Jack McKain
/
Press
The FADER’s “Songs You Need” are the tracks we can’t stop playing. Check back every day for new music and follow along on our Spotify playlist.
Anyone saying “R&B is dead” hasn’t heard of BLK ODYSSY. His well-received 2021 album BLK VINTAGE finds him crooning about topics that range from sex and love to Black tragedy and triumph, but the Austin-based artist continues to captivate listeners with his velvety vocals and gritty, enigmatic aesthetic.
Slang for “overdoing it,” “ODEE” navigates the tribulations of opulence. While it may look lush on the outside, the other side can be much darker. Over the sensual melody, BLK ODYSSY talks about what it’s like to flaunt his riches “(I spend a couple bands, I ain’t trippin’ / Shit, you know it’s nothin’”) for the approval of the opposite sex, sometimes to his detriment (“Shorty wan’ be my mistress / Plottin’ all on these riches / Better of bein’ my vixen / Gon’ mark me off the hit list”). The disparity between the lyrics and the beat is intentional, proving that not everything that feels or looks good in the moment is good for you.
“On the surface, the song is a smooth track that comes across as me celebrating money and its ability to attract women,” BLK ODYSSY tells The FADER. “In context to our album that’s coming at the top of June, it’s a play on irony, the album is presented as an erotic novel. It addresses the concept of love and lust. The album has four chapters which represent the different phases of love and lust. ‘ODEE’ is in a part of the album that celebrates and personifies lustful habits.”
Watch the music video below.
