Meet @BrickOTB, a Houston based self proclaimed alchemist, poetic activist, solutionary, and conscious Rapper with Black Georgia and Nicaraguan roots. He uses his art to storytell, raise consciousness and amplify ancient wisdom like 1111, moon phases, the Akashic Records, and beyond. 

Cultured Kinfolk interviewed BrickOTB about his song "1111" and his artistic + spiritual journey please check it out below:

1. What is your cultural and spiritual background and how has it influenced your art and sound? My mother was from Nicaragua, and my father was from Georgia but moved to New York. so i was born in Queens, NY but i was raised in Houston, TX since the first grade. my folks weren’t together but they both believed in God. i wasn’t really raised in a very spiritual environment. i ain’t have my first stable address til like middle school. so it was a lot of movin around, i seen a lot of different places at a young age.

2. Where did your musical and spiritual journey begin? well i always was a spiritual ass kid, because all my grandparents passed before i got the chance to meet them so i’ve always been aware of the spiritual realm and our ancestors guiding and watching over us and things like that. there were times were i definitely felt a spiritual presence. like anybody else, i went thru my struggles, my religious phase, my spiritual journey of tryna find oneself. i learned a lot of this jus thru life experiences. a lot of what i put in my music comes more from a place of experience than imagination. and i dont really try to make music unless i have somethin to say. We would always freestyle n play around with music but i didn’t take it seriously for myself until summer of ‘18. that’s when i decided that i’ma put some music together and really do this rap shit. for the rest of that year i jus focused on making music. in 2019 i focused on releasing and pushing the music and that’s when i dropped my first record “11:11”

3. Can you name some musicians that have influenced your style and philosophical approach to making your music/art? i feel like Tupac, Andre 3000, & Pimp C all stood out to me growing up because they all made thought-provoking music. you might hear a verse from one of them that might change the way you think, or change your perspective on life, especially as young kids. sonically, they brought you into they world with their records. they each had many different styles but the truth was always the common factor. when i make music i try to clarify my truth in that moment, but also offer the collective some type of substance, that might spark a conversation or provoke deeper thought. 

4. Can you explain the significance and your relationship with 11:11? 11:11 is an angel number that represents spiritual awakening & aligning your intentions. when you see that number, a lot of people think about the make a wish thing but what you actually doing is visualizing your highest possible desires, you’re setting your intentions. and visualization is the first step in manifesting your reality. “you always got to know what you want. remain focused. if you don’t know what you want, you can’t focus.” that’s where i took it when i made “11:11” and the video. and then after the song had dropped someone had pointed out to me that i was born on the 11th day of the month, at the 11th hour. i wasn’t even thinking bout that when i made the record.

5. Sound is an energetic frequency that can heal or harm. I feel like your songs sonically heal. Can you talk about your sound as a healing instrument and what you want folks to take away from it? Sound can definitely be used as a healing instrument. not only the healing properties of certain frequencies on a vibratory level, but on an emotional level too. music is spiritual. and the things that you speak over your life, especially repetitiously can have great effects. and i’m glad you asked that because i feel like it’s not talked about enough. i feel like it’s a couple times where music saved my life. when music truly resonates with you, and you hear something you can relate to, it makes you feel represented. like you not the only one goin thru what you going thru, or feelin how you feelin. that’s why when i record, i try to find my truth in that moment and put it on record. you never kno who you might be helping, just by being honest and present.

6. Who weave in a lot of spiritual terminology like chakras, numerology, meditation, universal laws? Can talk about that. i just feel like there’s a lot more to life then what we’re told about growing up. almost everything we see and go thru in the physical realm, is infuenced by something in the spiritual realm. these are like the keys that are hidden from us. the benefits of meditation, the way our behaviors are influenced by the different chakras, the way almost everything is subject to universal laws. i think about how much further along we would be, if these were taught to us at a younger age. they not gon find it in that flaw curriculum at the public schools so i jus try to sprinkle in the knowledge and game in these records. hopefully someone hears it in the music and is curious or inspired enough to look into it.

7. You say in the song "No of yall listen to Pimp C message" Who was Pimp C and what was his message? Pimp C was one of the greatest pioneers in the rap game. he changed the game in several ways, from being the first one to use a beat machine the way that people use em today, to how he would put people on, just off the love, the same way screw did. everytime he spoke, it was the truth. it didn’t matter who he offended, he always represented the truth. he had a lot of messages in his music. on this song specifically, i’m talkin bout how he would talk about the big industry folks and string pullers in the game, how their biggest fear is us unifying. all the artists putting ego and bs to the side, and coming together to unionize and take full control of our art, our dollar, and our power. boys still fussin over bread crumbs. they wasn’t listening....but i have seen some progress since the time that record dropped. we comin together n shit

8. Can you breakdown what Wave Hise is? Wave Hise is a production company that produces Music, Apparel, Art & Film. We create content that’s good for the soul. we see too much of the same, repetitive themes and images in a lot of the mainstream content. it’s like we being programmed. Wave Hise is just here to balance out the energy’s. Uplift, Innovate, Inspire & Move Forward. it’s also an acronym for When All Victory Ends, Heaven in Self Elevated.

9. Please share any upcoming projects you are working on? i been working a lot I’ve been working on my EP “Moon Talk” i got a few more videos about to come out. Wave Hise got the shirts and the hoodies still coming out. we also been working on bringing events to the city, for creatives to showcase, network & create, on a monthly basis. And I’ma be dropping my first album this year too “The Ways of the Wave”. 

10. What is one thing you want kinfolk to know about you and your movement?  A lot of what we’ve been taught within this society, is a straight up lie. we must unlearn & relearn. the entities that run these institutions have spent a lot of time and money to keep you fooled and obedient. what’s “civilized” isn’t always natural, and what’s natural isn’t always “civilized”. protect your energy and protect the unity. our generation will be the ones that make a change. you have the divine energy to manifest your reality, you just have to tap in to your power.

Please follow him on all social media platforms at:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brick_otb/ 

Website: https://www.wavehise.com/ 

#OnRepeat is a music series dedicated to raising consciousness and amplifying artists who are innovating and using their art to spread truth, preserve culture, and beyond.