Album Notes

Shadowy figures emerge from the subterranean depths of the hip-hop underground. No glitz, no glamour, no gimmicks - strictly catchy beats, rhymes and hooks. You can't escape the infectious tracks, and you can't front on the lyrical skills of this dynamic clique, delivered over a crisp and bottom heavy soundscape. These cats have honed their skills through relentless practice, performance and flawless execution. Dumi Right and Pep are O.U.O. (Of Unknown Origin), a pair of emcees who trace their lineage all the way back to Zimbabwe, where the two cousins began breaking and popping, before developing the rhyming skills that would carry them across oceans. Growing up, they drew on influences from the US and the UK, learning lessons from tapes of radio shows by the likes of Mr. Magic, Red Alert, Chuck Chillout and the UK's Tim Westwood; always dreaming of the day when they would play a role in the development of the music they loved. Now their music resonates from their home in the DC Metro area through Virginia, Maryland, Philly and out to the rest of the world, where O.U.O. is developing a reputation for making hot tracks, solid music and ripping down stages, wherever they perform. O.U.O recently released a four-song 12" vinyl single which rose to the #4 spot on national college and mixshow charts, setting the stage for their forthcoming full-length album. The album will showcase O.U.O. at their best, along with guests that include Storm the Unpredictable, Cadence of Raw Produce and renowned poet Nikki Giovanni. While many artists focus on notions of going "back in the day" to recapture the glory days of hip-hop, O.U.O. exemplifies how good music is made today. Instead of chasing a fleeting dream of how it was, they make music how it should be now.