Will Hagle is loafing in gators around Rock Creek Park
Oddisee is the musical embodiment of Hemingway’s Iceberg Theory. Whether he’s producing beats for other rappers or burying meaning in his own lyrics, the D.C. rapper is always working beneath the surface. The theory could be extended to his career as a whole—the scope and depth of his catalog has unfortunately remained undiscovered by the massive sinking ship that is the popular music industry. I’m mixing metaphors now, but it should be noted that Mello Music Group is a lifeboat worth boarding.
At the risk of extending this jumbled analogy too far, it should also be noted that Scuba certification would be necessary to fully appreciate everything that’s happening in the song and video for “CounterClockwise.” It’s the second single off Oddisee’s forthcoming The Good Fight, following the more upbeat, organ-driven “That’s Love.”
The “CounterClockwise” video finds an affectless Oddisee walking in slow motion towards the camera throughout the duration of the track, a trope that was played out long before Chris Martin walked on a beach in the rain. But that’s just the surface layer. Closer examination of the clip reveals a subtle use of visual tricks—Oddisee is moving forward while New York City moves in reverse. The camera occasionally spins in the direction that the lyrics suggest, and the beat ultimately reverses itself. Oddisee’s slow, steady walk is the only constant amidst the dizzying chaos around him.
Oddisee also made the beat in 5/4, proving that it is possible to be musically intelligent and “jazzy” without forcing the most obvious elements of the genre on your listeners. He tweeted that the inspiration behind the choice stems was from the Sudanese music he grew up listening to, but the unorthodox time signature is unnoticeable unless you’re counting closely. That’s where Oddisee and Hemingway differ: The former isn’t purposefully hiding anything beneath the surface. His cool, calm, subtle approach just makes it difficult to detect the complexity.
Oddisee plays at the Echo on May 2nd
