Music
Osama Com Laude: The Doctor who became the paKING
The Pakistani-American artist & rapper splits schemes and shares dreams in this candid interview.
Osama Com Laude (aka OCL) despite what it may seem, is not an overnight success story. Born as Syed Osama Karamat Ali Shah and raised in Orlando, Florida, OCL has spent the past 15 years mastering the rap game, so it is likely that his name has popped up on your social media one time or another.
Before he became known for hits such as “Desi Thumka”, “Pakistani”, “The Balance”, “Chaklala Scheming”, “Pindi Aye” & more, Osama was a skinny, ambitious pre-teen growing up in 90s America after his family moved to the ‘land of opportunity’ in 1992. So, of course, it had to be that ‘fabled 90s American culture’ that had a huge influence on the now 32-year-old.
“One of the first things I remember doing in America is falling in love with the game of basketball. Basketball and hip-hop go hand in hand and because it has a huge influence over hip-hop, rappers often refer to some of the greats all the time in their lyrics. Similarly, players love endorsing their favorite rappers.”
Some may recognize him as Pakistan’s Jason Momoa, he’d rather be a RAP KING
© Rehan Raza
To Osama, networks like MTV and VH1 were a major source of inspiration. “Back in those days, MTV only focused on music and it had no concept of reality TV shows. When I was in 9th grade, hip-hop was becoming more commercialized and gaining a lot of popularity, thanks to crossover rappers like Eminem, Nelly, 50 Cent, Ludacris, Ja Rule, DMX, Jay-Z, Diddy and more. Hip-hop and rap were dominating the mainstream,” says Osama.
“The music was evolving from the usual revolutionary and rebellious genre into a flashier and more glamorous one. So now not only could you speak your mind and fight the system through your lyrics, you could also get parties started & brag about your lifestyle.”
By that time, hip-hop and rap had taken over the radio & dominated the charts. Aside from hip-hop, it was also wrestling which helped shape Osama’s personality. “My friends and I would always mimic our favorite wrestlers and try the moves out on each other in our backyards. The wrestlers in the late 90s/early 2000s had an attitude and edge like no other!”
When writing, main goal of OCL is to create something that's timeless.
© Rehan Raza
And it was with those same friends that he later formed a group and started early by making remixes of their favorite tracks. “In early 2001, we had little resources. All we had was a Windows 2000 PC with a pre-installed voice recording software and a $10 standard desktop mic,” shares Osama. “The software didn’t offer much; we used to press ‘record’ and literally sing the song in one go.”
Fast forward to 2004, the rapper had the first-time opportunity to record in a professional studio setting which belonged to a friend. The opportunity led them to new grounds. They all had to come up with their respective stage names; his friend Devin became The Devistator and Mike became Mighty Mike.
“I had no idea what my stage name would be,” says Osama. “I even fumbled around with a few really lame names before coming to what eventually would be my alter ego for life.”
Eventually, when he was graduating from high school, he received a distinction of honor based on his grades called ‘Summa Cum Laude’ - a Latin term that translates to ‘the highest of honors’.
Osama Com Laude aka OCL
© Zahra Zaman
“When I received the award, it clicked in my head that Summa sounded like Osama. So, I changed it and became Osama Com Laude or OCL, which translates to ‘honoring Osama’. We then named our group ‘No Front’. ‘Fronting’ is an American slang for a two-faced person, someone who puts on a fake personality for others. So, our thing was the opposite, that we DON’T front, and we are who we are, and we’re not fake.”
Based in Orlando, the group independently wrote, recorded, mixed and released their first street album ‘We’re Back, No Front’ with 24 songs and a bonus track. They eventually sold all 100 copies at $7 each and made $700 back.
“It was huge for teenagers like us, we didn’t know what to do with it. With my share, I bought studio equipment for myself and that is when we started working on our second album.”
‘We’re Back, No Front’ was OCLs first album with his group, 'No Front.'
