An OKC holiday tradition for a decade, concert and charity drive Gift Raps keeps on giving.
“The mission is still the same,” said event founder and hip-hop artist Jabee. “The biggest thing now is that it’s easier for me to partner with organizations for donations, because at the beginning, people didn’t really understand it.”
Featuring performances by Jabee, Original Flow, Willis Writer, Chloe Hart, and Dezzy, Gift Raps is scheduled for 8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 27, at Resonant Head, 400 SW 25th St., Suite A, in OKC. Admission is free with a donation of a nonperishable food item, an unopened toy, socks or gloves. These items will be distributed by the event’s partners, City Center and LiveFree OKC.
Though Jabee said “it’s obviously a lot cooler to get the donations before Christmas because we get toys and stuff that we want to give to parents to give to their kids,” the items will still get to families in need. Holidays between Christmas and New Year’s also focus on charity: Boxing Day (Thursday, Dec. 26), is a British tradition of giving gifts and food to the less fortunate the day after Christmas, and Friday, Dec. 27, is the second day of Kwanzaa, celebrating the principle of “kujichagulia,” or self-determination. According to the International African American Museum, kujichagulia can be honored through artistic expression and “also involves finding a balance between asserting one’s individual identity and contributing to the collective well-being of the community.” The following day, Saturday Dec. 28, is dedicated to “ujima,” or collective work and responsibility.
Credible messenger
Jabee also serves as executive director for event partner LiveFree OKC, an organization with the stated goal of reducing violence in OKC. According to the organization’s website, “the problem of violence is often the culmination of longstanding unmet needs in our communities,” and “services and supports are most effective when given by respected community members with similar lived experiences or are otherwise credible to the target population.”
Jabee said maintaining that credibility is important to him as an artist, too.
“I think it’s a big part of why some people relate to me,” Jabee said. “You gotta be able to know the things I’m saying and what I’m talking about is real and legit. I’ve seen it. I’ve been through it. I’ve experienced it.”
He released his latest album, The Spirit is Willing, But the Flesh is Weak, in October. On track “Keep It Real,” Jabee raps: “I ain’t got nothing else to prove, so / Never quit / I got everything to lose though.” It’s an attitude he said he’s “earned over the years.”
“I feel like who I am as an artist and the type of music I make, my work ethic, what I’m gonna do, what I’m gonna put in, I’ve proved it. And with that comes a big responsibility,” Jabee said. “I’ve been doing this for so long.”
That doesn’t mean he’s finished making music or finding inspiration, though.
“I feel like there’s a difference between needing to prove something and having something to say and a story to tell,” Jabee said. “Every day, I’m continuing to live life, and every day, I’m going through something new, and because of that, it feeds my passion to write and to create.”
The album, his first release through the Mello Music Group label, features an appearance by labelmate Quelle Chris and two tracks produced by Conductor Williams, known for his work with Drake and the Griselda collective.
“His production really inspires me,” Jabee said. “He creates the structure. He’s not gonna go back and rework it. What you get is what you get. So I like that type of collaboration. It really forces me to be creative.”
The album title comes from the Gospel of Matthew.
“There definitely is an overall message,” Jabee said. “I think the message is that no matter what, I really want to always strive to do what’s right, but I fall short. … We’re always trying to do the right thing but knowing that sometimes we will fall short.”
Jabee said he expresses his faith through his art, but he would not necessarily call it religious.
“No matter what I’m doing, but especially when I’m writing music, there’s a filter that I put everything through,” Jabee said. “That filter is usually my faith in God. How is this going to look in the eyes of God? How will this sound in 10 years? How is this going to sound if my kids hear it? How will this sound whenever I’m old when I’m not rapping any more? How is this going to make me feel?”
Another level
Original Flow said he loves the opportunity “to see people come together and do something good for complete strangers.”
“I’ve always wanted to do something like this myself because I feel like first and foremost, the current condition of America sucks, and I want to do something positive for the place I’m at,” Original Flow said.
In the near future, he plans to release a live album recorded with his backing band The Wavvez at Factory Obscura last December.
“I like performing with a band,” Original Flow said. “It’s a lot more fun. There’s more people involved in the creation process. Live performances with live instruments is another level. … Performing with a live band has allowed me to really get experimental and adapt to anything, to learn how to be more comfortable on stage with just being an artist and creating. … Working with the band let me really find my sound.”
He began performing with live instrumentation with his previous band, The Fervent Route. While he describes The Fervent Route as “a little bit more carefree,” he said the music he recorded with The Wavvez has a “more serious depth” shaped by his experiences during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.
“One of the new songs I wrote for the new album is called ‘Flash By,’ and it’s about a situation that happened right outside my house,” Original Flow said. “I saw this police officer literally gun down this guy. In a densely populated area where kids come play, this police officer literally opened fire in a civilian zone. There’s a Mexican family that lives right across from us, and their kids are always out there running around, and thank God they weren’t out there this time. That could have easily been a ricochet from those cops’ guns, and one of the kids could have been hit. I wrote about how fast life can leave, and this experience, it traumatized me. I’m still recovering from that, that someone can just pull up on you and just kill you because they feel threatened. … The world has definitely got me talking about a lot of that stuff.”
In the new year, Original Flow said he wants to bring more hip-hop showcases to OKC.
“We definitely have a lot of talented artists, and I don’t want them to feel discouraged,” Original Flow said. “I’ve been seeing my friends go, ‘Screw it! I’m selling insurance now!’ … I want to make sure my people have a place to go and to vent and to do the music they enjoy.”
Visit resonanthead.com.
This article appears in New Year’s Eve Guide.