Sample Flips: Amir Obè – “Jay Z, Kanye, Esco” (Prod. by NYLZ)

Amir Obè is a rapper, songwriter, and producer from Detroit, Michigan who has evolved in every phase of his career.  In 2009, he started making music under the name Phreshy Duzit.  During this time, he bounced between Brooklyn and Detroit, and he grew a solid fan base through his freestyles on MySpace.  His music and his MySpace following led to a brief stint at Atlantic Records.  In 2011, he released his debut EP, Brave New World.  Shortly after the release, he left the label to revamp his style and sound.

In 2012, he released his mixtape, The New Religion (his last project as Phreshy Duzit).  After a two year hiatus, Amir Obè was born, and he released his second mixtape, Detrooklyn in 2014.  This seminal project was led by “Jay Z, Kanye, Esco,” a song that encapsulates Obè’s career struggles, his disenchantment with the music industry, and his recommitment to himself as an independent artist. The song is produced by frequent collaborator, NYLZ, and features a sample of Peter Gabriel’s “We Do What We’re Told.”  Detrooklyn is considered to be a turning point in Obè’s career because of the acclaim received at the time, the new and old audiences that he merged together, and the sound experimentation that would be found on later projects.

In 2015, he released his third mixtape, Happening In The Grey Area, a project that featured PartyNextDoor (“Truth For You” and “I’m Good”) and Eli Sostre (“Still No Good”).  Obè also went on tour with PartyNextDoor that same year and co-produced “Star67” on Drake’s mixtape If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late.   The following year, he released Won’t Find Love in the Hills, a three-song EP led by “Before the Vomit,” which led to Obè’s current deal with Def Jam.  Since he signed to Def Jam in late 2016, he has released four projects: None of The Clocks Work and a three-part EP series titled, Can’t Be A ____Here.

Amir Obè – “Jay Z, Kanye, Esco” (Prod. by NYLZ)

Peter Gabriel – “We Do What We’re Told”