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Oba Rowland

Oba Rowland

Artist

Hailing from the westside of Detroit, OBA ROWLAND is an artistic creator of culture. He has worked with the greats in this industry, including Royce da 5'9, Big Sean, D12, Sada Baby, Kash Doll, and Tee Grizzley, and toured the country with Dej Loaf. Currently off the release of his 21st project, "I Need My B**ch Back 2," he has been navigating through various platforms  (podcast/interviews) responsible for the hip hop culture today. Reuniting with Dej Loaf in 2022 at Rolling Loud, Oba seems to still be making great progress and traction with his career in this industry. Oba is currently signed to Big Sean/Universal and Ethika Music. He has also officially launched his own brand and label, called PSL. (2021)

Digging into the creative process, Byta speaks with artists, musicians, producers, DJs and anyone involved with music creation. A conversation about how they create, collaborate and share music. From studio setups to routines, and the first person to hear about the next 'big' work.

Where are you based?

I am based out of Detroit, MI

How, when and where did you start making music? Are you primarily a musician or a producer, or do something else?

I was in elementary school when I wrote my first song. But I didn’t start recording until 2007, when I released my first project in 2010 called “Feel Me.”. I am an artist, writer, and producer.

Who would you consider some of your biggest influences when it comes to your “sound”?

My biggest influence is the culture of the city I am from, Detroit. I try to translate the world from our point of view.

Explain your creative process. Do you have a routine?

I don’t have a particular process. Sometimes I write, sometimes I freestyle. I DO LIKE TO BE ALONE. That’s when I record my best material, I believe.

What is your “studio” setup?

All I need is a microphone, a laptop, and ProTools.

Oba Rowland

What is your process when working with other people? How is collaboration different in the studio vs working remotely? 

The only difference with working with other artists is that you have to share ideas that inspire the vibes. Sometimes, as an artist, I might have a different vibe than the artist I’m working with. I’ve done paid features for artists, and I liked the song so much that I threw in a hook. But then that artist would not use it and turn the song into something completely different.

Do you share your work in progress (streams or downloads)? Any technical frustrations?

Hell yeah, it’s a lot of technical issues I’ve had that mess up algorithms and potential streams. I just experienced it with my latest release, which tried to be funny and released my last album via “Fitness and Workout,” and it backfired with Spotify.

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How do you know when a track/album is finished?

When you know, you know!

How do you listen to the final mixes/mastered work?

Predominantly speaker set ups that I trust, and you can hear different scenarios. Studio, car, and phone.

Who on your team gets to hear the final versions first and why, what formats do they each need?

Usually intermediate friends. I’m in the process of rebuilding my team.

Anything you are working on, anyone you are working with and want to share?

Working with Kash Doll, Dej Loaf, Big Sean, Street Lord Juan, and a few others.