ONO fuses classical music and rap in a unique and powerful blend
The man who calls himself ONO (for the One N' Only) is part of
the post-hip hop generation of artists who grew up with the
music, but now see it as irrelevant and self-indulgent. Where
does hip hop go next? If 17-year-old ONO (birth name: Jake
Bhattacharya) has anything to say about it, the answer is back
to the concert hall, with a fusion of live, classical
instrumentation and highly personal lyrics. No gangsta
posturing. Minimal sampling. And a message of hope, rage and
personal affirmation.
On his self-released debut EP "Accomplishment," ONO collaborates
and co-produces his original songs with Jason Petz (Triton
keyboard/piano) and Yu-Min Cho (viola/violin), aka The ONO Crew,
and even throws in some ukulele on closing ballad "Bad
Experience." The results sound like nothing that has come before.
But then ONO isn't your typical teenage hip hopper. Born in
California to Bengali parents, he was raised by his mother and
her sisters after his folks divorced. It was a loving home, but
with little supervision as his mother struggled to support her
family. As a young teen, ONO fell in with a tough crowd, and was
tempted into being an accomplice on a liquor store robbery.
Seeing that he was growing alienated from his gangster friends
as well as his family, and worried about his safety, ONO's
mother shipped him off to military school, an act that may have
saved his life. It certainly kick-started his creativity and
discipline: soon he had a notebook full to bursting and a dream
of expressing his emotions through rap. Inspired by Dr. Dre and
Eminem's "Forget About Dre," ONO starting turning his poetry
into lyrics.
ONO's songs became more personal and angry after a relationship
ended badly, and it's these emotions that are at the center of
"Accomplishment." The girl told him he'd never make it in hip
hop, and he heard similar messages from friends; ONO set out to
prove them wrong. He went to his mother, who by now was a
successful CEO of a public company, and said he knew she wanted
him to become a doctor, but that he hoped she'd support his
musical dreams. She agreed--provided he put every ounce of his
drive and passion into music. So now ONO had a lot of people to
impress. And at the start of his senior year, he started work on
his record.
The melodies on "Accomplishment" are entirely ONO's. He whistles
them for his partners, who then play them back on piano or
violin. By fusing classical instruments with raw, contemporary
lyrics, ONO wants to make music that's accessible across the
generation gap.
ONO will be appearing live on December 11 at the Burbank Hilton
competing against a pool of other talent search winners. And as
he starts college this fall, he