A Chat With North London’s Emerging Rapper: Oso Wavey Jay

Hailing from Tottenham, North London newcomer Oso Wavey Jay has been catching the eyes off many over the last year. With his forthcoming project “S.O.M” (State Of Mind) dropping next month, Oso Wavey Jay is set to make a bold statement. Having already released his lead single “Nailed It” alongside his more recent drop of “Time Is Up” – there is no doubt that he’s come to shake up the U.K. rap game.

I asked him a few questions…

E: For people who aren’t aware of your music, describe your sound in three words?

O: My sound is interesting, versatile and wavey.

E: Was there any particular moment that made you realise you wanted a career in music or have you always been around it?

O: I’ve always loved music as a little kid but before music I was always into football. I gave that up and started to mess around on the streets and getting into trouble at school. So, I turned to music to try and turn things around and make things right by expressing those changes.

E: What artists have helped influence your sound today, if any?

O: One artist who has influenced my sound is Dave, because he’s very passionate when rapping and delivering his lyrics – I aspire to be as passionate as he is. Another huge influence is Wretch 32, one because he’s from the same area as me (South Tottenham) and has achieved so many great things. Two, because his lyrical content and his book ‘Rapthology’ have shown me many different lessons in life and different aspects of life, which have impacted on my content and the things I decide to right down.

E: Lyrically, do you write about what you experience or is it more generalised around what you see / hear?

O: I tend to write about my experiences and what I see and hear. Whether it be what I go through on a daily basis, or things that occur on the streets that I’ve grown up on.

E: You are releasing a brand new project “S.O.M” (State Of Mind) soon. What was the main concept behind this? Are there any messages in particular you wanted to get across?

O: The main message in S.O.M is that your mindset and state of mind are two very important aspects of your life. Your brain controls everything, which means your ability to control is everything. Your life is in your hands and if you’re not in the right state of mind, at times that can be a downfall. This whole project is me describing my state of mind, and what goes in in my daily life.

E: You have various features on “S.O.M”, how did these come about?

O: The features on my project were purely from studio sessions where me and the artists would work on a tune and put something together and come to an agreement on what to do with it. The tunes just happened to be just right for the project.

E: Why did you chose “Nailed It” as the lead single from “S.O.M”?

O: I guess I felt like ‘Nailed It’ had this different type of potential when the final product came out. It was a new type of sound and beat for me too, and I believe it’s one of the best tracks on the project. 

E: Is there anything we can expect to see from you this year?

O: Expect to see a lot from me this year, after I finish my GCSE’s I’ll be all over the place experimenting working with different musicians everywhere. It’s US NEVER THEM!