In April 2020, just two years after inking a major label deal with Atlantic Records, Shoreline Mafia announced to their avid fans that they would be breaking up, citing “creative differences” among group members. However short their tenure may have been, the West Coast hip-hop collective — composed of OhGeesy, Fenix Flexin, Rob Vicious and Master Kato — had accrued a cult following thanks to murky trap hits like “Nun Major,” “Musty” and the infamous “Bands.” Three months later, in July, Shoreline would drop their debut album Mafia Bidness, a record that, while well-received, had a quiet arrival devoid of major-label fanfare.
From the ashes of Shoreline Mafia, OhGeesy, the architect behind the group and its most versatile lyricist, returned last year with his first solo mixtape, GEEZYWORLD. The project, which took a year to write and record, introduces the Mexican-American rapper as a lone star and certified expert in experimentation, flow and writing killer hooks. While not totally devoid of collaboration — the guest list includes YG, Central Cee and A Boogie wit da Hoodie — the tape is just the first taste of what OhGeesy can bring to the table when situated center stage.
In conversation with Hypebeast, OhGeesy mentions that recording GEEZYWORLD was an “entirely different process,” thanks to his busy travel schedule: he had to record while on the road for the first time, having taken on three different tours back-to-back-to-back.
“I was trying a bunch of stuff I never did before … I even started trying to freestyle and punching in on songs.”
While in Shoreline Mafia, OhGeesy only worked with West Coast producers, the bulk of which hailed from the group’s home base in Los Angeles. And although his jet-setting may have posed organizational difficulties in the recording process, he says it opened him up to working with producers around the world and allowed him to continuously explore and expand his sound — though he made sure to include a few songs produced by early Shoreline affiliate, Ron-Ron. “I was trying a bunch of stuff I never did before,” OhGeesy says, pointing to his newer flows and hooks. “I even started trying to freestyle and punching in on songs.”
A scroll through OhGeesy’s Spotify only extends back to 2018, but he recalls how he began rapping in the early 2010s as a teenager, planting the roots for his budding rap career on SoundCloud. Shoreline was loosely assembled not long after, in 2012, when OhGeesy and Fenix met while doing graffiti.
A decade later, and OhGeesy is still hard at work, now on what will be the follow-up to GEEZYWORLD. Referring to the project as “part two,” he says that working as a solo artist over the past year has given rise to a newfound laser-sharp focus on honing his craft.
“Since I’m the only one making music, I’m in the studio and I’m just always thinking about what I could do differently or how I can make my sound better,” OhGeesy notes. “[Working solo] did help me find my sound and on ‘part two,’ you’re going to hear that I sound a lot different than I do on ‘part one.’ I felt like the sound was definitely a bit different from all the Shoreline stuff too.”
He plans to potentially lead with putting out a few tracks as a teaser, followed by dropping the tape in March. Then, OhGeesy will enter full-blown album mode.
“I’m not giving myself a break,” he declares. “I’ll drop ‘part two’ and then immediately commence recording my debut album.”
For his first full-length LP, OhGeesy says it’s too early for an airtight timeline, but he wants to keep up “trying different things, maybe get in with some writers and meet a bunch of new producers. I really want to just take it to the next level.”
“I feel like I haven’t even peaked yet,” he says as our conversation winds down. “Even though I’ve been really successful and have hit a lot of milestones for myself, I feel like I’m just starting.”