Oke Junior admits he’s finally ready to build off the momentum of his 2020 album, I Don’t Follow I Lead. Returning to Napa, he found himself at a crossroads with music, pivoting to teaching and community-led projects that could help redefine his place in the industry. In 2022, an appearance on Sway in the Morning, hosted by Sway Calloway, revamped his confidence. At the moment, a new project is in the works, a rebirth that, for Oke, feels honest to his journey as a lyricist. Most recently, the rapper has sync placements with ESPN, the NFL and Wingstop — yet another accomplishment showcasing his hunger to platform his music to larger audiences, amassing 2 million streams across Spotify, YouTube and Apple Music combined.
Describing how artists are up against gatekeeping and the bureaucracy of major record labels, Sickamore jokes that A&R in 2024 stands for “Artists and Research,” noting that social media, streaming services and algorithms are virtual roadblocks all recording artists will, at one point or another, face head on. “I want people to see that putting back time in the community [and] working with artists isn’t played out. I hopefully lead by example to create a generation of community leaders,” closes Sickamore.
