Alwasta by Oddisee
Oddisee is also ready to unveil his 2016 plan which includes a new instrumental album in May, a tour with his band Good Compny from May through July, and the heavily anticipated follow up to "The Good Fight,"an all new solo album in the fall.
Sudanese-American hiphop artist Oddisee's new EP, “AlWasta,” takes its title from the Arabic colloquial term used to mean (to use colloquial English) “the plug.” The term “wasta” comes from the Arabic word “wasat,” meaning “middle” or “middleman,” and describes a member of the community who acts as a connector using their wealth of social currency. Understanding the value of social currency & how to use it (for better or worse) is what Amir Elkhalifa aka Oddisee focused on as the primary inspiration for his writings.
Oddisee & Good Compny Tour Dates
3/26/16 Treefort Festival - Boise, ID
5/3/2016 Middle East Downstairs - Boston, MA
5/6/16 Mainstage - Morgantown, WV
5/7/16 Strange Matter - Richmond, VA
5/8/16 Kings Barcade - Raleigh, NC
5/11/16 Jack Rabbits - Jacksonville, FL
5/13/16 Orpheum - Tampa, FL
5/14/16 Backbooth - Orlando, FL
5/15/16 Side Bar - Tallahassee, FL
5/16/16 Parish @ HOB - New Orleans, LA
5/20/16 Foundry at SLS - Las Vegas, NV
5/21/16 El Rey Theatre - Los Angeles, CA
5/22/16 Constellation Room - Santa Ana, CA
5/24/16 Soda Bar - San Diego, CA
5/26/16 The Independent - San Francisco, CA
5/30/16 Sasquatch Festival - Seattle, WA
6/4/16 Bunbury Festival - Cincinnatti, OH
6/12/16 Northside Festival - Brooklyn, NY
6/25/16 Glastonbury Festival - Pilton, UK
6/27/16 O2 Academy - Oxford, UK
7/7/16 Les Ardentes Festival - Leige, Belgium
7/8/16 North Sea Jazz Festival - Rotterdam, Netherlands
7/9/16 Open Source Festival - Dusseldorf, Germany
7/10/16 Cactus Festival - Bruges, Belgium
7/16/16 Melt! Festival - Gräfenhainichen, Germany
7/19/16 Valkhof Festival - Nijmegen, Netherlands
7/23/16 Hip Hop Open Festival - Vienna, Austria
7/27/16 Blue Balls Festival - Lucerne, Switzerland
7/29/16 Appletree Gardens Festival - Diepholz, DE
7/30/16 Stuttgart Festival - Stuttgart, DE
#الواسطة
premiered at Stereogum on 3/23/2016
http://www.stereogum.com/1867083/stream-oddisee-al-wasta-ep-stereogum-premiere/mp3s/
Tracklist
| 1. | Asked About You | 3:22 |
| 2. | No Reservations | 4:25 |
| 3. | Strength & Weakness | 3:33 |
| 4. | Wouldn't Be Surprised | 2:03 |
| 5. | Lifting Shadows | 4:40 |
| 6. | Catching Vibes | 4:58 |
| 7. | Slow Groove | 4:39 |
Credits
All songs written & produced by Oddisee.
Additional keyboards & vocals by Ralph Real.
Additional bass by Dennis Turner.
Additional drums by Jon Laine.
Additional guitar by Olivier Saint Louis.
Portrait Art by Nana Yeboah.
Art design by Oddisee & Ahmed Akasha.
Alwasta escription by Safia Elhillo.
Arabic to English translation by Bentely Brown.
Mello Music Group, 2016
