OH NO – MADLIB’S LITTLE BRO’ PROVES THAT IT’S ALL IN THE FAMILY
Expressing crude lyricism and unconventional beat-making methodology, Oh No the Disrupt gives hip-hop heads something with substance to nod their heads to. Armed with a refreshingly versatile style, Stones Throw’s latest prodigy Mike ‘Oh No’ Jackson schemes to create original music that will elevate and disrupt hip-hop music.
Exposed to music his entire life, musicianship was practically inevitable for Oh No. Born into a family tree with deep musical roots, he has undoubtedly inherited his keen sense for music. His father, vintage soul singer Otis Jackson, Sr., uncle, renowned Oakland jazz trumpeter Jon Faddis, and bro’s, music mastermind Madlib, strong musical influence sparked Oh No’s ambition to make music at an early age.
Despite being told he was too young, Oh No would mischievously break into his older brother Otis ‘Madlib’ Jackson, Jr.’s room with a butter knife to use his records and equipment. “I always used to do that,” recalls Oh No. “I would get to records before he had a chance to get to them-even his newest ones. That shit used to piss him off. I remember he started hiding tapes and records, but I was too slick for that. By the time he got home I’d be playing games, listening to my new beats with his new records.”
Madlib’s impression on his younger bro has proven to be unparalleled, setting a primo example for Oh No. His vast knowledge and unconfined versatility as a musician has accommodated Oh No in mastering that distinct, symphonious Oxnard sound.
Following in ‘Lib’s footsteps, Oh No has come to make a respectable name for himself in indie hip-hop music as an MC/Producer/DJ. “I love my brother and being able to record with him all those years back in my developmental stage to now is a crazy blessing,” says Oh No. “I got to witness the madness first hand.”
Uplifting his music to the next level in high school, Oh No established himself as a recording artist doing his thing for Madlib’s group, the Lootpack and his own Kali Wild clique. After all the blood, sweat and tears paying his dues and pumping out legit singles for numerous artists, Oh No was officially added to the Stones Throw roster. “I’d get out of class and leave to go to professional studios and college shows with the Lootpack,” Oh No recollects. “I knew that this was it. I started doing more beats and writing more rhymes for more albums and more artists.”
Dubbed by Lootpack member Wildchild, Oh No the Mischievous Rebel was known as the young immature one of the Stones Throw crew. According to Oh No, this moniker represented him well because he was always clowning around, starting commotion and doing things his own way. But as he got more into producing beats for his own Disruption Productions, Oh No dropped the Mischievous Rebel alias for the Disrupt. “As I made more beats it started disrupting everybody,” Oh No explains. “You either love it or hate it but you will definitely be disrupted. When I create a beat it usually represents the way I’m feeling. It’s like the illest radio station with nothing but the illest, sickest, most beautiful compositions that every once in a while I try to capture and record them down.”
Producing aside, Oh No confesses his first true passion in hip-hop music began with rhyming. Starting at age 11, Oh No would spit rhymes to his people back in junior high. As Oh No has progressed and molded into a more preponderant MC, his thought provoking delivery and unlimited rhyme style would impress even the most judgmental lyricist critics. “Just like I got melodies in my head I got patterns in my head for rhymes,” states Oh No. “My living experiences are the words for my patterns. My rhymes are like chess with poetry.”
Now 25, Oh No disrupts the hip-hop masses with his first LP project debut The Disrupt, a collection of 17 diversified tracks, The Disrupt embodies bouncy synthesized beats combined with raw in-your-face lyrical content dealing with everyday issues in the life of Oh No.
Although Oh No receives majority of the production credit for his album, cohorts Madlib, J Dilla and Kan Kick all bless The Disrupt with their own beat flavor for a number of tracks. Collaborations with other featured artists include Wildchild, Declaime, Medaphoar, Aloe Blacc, Roc C and Stacy Epps. “The release of this album has definitely been a minute but I’m not trippin’,” exclaims Oh No. “Certain setbacks throughout the years with other labels and groups were there for reasons. I’ve been doing a lot of production for people, a lot of group stuff. So this is my personal shit to give to the world of hip-hop.”
Hungry and determined, Oh No continues to stay on the grind to bring forth never heard before music. Representing real life, this lyricist of significance tells all to live life and love life through the good times and the bad. “I’ll create a picture to show what will or could happen in a situation to the best of my knowledge,” concludes Oh No. “And you go from there.”