Ogechi Artist Profile: Igbo Nigerian-American Multi-Hyphenate Redefining Hip-Hop

Next Wave

Ogechi is a force. The Igbo Nigerian-American artist moves through the world with a creative range that feels limitless—rapper, singer, dancer, aerialist, spoken word poet, author, film editor, and all-around visionary. Read more about this month’s Next Wave artist inside. 

Before any of Ogechi’s gifts or titles, she is grounded in who she is. She talks about how her life is filled with purpose and intention. She’s a daughter, a sister to five, a “wellness chica,” a book-lover, a gym girlie, and a multi-hyphenate whose work carries the energy of someone who refuses to shrink.

“Anything and everything artsy is my life, my passion, a large part of my purpose,” she says. 

Ogechi’s sound is just as expansive as she is. She describes her music as high energy. We can confirm after being immersed into her world onstage at a recent show in Atlanta. The gifted multi-hyphenate delivers a powerful presence on and offstage. 

“My music is a vast ever-changing world of rap, melody and boundless infectious spirit,” Ogechi explains. “It’s high energy with a clear intention to uplift, affirm and encourage relentless boldness.” 

She calls the community she’s building her Tribe, which is a space for people who crave depth, escapism, and the freedom to exist in their oddity. Ogechi has created a world for the eclectic and those who embody their quirks and idiosyncrasies. 

“For those who need assurance their eclectic natures are welcomed and supported,” she says. “Those that appreciate non-conformity and living in absolute authenticity.”

Ogechi’s artistry is shaped by icons, but she transforms every influence into something that feels distinctly her own. From Missy Elliott to Busta Rhymes, Nicki Minaj to Erykah Badu, her musical palette is diverse with artistic elements rooted in authenticity, uniqueness and individuality. 

“Missy Elliott and Nicki taught me being quirky and eccentric can add to your flyness,” she shares. Beyoncé and Michael Jackson inspired her theatrical stagecraft. Lauryn Hill and Erykah Badu paved the way for weaving real life into music with grace. And legends like Kendrick, Hov, Busta, Biggie, and Pac sharpened her pen. It’s an ecosystem of artistic lineage, yet she never imitates. “My visuals, my voice, my movement and energy is uniquely OG,” she says. “From the jump I never mimicked anyone and people felt that.”

Ogechi’s, affectionately called OG, journey began onstage at 18, performing spoken word at the Juke House in Kansas City. She recalls the first moment when she started embracing a new artist title, poet, which shifted her creative pursuits completely.

“Someone said ‘Spit, Poet!’ and it was the first time I had been called that,” she remembers. 

That moment led to competitive poetry, international stages, and two published books. Music arrived soon after—SoundCloud releases, EPs, community center cyphers, and eventually her project Intersectional Blvckness, which opened a new chapter. She kept going, dropping project after project, performing everywhere she could. Growth became her trademark. 

“I evolve every era because I refuse to stay still until growth becomes default habit,” Ogechi tells Black Sound Wave.

December’s theme centers the holidays, and for Ogechi, the season is about recalibration. It’s a space to rest and honor a moment for stillness. 

“My intention for the holidays is restoration, reflection and contemplation,” she explains. 

It’s a moment to slow down, to be present with family, and to imagine the year ahead. She typically celebrates Christmas and New Years by going home—either to the Midwest or Nigeria. 

Giving back is also woven into this season, and Ogeichi shares how she becomes a servant for her community. 

“I typically donate to drives calling for warm clothes and food, or try to volunteer wherever needs help,” she tells us.

Her success is already stacking up with her first sync placement on Netflix, a single surpassing 200K streams, a summer tour run in Abuja, multiple paid performances, and recently, a sold-out concert she produced herself. 

“All without a manager, label or agency,” she emphasizes. 

These milestones shaped her confidence. “They help confirm that my aspirations aren’t delusional pipe dreams. That my sacrifices and setbacks will be worth it,” she adds. 

As she continues carving her own lane, Ogechi refuses to shrivel her intricacy for the comfort of others. 

“I don’t shrink my complexity into an easily digestible box,” she says. “I let it glow and expand.” 

Whether sensual, experimental, spiritual, gritty, or bright, she embraces it all. Her creative process is deeply intuitive. “Ideas are gifts from the Most High and it’s my job to bring them into this world,” she adds.

Her excitement for the future is grounded in freedom. OG’s most excited for the journey ahead to making her art and craft a full-time pursuit. 

“I’m excited to be able to proudly say I’m a full-time artist,” she says. 

No side gigs. Instead, just the dream sustaining itself and pouring back into her family and communities. The mission is expansion, and the work Ogechi’s doing is already fueling that path.

And for those trying to find their wave, Ogechi leaves a reminder rooted in truth and resilience: “Don’t chase trends. Let your truth be your engine. Pursuing music is not for the weak, for the lazy or the scared. Keep your child-like enthusiasm for the arts. Be YOU, boldly, and people that are meant to catch on will. It’s only over if you quit.”

Be sure to follow Ogechi’s journey here.