© Sherry Raw
No Front is still active to this day. Devin has gone from being The Devistator to Da Beast and now Nived (Devin spelled backwards); Mike went from being Mighty Mike to now Myca C. And OCL has remained OCL.
For the ‘No Front’ front-man, writing lyrics is mostly a spontaneous process.
“When writing, my main goal is to create something that is timeless. It shouldn’t be repetitive and should have a shelf life. It should be an anthem of some sort and have the same impact whether you listen to it now or five years later.”
In hip-hop, the surrounding culture & events usually inspire the music. The cum-laude rapper-doctor’s time spent growing up in the southern US, aka the dirty south, was highly influential on his style as well. Like the timeless ‘crunk’ and the ‘bounce’ of southern hip-hop anthems like “Get Low” by Lil Jon & The Eastside Boyz or “Saturday” by Ludacris, Osama aspires to have the same infectious quality in his work.
Southern US, aka the Dirty South, inspires OCLs music & style.
© MRKLE
Like the timeless ‘crunk’ and the ‘bounce’ of southern hip-hop anthems like “Get Low” by Lil Jon & The Eastside Boyz or “Saturday” by Ludacris, Osama aspires to have the same infectious quality in his work.
“In my collaborative song ‘Pindi Aye’, the purpose was to give the city an anthem. And I fully believe we gave it the ultimate one for generations to come.”
Years before ‘Pindi Aye’ became the record-breaking sensation, OCL Pindi aye (came to Pindi) to be a doctor. Not because Skyler Grey called for one, but to fulfil his mother’s wishes.
“Ammi wanted me to be a doctor. It was her dream that one of her kids became one. So yeah, that led me back to Pakistan and straight into Rawalpindi Medical College (now RMU). I remember when ‘Desi Thumka’ came out, I was in my third year of medicine. The way the song exploded, I was suddenly rocketed into the spotlight, not in a good way. It got me in a lot of trouble with my conservative professors and classmates. Immature & baseless grudges were held against me and I was constantly being troubled, harassed & failed for no reason. But I fought through it. I’m not the kind of person who gives up, that’s not what I was taught.”
OCL released his debut EP ‘paKING’ earlier in 2020.
© Khawar Malik
Earlier this year, OCL released his debut EP. Titled ‘paKING’, it was groundbreaking, metaphorical and an emphatic statement to the genre. Now gearing to drop his sophomore EP, entitled ‘Barbaadi’, in August, OCL is making another statement: that the king is intent on keeping the throne for years to come.
While Barbaadi consists of three tracks, Osama is also planning to release an eventually album, or LP, (with 10-11 tracks) in the near future.
Talking about his dream collaborations, he named Eminem, Nelly, Backstreet Boys, Turkish singer Tarkan, Craig David, Abrar Ul Haq & Ali Zafar. Osama holds Zafar in high regard after the latter showed him respect in his early days and performed with him at a concert at RMC.
OCL seen at Ali Zafars 50 crore Teefa in Trouble Success Party in Karachi
© Sheikh Hussain
“Before the show I told Ali Bhai I remixed his song ‘Sajania’ a couple of years ago and if I could perform it with him. He happily suggested that we can try it out and if it sounded good, we could do it. And of course, we ended up performing it together, and as they say, the rest is history.”
While some may recognize him as Pakistan’s answer to Jason Momoa, he’d rather be a rap king.
Authenticity is key for Osama, and he also suggests the same to the younger generation. “Stay true to your identity and your music will automatically shine. If you try to be something you are not, you will not last in the long run.”
The game is about to change - OCL
© Amir Khan Millizai
With the growing reach and popularity of hip-hop in South Asia, Osama believes there is a huge potential in the hip-hop culture of Pakistan. The expansion can also be attributed to the Indian film Gully Boy, the success of which also benefitted Osama & many other rappers in growing their respective audiences.
“Seeing how hip-hop has exploded into the mainstream lately, the future looks brighter than ever. With Pindi & Karachi leading the movement, it is going to explode and takeover the mainstream very, very soon. The game is about to change.”
