OMZO

Omzo began rapping at the age of 14 on the streets of Medina, an impoverished ghetto in the heart of Dakar Senegal. As Omzo began performing in his 'hood', word spread fast around Medina about the young rapper with the relaxed and laid back style and flow.
His style was in sharp contrast to other groups in Senegal at that time most of whom preferred to rhyme in lighting fast Wolof. Omzo soon earned respect in Dakar's vibrant and competitive underground Hip-Hop scene. He amazed crowds all over Senegal touching them with lyrics that dealt directly with daily struggle, politics and spirituality. By rapping about these kinds of topics Omzo began to truly define his artistic personality and lyrical skills. In 1999 Omzo participated in the D-KILL RAP compilation (produced by M Kane of FITNA PROD) and began touring Nationally.



As Omzo traveled outside of Dakar, he began to create a buzz on the national level. People across the country were amazed as to how articulately he was able to define the feeling of growing dissent and discontent that had been brewing among people in Senegal. Omzo saw how his lyrics and music was effecting people and began to recognize the power he had to create change in his own country by rapping about the reality that many lower and middle class Dakarois faced.



In 2000 Omzo participated in yet another compilation called "POLITICHIEN" "(Political Dogs)"(Fitna Prod). With this compilation Omzo was propelled into nationwide popularity with his legendary track "Kunu Abal Ay Beut" (The Hand That Leads is the Hand that Rules). The song was a scathing attack on corrupt leaders, the IMF and the World Bank and demanded Senegal leaders to take responsibility for their actions. The song was one of the first hip-hop tracks in Senegal to be embraced by both the young and old alike and was said to have had a direct influence on the elections in Dakar in 2000.



In 2001 "Kunu Abal Ay Beut" was featured on the internationally distributed "AFRICA RAPS" compilation (Trikont).



In 2002 Omzo collaborated with Senegalese radio DJ Pape Gueye with the "CODE B" compilation, Dakar's firstcompilation to exclusively feature exclusive groups from Dakar's poorer suburbs



In 2003 Omzo was invited to attend a global Hip-Hop summit in Berlin Germany where he represented Senegal along side a number of European and international hip-hop groups.



Omzo also participated in the "African Underground" compilation series produced by Brooklyn based producer BENNY BEATS of Nomadic Wax LLC. The track "Missalu Aduna" (The Philosophy of Life) went on to achive regular airplay on radio internationally.



Omzo continued to work with Nomadic Wax and went onto record his debut full-length album "JAMM JEXNA"(No Rest Till We Get What We Want). The album will be released in Dakar in the fall of 2004 by Roo rap productions and Internationally by Nomadic Wax in 2005.



in 2006 Omzo put a new version of the track "Lii Gueun Pt2" taken from his senegalease album "Jamm Jeexna" on the international compilation "AFROLUTION" released by Afrolution Records