Steve 'Flash' JuonFor the longest time I’ve thought of Onry Ozzborn as a Seattle rapper. After poking around a bit online trying to find out what he’s been up to in recent years it appears he moved to Prague, Oklahoma and adopted the new alter ego of MILIPEDE. The truth is Seattle’s never really been his home. As stated by the artist himself in this Ghettoblaster Magazine interview, he actually grew up in New Mexico and just came to Seattle to see his homey Sleep for a couple of weeks — then accidentally wound up staying. I’m guessing something similar happened to see him relocate to a tiny town like Prague, but that Ghettoblaster interview is the most recent one I can find, so I can’t tell you what led him there. By the time there’s an answer he may have uprooted himself and planted down in an entirely new place.
One other note before I move on to talk about “c v p ii d” — he’s so serious about this change that the Bandcamp page from “t h 3 B1RTH of c v p ii d” video no longer exists. The Apple and Spotify playlists are still valid though, and I’ve linked to the latter to reference where you can find it. That’s by no means an endorsement of Spotify and it never is when I link to the other either — I just do it so you have more than my words to go by when an artist or music is discussed. Occasionally something is so obscure that there’s only a single or Discogs entry or a homemade YouTube playlist by a fan, and when that happens it is what it is. In any case regardless of where he lives or what he calls himself these days “c v p ii d” is an album worth sharing.
“Maybe I’m overreacting and acting irrational
(But who don’t though?)
Maybe I ought to be audible, on guard, and actual
(But why not though?)
So here goes nothing, something
Sewn patch of a heart on my sleeve on my cloak
For you to see, stop fronting”
“Bed Bugs” falls directly into the realm of what I enjoy about Open Mike Eagle and other similar acts. This isn’t rap made for a mainstream listener. The comfortable cliches of drugs, guns, jewelry and fast women are nowhere to be found. That may make it unapproachable to a casual listener and unplayable on commercial radio, and neither of those things matter for shit. OME has talked at length on YouTube about how independent artists have different goals. They want to find an audience without either compromising their vision or giving up the majority of the proceeds to a monolithic record label. Don’t take that as me taking a massive shit on commercial rap. Any reader of the site should know I find enough to enjoy about it that I take each album as it comes and judge it on its own merit. It’s hard to deny that songs like “He Means Well…” wouldn’t work on a major label though.
“And try to make all of his lucid dreams seem not so stupid
I promise that he means well, for he’s a student”
An artist without a corporate overseer can take the time for introspection and reflection without having to appease a greedy executive or Wall Street stockholders. Perhaps even in a famously artistically friendly city like Seattle there are hard-to-meet expectations. I have one friend who is quite fickle about hearing his favorite band (Pearl Jam) referred to as “grunge.” It implies a whole bunch of artistic notions and tropes that don’t fit his conception of a rock band he feels is far more diverse and interesting than his city’s own musical cliches. I can see Onry Ozzborn chafing under those expectations too. A tiny town like Prague may be the ideal place for a rapper with thoughtful songs like “Two Headed Monster.”
“A lover, a fighter figure, approaching another frontier
Authentic so I’m thinking ‘Why would you ever front here?’
Cause that’s the only thing I’ve left for you to do
In my marvelous world of wonder where posers become minute”
Just in case that doesn’t translate in print, he’s not saying “minute” like 60 seconds. He’s saying “my-noot” like something small or insignificant. “c v p ii d” is far from minute and it will take you more than a minute to listen to — 22 more in fact. I’m actually a little disappointed it’s not longer and that’s a good place for an artist to be. When you’re doing good things and leave the audience wanting more, they’ll come back for your music no matter where you live or how long your releases are. Ably produced by Rain and rapped by Onry, this is a short album with a long shelf life that will stand up to repeated listens when the current trends of whatever year you read this in have long faded.