Osekre and The Lucky Bastards

Osekre and the Lucky Bastards will be performing at the Viva La Vuvuzela Festival in New York City, this Saturday, July 9th.

Ghanaian-American singer Osekre describes his music as “sweet, catchy-tasty West-African style melodies/hooks called “jama,” dipped in soft elements of hip-hop, pop and rock” and heavily accentuated by his poetry. On the eve of his performance at Joe’s Pub with his band, Osekre and the Lucky Bastards,the Columbia University graduate spoke with AfriPOP! about his influences, whether or not he makes “world music,” and what makes someone an Africa……(click on pic to read the story)

AfriPOP!: First of all, what does the name Osekre mean?
Osekre: Osekre means relentless.

AfriPOP!: What inspires your music?
Osekre: Moments in life … an advice from my mum, a funny love story, a moment of being so broke that I can’t get on the bus, a girl I’m checking out who keeps turning away when I look and looks at me when I turn, a crazy political situation … Life, moments in life does it for me.

AfriPOP!: There’s a tendency to call any music by artists from Africa, world music. Are you comfortable in that category?
Osekre: I really don’t care much about categorization. Some cultures are more obsessed with labels than others. My music is so fluid that calling it rock or reggae wont do justice to it and yet, not associating it with world music will be deceitful.

AfriPOP!: Who do you consider your musical contemporaries?
Osekre: Hm. Before mentioning my contemporaries, I definitely want to recognise one of the biggest musical geniuses from the African continent, Kiki Djan who shaped my ambitions as a young high school graduate. I am a protege of Kiki Djan, the late keyboardist of Osibisa whose influence on my life during an intense 6-months phase with him can’t be overlooked in my development as an artist/person. I do not have immediate contemporaries because most of the guys I w’d identify as contemporaries are AHEAD of me in varying degrees: Esperanza Splading, friend and awesome talent. Vampire Weekend, fun music and also part of my Alma mater, K’naan, a guy I admire a lot, Nneka, whose “heartbeat” keeps my heart beating, Blk Jks, awesome live band, and Blitz the Ambassador who’s got excellent music and sound.

AfriPOP!: How does being a Ghanaian in New York City influence your music?
Osekre: Being Ghanaian in New York city is quite interesting musically because my sounds and rhythms constantly intersect with reggae, hip-hop, jazz, blues, and rock and roll, something I keep hearing more of now that I live in the heart of a lot of indie and raw musical talent in Bushwick.

AfriPOP!: What makes someone an African?
Osekre: Jaja … that’s a good question. Being an African is in the heart. I have some European Middle-Eastern, and Asian friends whose passion for Africa challenges the notion of who is really African. And I have met some folks with Africa in their blood line who feel unsettled when connected to the continent, and I have met other folks from Africa who do not associate with the continent. So being African has to be something that is deeply from the heart, and yet it has to be more than feelings, knowledge, biography or geography.

AfriPOP!: What do you love most about the continent we come from?
Osekre: It’s essence.

AfriPOP!: What was the last Ghanaian meal you ate?
Osekre: Fufu and Pea-nut soup!

AfriPOP!: What proverb do you live by?
Osekre: My mum once told me, “If you don’t know, don’t act like you know, even if you know, act like you don’t know, so you might learn, something you don’t know.”



Be sure to catch Osekre and the Lucky Bastards at the Viva La Vuvuzela Festival in New York City, this Saturday, July 9th. - Afripop

There are very few moments when an artist, his band, and his fans can turn a venue upside down in the heat of the moment and have the crowd in such a frenzy that going home becomes almost impossible. Osekre and The Lucky Bastards are beginning to develop a reputation for excellent performances on stage. After amazing results at the R Bar, and the Nuyorican Poets' Cafe in the Lower East side of Manhattan, Osekre and his Lucky Bastards are turning further north to rock the famous Joe's Pub on Lafayette.



The gig doesn't come as a surprise to avid followers, talent agents, and enthusiasts whose bet on Osekre's unqiue talent has been rewarded again and again.



Osekre uses his Ghanaian "jama" sentiments with folk, soft rock and mild hip-hop elements to deliver extraordinary sounds on stage. At the onset, Osekre appears shy and hesitant as he warms his way into rhythm and the Lucky Bastards get their groove on. However, when the band finally gets in tune with each other, there's no stopping the wild, wild Osekre and his Lucky Bastards.



Lyrically, Osekre is in a class of his own. "Mama told me, son listen to me, if you don't know, don't act like you know, even if you know, act like you don't know, so you might learn, something you don't know ...." Originally a spoken word artist, Osekre has found an excellent way to insert his word-play and philosophical instincts into his sound: "You give what you have, you have what you give, you be what you are, you are what you be, you sow what you reap, you reap what you sow, no pain, no gain, to gain there is pain..."



His Global sound is uniquely local and yet, locally, this Ghanaian Brooklynite has a way of churning music that turns local sounds global. Having grown up in Kokomlemle, Accra, and worked his way through Columbia University by fundraising for his tuition, Osekre has an ability to bring the insights of an outsider and the know-how of an insider to his vibe in a way that appeals to audiences of varying age, race and place. He is an effective communicator to all forms of audiences. His gigs highlight a cross cultural experience of his sound.



Osekre will be performing at Joe's pub on March 19th, 11pm. $12pm, all ages.

- Ghanaweb