Atlanta-based rapper OGPD has always been steeped in the world of music, and it shows. Brought into the music world with the influence of his father, a well-known and respected DJ in their hometowns of Mount Vernon and the Bronx in New York, it was a given that the independent artist would brew a passion for the craft at a young age.
In 2010, he made his official start creating hip hop music as an engineer. Soaking up game from his Grammy-winning peers, he made his official move to Atlanta in 2014, charged with inspiration from the city and greater South’s music scene and sounds. It wasn’t long before he hopped on the mic, drawing what he could gather from the climate of the rap game and understanding how he fit into it.
After debuting his rap career in 2018 with the recording of his first song that year, OGPD has continued to scale his climb as an up-and-coming artist. Fast forward to 2021, and he now boasts his January release, an EP called “1050”, as well as another visual and his first album set to drop in July. Yet despite the great strides he’s made in his ascension to the top of the music world, OGPD maintains his desire to honor and acknowledge where he came from, how he started. His goal is to show others what fruit can grow when they finally take the leap and chase their dreams.
It’s clear that OGPD, short for “On God Purpose Driven”, is only focused on the chess pieces that will continue propelling him forward. 24HipHop had a chance to catch up with the artist to discuss his artistry, his roots in music and New York, his EP, and his forthcoming projects. The interview can be read below!
What inspired your artist name? Where did you get the name from?
My name stands for “On God Purpose Driven”. What inspired my name is my lifestyle. I’m a self-motivated, driven person. You’ve always got to have a purpose, and if you don’t know what it is, you’ve got to find that and chase it.
Where are you from and why did you move to Atlanta?
I was born in Mount Vernon, New York, raised in the Bronx– uptown Bronx, to be exact. I currently live in Atlanta, GA. Around 2014, the Atlanta music scene was buzzin’ and jumping. You could start to see the change in the whole music game toward this new Atlanta sound. I was engineering around that time, and I felt like the situation I was around musically in New York wasn’t going nowhere. I wanted to tap in with different artists and this different sound.
When did you start doing music? When did you start taking it seriously?
I’ve always had a musical background. My dad was one of the biggest DJs in uptown Bronx and Mt. Vernon. He always had me in music– since I was young. He’d always play music downstairs when he was doing his mixing sessions, and I’d always go chill with him and listen to music–from all genres. I didn’t start creating hip hop music ‘til 2010, but I started as an engineer learning from a couple Grammy engineers– ‘til around 2018. I just saw the climate of the rap game, and I felt like I did everything rappers were doing. I was getting money, dressing a certain way to where everybody thought I rapped. My homie Broadway kept trying to get me to f-ck with it. I recorded my first song in 2018, and I’ve been rapping since.
How would you describe your sound/style?
I make music to vibe to, to party to, and to motivate the hustlers and the people that are getting to it.
In your opinion, what makes you stand out from other/current artists out there?
Where I come from, being from a Caribbean background with the melodies, a different angle with the rapping, and being able to combine that together– along with having a star quality to myself.
Who/what inspires your sound/music?
I would say my dad. Besides that, I’m a huge fan of music moguls from 50 Cent to Jay-Z, Diddy, and Nipsey Hussle. All those dudes took music to another level and became successful businessmen.
What are your goals when it comes to your music career?
To inspire and motivate people in whatever they are doing in their everyday lives, and to be a real-life example of what hard work and chasing your dreams can get you. Just coming from the Bronx and living on 241st, you see so much sh-t, from drugs, people dying, gang banging, and everybody trying to grind and get to it. I saw 3 people get shot and murdered on my block in broad day. That sh-t made me think about ways to get out because this sh-t can’t be normal, but not on something to where I leave and don’t come back– more of a way to impact people and kids like me, who don’t think there’s a way out. I’ve really got to say my pops showing me music at a young age and him being the biggest DJ uptown, from him being homies with Heavy D to him being around the Locs and Diddy, it made me see there’s more out there. I just want to give back and be a symbol of hope to everybody.
Do you have a new project that is out now or coming out soon? What are you currently working on?
I’ve released one EP called “1050” that I just dropped at the top of the year, with 3 lead singles: “Flooded”, “Whenever”, and “Dolce Gabbana”. I’m currently working on my first album that will be dropping in July of 2021, with a new visual for my next single on that album.Who is your motivation and why?
My motivations are my family, my homies, and my hood, 241st and White Plains Road.
What message do you want to leave the audience with when reading the article?
Y’all seeing the next big dope artist out of Atlanta.
You can stream “1050” and the rest of OGPD’s body of work on all platforms: Apple Music, Spotify, Tidal, Youtube, Soundcloud, and Pandora. Look out for OGPD’s latest videos on his Youtube channel, and keep up-to-date on his forthcoming work by following his Instagram, @_ogpd_!