We were lucky to catch up with ID OBELUS recently and have shared our conversation below.
ID, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Let’s jump back to the first dollar you earned as a creative? What can you share with us about how it happened?
I was in the 8th grade I believe, 14 years old. My best friend and I had been rapping for 2 years and we had established ourselves as the only “rappers” in our school. We grew up in a small town in Indiana and were quite the anomaly. This was the late 80’s when hiphop culture and rap music was just becoming mainstream. We wanted nothing more than to be like the rap artists we loved and obsessed over. We had written and recorded a handful of original songs but didn’t have the means to properly record or publish anything at that time. It didn’t matter as we continue to hype ourselves up as the next big rap duo to anyone who would listen. One day a classmate approached us and asked if we’d be willing to write an original song and perform it for their father’s surprise 40th birthday party. We were beyond ecstatic and gladly accepted. The thought of being paid for this opportunity didn’t even cross our minds. We quickly started to write or long forgotten hit, ‘over the hill’ to the instrumental version of ‘funky cold Medina’ and prepared for our debut performance! When the big day finally came, we flawlessly executed our performance in our classmates living room to a small audience of her family members, friends, and the guest of honor. Busting out choreographed dance moves and spewing stereotypical lyrics we associated with old age. Our art however was well received by everyone and much to our surprise our friend’s mother gave us both a 10$ bill for our services! We went home that day on cloud nine having just played our first paying gig! Of course we took press photos of us each posing with our winnings like some ballers!
ID, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I’m Id Obelus. I’m an MC, an art archivist, and record label owner. I started creating rap music in 1987. I signed to an independent digital distributor/record label, Audio Recon in 2007. I signed on with the label as it was ran by artists for artists. Digital distribution was a new thing and most musicians didn’t know how to navigate the space as there weren’t the cookie cutter tools to do so as there are today. I eventually became a co-owner of this company. In 2017 after a bit of a hiatus we did a 180 and re-established Audio Recon as a physical format focused cooperative record label where the artists are more actively involved in every aspect of the operation. I got into this culture as an outsider looking in and have stayed the course for over 30 years. I’ve always loved to create and enjoy art. I believe rap music is a phenomenal art form where poetry and music collide. At audio recon, I work with other artists who create unique music and have established themselves as outliers in a sea of creators. We call it art rap. But it’s just art and is mostly rap.
Alright – so here’s a fun one. What do you think about NFTs?
As an entity that focuses mainly on tangible art/music in physical forms. NFTs are tough for me to support. I’m glad they are providing a means for artists to sell/ authenticate their works in a digital world and of course a way for fans to support and collect things in this space. However, I prefer art I can touch and feel.
Is there mission driving your creative journey?
Yes. Creating art makes me happy. It provides an escape from and a means to reflect upon this human experience. Most artists I know started creating and just never stopped whether it’s their occupation or their hobby. Either way it just becomes a part of your existence. My mission is to continue to create and to assist artists i love to release their work on vinyl and other physical formats. These records do not make themselves!
Contact Info:
- Website: Audiorecon.us
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/audioreconllc
- Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/AudioReconnaissance/
- Twitter: https://mobile.twitter.com/audiorecon
- Other: Idobelus.com
Image Credits
I’d Obelus
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