Review by Stewart Gray
The first of Otis Julius’ new singles, “Chasing Dreams” outlines his philosophy for music making. The punk/rap artist clearly states his passion for music making is what keeps the wheels moving. His DIY ethics are what has gotten him this far, and nothing is about to change. In the end of the second verse he says “it’s up to me, I will succeed, money’s got no hold on me!” While the delivery is passionate, the winning qualities of this song are in the lyrics. When the main theme of contemporary rap lyrics is consumerism, and artists evaluate themselves based on their own net-worth, it is nice to hear an artist sincerely express that he is not motivated by what jewelry he has hanging around his neck.
The second single “Jawbreakers” by Otis takes the freedom he finds in his passion over profit philosophy and tests its limits. When most struggling artists take every possible chance to show you how cool they are and how important their feelings about the world are; Otis takes this opportunity to put you in the shoes of a character who perspective is rarely explored. Eddy from the Cartoon Network show Ed, Edd, and Eddy. This song is a fun and imaginative look into a world that you are probably familiar with if you turned on the tv any time between 1999-2008.
Both of these singles have great qualities but it’s really the palpable passion and energy that makes them enjoyable to listen to. Otis Julius is tons of fun and will probably be playing a house show in your town soon.
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