Local rapper drops prize money on Faith House
By Bill Beene
Of the St. Louis American
Local rapper Ooops isn’t waiting to become a rich and famous rapper before he donates money to a charity, though he may be well on his way.
The 22-year-old South Side rapper won a Derrty DJs contest last year and took the guessing out of the recent Guess Whoz Next showcase for Disturbing Tha Peace (DTP) A&R Greg Rogers.
He is scheduled in the coming weeks to meet with the popular, multi-platinum label, headed by Shaka Zulu and Ludacris, once the home of St. Louis-born born platinum rapper Chingy.
Before the DTP trip, Ooops dipped by STL charitable organization Faith House Wednesday to sign over a $1,000 check from his monetary winnings.
“I’ve always been down for kids,” said the humble rapper, whose first job at a summer camp in Kirkwood furthered his love for children.
“A lot of rappers wait until they make it and set up a foundation, but I said why not now – you get back whatever you give.”
Ooops’ thoughtfulness comes through in his lyrics. He does mostly party songs or club rap, but says he uses gangsta metaphors to get his message across.
He calls himself a new breed of local rapper and says people agree, thinking he isn’t from St. Louis when he spits.
“I respect that everybody has their own style – like Nelly – and I like it, but I have my own style,” says Ooops.
He said he’s a beast with a battle rap mentality and good songwriting ability. That duality, he said, gives him an upper hand, because a lot of battle rappers can’t write and a lot of good rappers can’t battle. That’s why Eminem is so successful, he said.
Ooops didn’t start writing down raps until about eight months ago, around the time he did his first stage show. Before that it was all battle and freestyle.
Event coordinator, Roland Page (owner and master tattoo artist of Black Pearl), said he pushed Ooops into the DTP showcase even though Ooops hadn’t mentioned it.
“I peeped the raw talent in him when he got in the other showcase,” Page said, noting that Ooops was disenchanted with the former showcase because PR heads rather than A&R reps made up the panel of judges.
The DTP panel of judges included Rogers (DTP A&R), nationally known TJ the DJ, who is responsible for the success of a gang of rap careers, and Julie Beverly, editor of Ozone magazine.
“When a panel like that chooses you – you must have it,” Page said.
Ooops had this say about his win: “My stage show and delivery is on point, and when I spit people know what I’m saying – and I’m really saying something.”
But, at the advice of Page, Ooops isn’t just thinking about rapping, though he gave up cooking to pursue rap full-time.
Page said, “I have faith in him and his management team 930 Connections, so I gave him the same game – a enterprise can really establish him and become a dynasty.”
Faith House CEO Gwendolyn Njoki Redding said, “We need more young men like this – they are the warriors and protectors of our families. Young men get good and bad raps, but we need to have examples of young men good at what they do, but helping and protecting a good community.”
She added that donating the money to an organization like Faith House “is an excellent way for him to start his career so he can stay grounded in what is needed in the community he is from. Girls and women are violated in many ways because they have no protection, but if we have good examples we know how to honor them.”
Faith House is a residential care facility for mentally challenged and developmentally disabled adults 18 and up. Its Dream House is for homeless and runaway teens 17-21. Its latest addition, Peace Villa, is a senior citizen care facility, 62 and up.
“We still have a lot to do, but somebody like this always shows up,” said Clarice Evans, associate director of Faith Village.