Obi Rudo, 30, was in Preston nine years ago when he ran across a busker who explained his experience of rapping on the streets to him. He talked about how he has the option to travel, meet new people and perform; this conversation stayed with him.
Obi started writing at school, before he went to the Community Recording Studio in St Ann’s. The CRS is a charity set up in the 90s with the aim of giving young people access to professional equipment as well as industry contacts. He soon started busking, initially in Birmingham.
He said: “I stood outside for hours in the cold, but this didn’t dissuade him.”
Eventually he started busking more and more regularly, even going to many European countries to busk. Obi adds: “I never learned to busk, I got into it straight away; there are not many rappers who busk.”
He explains that busking is raw, it is like a performance for a very critical arena; when people come to a pre-planned venue, they are unlikely to get confrontational – on the streets, says Obi, they will give their opinions right to your face.
Obi grew up in the Congo, so he has always been heavily into rhythm and dancing, he started rhyming, using commonly known buzz words to develop a flow and believes his skill was strengthened by his African upbringing. He said: “With fast music, often no one notices the lyrics” – he was inspired by the rapper Carey James whose rapping and lyrics were deeply meaningful; he sets the intention of his song in the chorus and follows it through.
“There have been times that people have cried because they connected with my lyrics, and they often sit around for hours to listen. I believe in the words of Will Smith that hard work defeats talent.”