Oddisee’s music has taken many forms over the years: On his early compilations—101, Foot in the Door and Mental Liberation—Odd was the scrappy upstart, his distinct D.C. drawl and heavy drums carrying a unique "golden-era" hip-hop tinge. As leader of the Diamond District with rappers yU and Uptown XO, Odd is the mature figurehead: The group’s 2009 debut, In the Ruff, is a widely heralded classic in D.C.’s underground rap circles. In 2011, Oddisee released what’s probably his most lauded project to date, Rock Creek Park, a mostly instrumental album dedicated to his own bike rides through the sprawling D.C. landscape. By 2012’s Odd Renditions, you got a sense that he wanted greater visibility: He spit rhymes on Bon Iver samples and flipped Marvin Gaye into a danceable rap tune.
Though in recent years, Oddisee’s tone has grown more acerbic. On his 2013 mixtape, Tangible Dream, Odd wagged the finger at fake friends and naysayers. He reserves some vitriol for The Good Fight, his sophomore album, though he sounds remarkably comfortable throughout its 12 tracks. He does more singing ("First Choice", "Meant It When I Said It") and flirts with different time signatures ("Counter-Clockwise"). "That’s Love" recalls spacious funk, and on "Fight Delays", he brags a little more than usual: "They tell me I ain’t buzzin’, well, last year I made well over a hunnid stacks." That sort of straight-ahead statement is rare for Oddisee, who’s largely kept silent about his financial gains, though in 2010 he moved to Brooklyn from the D.C. area to further monetize his career.
The Good Fight is technically a hip-hop record, but the vibe here is decidedly eclectic, building upon the kaleidoscopic method he’s employed for 13 years. If Odd’s debut album addressed the uncertainty he felt about his artistic trek, The Good Fight proclaims the success of said path. He references a "working" plan that eschews mainstream attention and the fame that comes with it, choosing instead to be the low-key jetsetter culling inspiration from his global travels. As a result, The Good Fight exudes a sense of artistic freedom not heard on Oddisee’s previous releases. The music feels distinctly international and unhindered, far removed from the straight-ahead boom-bap he used to make. He’s always created on his own terms, but The Good Fight feels like a hearty "fuck you" to prevailing groupthink and the industry’s creative limitations.
Still, it’s clear Odd has grown tired of the false starts. On "Want Something Done", he complains about the phone meetings. He bemoans superficial demands and his own struggles to be heard. "Glorifying music that’s abusive and a threat to us," Odd quips, "and if you got a message in your records, you collecting dust." That’s become a common theme for him, in particular, on 2012’s "That Real", where the rapper contemplated his vision and the widespread anonymity felt by underground rappers. He revisits the notion on Good Fight standout "What They’ll Say", but the message quickly floats by: "I know that my intentions go unnoticed, a part of me wants attention." That’s long been Oddisee’s dilemma: On the surface, you’d think he doesn’t care about making it, yet there’s a part of him that values mainstream acceptance. The Good Fight is a streamlined reminder to ignore the restraints. Great music is great music, no matter where it comes from.
