Who's Hangry?
Welcome to our exclusive interview with a very special guest - Otis the hippo/human hybrid, who's not just an eye-catching 6'5 beast of a guy but also a rap artist about to make waves in the web3 music industry. We took some time to chat with Otis about his journey, style, inspirations, and the exciting things coming up. Let's get to it.
Q: Otis, great to have you here, how would you describe your unique style?
OTIS: Well, I'd say it's a blend of old-school hip-hop with elements of funk, soul and slices of break beat. I'm really into my jazz too man, It's all about the groove, rhythm, and storytelling.
Q: I love it, thank you for sharing. Who or what are your main sources of inspiration?
OTIS: My biggest inspiration comes from everyday life, people's struggles and victories. Huge fan of the ancient aliens series on YouTube too haha, Bob Lazar and all the freaky deaky stories he has to tell.. yo, it's crazy. I love a good dope story about little grey people visiting our strange world to poke and prod us, it fires me up. Musically, I've been influenced by the greats like Tupac, Biggie, and Queen Latifa, MC Lyte but also A$AP Rocky, Stormzy, Busta, you knows.. all the hits. Eminem is probably my biggest influence though, the way he builds a story outta nothing and takes you on the journey man, you feel it.. and that's what i'm about. More recently Louis C Rhymes has me in awe man. Such a cypher magician ya know.
Q: That's great, No Public Enemy and Flava Flav? I hear some tones of Flava in your licks but hey, that melting pot of influence has made you what you are today. Tell us about your struggles on the way to becoming an established artist?.
OTIS: I used to be a handyman ya know, before the accident. So fixing all sorts, and I'd have my headphones on vibin to the radio while I work. It's crazy how repetitive those commercial radio stations are, so I went deep into the archives of Jazz and female rap artists back catalog to really get a hold of my roots and appreciate the greats that have come before me. This led me to wanting to create my own songs and rhymes ya feel me? Then, you know, I'm an unmissable lump of muscle here, with these pythons and taking doors off the hinges when I walk through them, it scared people off at first, but as society has become more familiar with me and my crew, a purple hippo/human hybrid, I got those celebrity vibes. The kids are awesome man, love the little critters when they want a selfie or somin. But it hasn't been easy man. People doubted me, laughed at me. But I chose to turn those experiences into fuel for my creativity. And here I am now, about to release my first 6 track EP inspired by the Hangry Animals crew.
Q: It's great to hear how you're adapting to life as a Hangry? is that how we describe you and Leons crew?
OTIS: Yeh, Hangrys, Hangries, Hangrimals is all good with us. Beats "Aaaarrgggh a purple hippo"! so yeh, Hangrys is cool.
Q: Following your upcoming EP release titled "So Hangry", Otis, you're also venturing into the NFT space. It says you're planning to launch a series of NFTs that embody a unique style and personality with 10 characters. But these aren't just any NFTs; they're a fusion of music, art, and interactive experiences right?. Just reading here the details "You'll be able to immerse yourself in Otis' world like never before, through stunning visuals, animations, and even an interactive experience with charitable nominations rewarded in game. This is a new frontier for Otis, and he's thrilled to take his fans along for this exciting journey".
OTIS: Yep, dope right! We got's lots to share and build, but NFTs or digital collectibles as I like to call them, are an extension to my merch line and album releases, which features the crazy vocal licks of Zebrina too may I add. Zee Zee Zee.. such a dope track.
Q: This next phase for Otis will involve more than just music - there will be games, animations, and interactive experiences that bring his world of entertainment to life.
Otis, how do you feel about this upcoming NFT drop?
OTIS: I'm super excited! It's not just about selling artwork. It's an opportunity to connect with my fans on a deeper level, to build something together, to represent our holders charities of choice. Everyone wins man. Web3 we all hope for a situation where our community is along with us for the journey at every step, contributes ideas, shared their joy of supporting animal welfare causes and rallies around these concepts across the globe man.
Q: Absolutely ser, absolutely, love the advocacy for animals here. As you're a hybrid human animal, I guess you feel it from both sides right?. To all Otis' fans out there, we have a challenge for you! As part of our #hangryanimals tag, we invite you to create your own versions of Otis. Share it on social media and tag us using #hangyanimals. You might even get featured on our Hangry Animals website if the crew like it!
Thank you for your time today Otis, appreciate you stopping by to share your progress with the community. In the words of many twitter greats out there, Lets frikin Grow!
OTIS: Hahaha, for real for real. Thank you to all the community for believing in me and the crew. The journey is just beginning here. So much more coming down the line. Shout out to the Community of Communities on socials, they always got our backs. Can't wait for the collaboration on Digital Collectibles Book we're creating together too! But that's for another time.
Well, that was great, Otis is one hell of a Hangry wouldn't you agree? I'd like to second what Otis said about #HangryAnimals, let's see the hangryness evolve and grow into a gallery on the website. We'd love your support in growing our presence online. Twitter and Instagram are a focus of ours. If you have 5 minutes in your day, visit our profiles @hangryanimals, like, share and comment and go earn yourself some serious $FOOD tokens to use in our ecosystem. Go see this post on how to register on Roll and our Discord to receive $FOOD and reap the rewards of total hangryness.