affinity for loud rock, spikes, wearing black, and jokes about biting bird's heads off. On "The Grey Area", Onry creates four of his own signature beats along with fellow Oldominon producers Pale Soul, Smoke, and PeeGee 13. Lead producer, Mr Hill, (the next big producer to come out of Seattle - just watch, we promise!) gave the album a few club bangers (Onry Ozzborn style). The album includes guest appearances by P.S.C. (Living Legends), Chicago's Qwel & Qwazaar (Typical Cats), Karim of the Boom Bap Project, and of course shining raps from fellow Oldominion mates: JFK, Barfly, Bishop, Gash, Sleep, and Vance Snow (the new mystery member of Oldominion). The album touches on cobblestone street life, zombies, black magic, and among other things: religion and spirituality. Confronted on the religion issue from a recent interview, he says: "I'm a real spiritual person - I believe in God, but I don't believe in churches or organized religions. I focus on spiritual issues in my own way." His "own way", and the general discussion of spiritual issues, may not be very politically correct in the mostly secular world of underground hip-hop. But, Oldominion as a whole is not very politically correct. Onry doesn't like to make much of the religion issue since he views it as a non-issue. He stresses he isn't this or that, and when discussing it with him for this write up he told us, "All people have to do is listen to the words, and they will understand."