Amir Obè's NOTCW EP Release Exhibit
Amir Obè already has a few other notable projects under his belt including; Detrooklyn, Won’t Find Love in the Hills and even co-producing “Star67” on Drake’s 2015’s If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late. But Def Jam’s latest acquisition isn’t satisfied yet; he wants his influence to extend beyond the realms of music. With the world as his canvas, Amir Obè lets his creativity flow freely between pad and ‘paint.’ We were all a witness to this for his latest EP release. Obè took the lyrical interpretation of his music a step further by showcasing the hidden meaning of each track. Every song was displayed on a screen, with headphones attached, while being looped by a countdown timer.
Adjacent to these monitors, he erected installations meant to invoke every sensation the music was meant to make you feel. He teased the motif of each song yet kept his pieces vague enough as a way for us, the audience, to derive our own conclusions from them. Upon entering the room, the mood was immediately set. Carcasses suspended in the air; freedom reimagined. A series of burnt and broken dolls swimming in a blood red hot tub filled with used cigarettes. He depicted an imploded household with lives that have literally been flipped, turned upside down. But until you heard “Enemies”, it would have appeared to you as just a ‘fancy upside down’ couch. This exhibit was meticulously planned and the audience could only truly appreciate its brilliance by listening to the music associated with each piece. Walking into Obè’s world may have been shocking at first, but it’s only until you experience his installations, in conjunction with his music, can you really empathize then realize that we’re all trudging through the same chaos; it’s all just packaged a little differently.