On the four original songs, he addresses the wrong turns of “Street Life,” violent tendencies in “War,” love for his late grandmother in “Broken Link” and equality in “Born To Be Free.” Hitting on topics with which many can identify or understand, the penetrating song “Street Life,” produced by CoLa, became an immediate hit on Toronto's urban radio station Flow 93.5 FM. The track made it to #1 within weeks, and held its place at the top for four consecutive weeks!
“‘Street Life’ is my own experience with some people I hang around with, the things I see happening here in Canada,” explains Obie. “In Jamaica, it’s a different way of life down there and to come up here and see that people are suffering from the same things that we are suffering from there, and they have all these opportunities, but they’re still on the street trying, it’s understandable because some people aren’t coming from the best homes. They don’t have role models to look up to. I touch on all of that in the song.”
Born Mohanza Kelly in Jamaica, he was nicknamed “Obie” by his grandfather who won a Derby bet with a racehorse named Obie Wan Kenobi and declared his young grandson a good luck charm. His upbringing wasn’t privileged, but he didn’t know any better. “I just took it how it came,” he says.
Obie grew up in the church and has strong Christian beliefs, wanting to make a difference. He started singing in the church, eventually leading his youth choir, but he was also drawn to dancehall, soul and reggae music. “The message in reggae songs is something that I can relate to my own life,” says Obie. “Back in Jamaica, we were barely making ends meet and that’s what reggae music is — you sing about the struggles that people go through.”
In 2001, at age 16, Obie’s mother, who was already living in Toronto, brought him and his sister to Canada. He had graduated from high school in Jamaica and planned to go to university here, but discovered that the system didn’t acknowledge Jamaican education as equal. Obie had to return to grade 10 and was understandably discouraged. “I started falling off,” he admits. “So I surrounded myself with music to get my life back on track.”
Obie soon found out about Central Tech high school, which had a remarkable music program, including two in-house recording studios on which to learn. He transferred mid semester from another school in Rexdale and immersed himself in recording engineering. “I’d hang around the studio and learn stuff in the environment,” he says. “Being in Canada, I saw the different possibilities for things that I could do with myself and I started reflecting.” Obie cut some tracks at Central Tech, including “Keep The Dream Alive” to commemorate Martin Luther King Jr. Day. After graduating from Central Tech he worked at The Remix Project, a government-funded studio which allows up-and-comers to sign up, come in for an interview process, and get approval to record there for free. There, he cut such tracks as “Street Life,” “War” and “One In A Million.” Now he is an audio engineer at Toronto studio The Loft, where he finished up his debut EP, taking “War” and “Street Life” and combining them with “Broken Link” and “Born To Be Free.”
“War” is a killer dancehall-flavoured reggae-based track featuring rapper Krymes. “I can only write about the environment I see. Every summer is like a season for violence,” Obie says of the lyrical inspiration. “As soon as the weather gets a little warm, people start getting crazy. So the way I approached the track is ‘Why is this happening, people walking on the street beefing on each other for no reason?’”
“Broken Link,” he wrote for his grandma who passed away in 1998 in Jamaica. “I still have trouble with it because I grew up with her,” he says. “She was my mentor, my mother, everything in one. She would really look out for me and when she passed I wasn’t even there. I was coming from school and it was tragic the way I found out and it stuck with me. It’s saying if I get the chance to meet her again, how much I would tell her I love her.”
For “Born To Be Free,” Obie sampled Martin Luther King Jr.’s "I Have A Dream" speech and used snippets throughout the song. “He’s saying everybody’s one, we should be able to fight together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that one day we’ll be free — that’s the parts of his speech I used,” says Obie.
And Obie too, even at 23, would like to make a difference. “As a person and as a musician, I’m a big advocate of humanitarian acts. I think my purpose is to help the less fortunate in any way I can and use music as a tool to really get to them, as a medium to communicate with them,” says Obie. “So I see myself in the future owning some enterprises, but at the same time I’m going to go back to my home country or to Africa or wherever help is needed and try and set up a studio. I’m trying to use music as a tool to promote positive change.”
Confesiones
Obie Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Un reloj de esos bien caros y un tumbao al caminar
Y una bolsa con una chaqueta gap
Bañada en un perfume y mucho lápiz labial
Le a dicho a la mujer que por las noches el trabaja
Y es por eso que ahora llega a las tres de la mañana
El cree que con lavarle bien el cuello a esa chaqueta
Alla arriba lo perdonan borrón y cuenta nueva
Lava, lava las mentirtas que a ti tanto te fascinan
Convirtiendo la malicia en una cosa de rutina
Lava, lava las mentiras pero acuerda que en la vida
Ya sea tarde o temprano la verdad nunca se limpia
Bien a la moda adivina quien llegó
El chamaco un poco fino ya tú sabe' otro simon, simon
Deja contarte que en la lavadora 15 va mezclando calzoncillos
Con ropa victoria secret
Si allá en su pueblo llegara a enterarse la familia
De que vino a nueva york para ocultar su doble vida
El jura que por la distancia nunca allá se enteran
Eh muchacho porque escondes, ponte fuerte y sal del closet
Lava, lava las mentiras que a ti tanto te fascinan
Convirtiendo la malicia en una cosa de rutina
Lava, lava las mentiras pero acuerda que en la vida
Ya sea tarde o temprano la verdad nunca se limpia
Si la bebida ofreciera salvación
Ese americano tiene una silla junto a dios
Entra callado sus lentes cubriéndolo
Hoy no dice ni "good morning"
Ay! dale pepto-bistmol
Parece que los viernes sin pensarlo va de fiesta
Y cerveza tras cerveza se le piede la cabeza
Dando tumbes en el suelo se enlodó la camiseta
Y ha venido a confesarse a comprar sus penitencias
Lava, lava las mentiras que a ti tanto te fascinan
Convirtiendo la malicia en una cosa de rutina
Lava, lava las mentiras pero acuerda que en la vida
Ya sea tarde o temprano la verdad nunca se limpia
The lyrics of the song "Confesiones" by Obie talk about three different people who are hiding secrets and living double lives. The first verse talks about a man who comes home late at night with his expensive accessories like a watch and a jacket, which he cleans to erase any trace of his infidelity. He believes that by getting rid of the evidence of his affair, he can obtain forgiveness, but the truth will ultimately reveal itself.
The second verse tells the story of a young man who hides his sexuality from his family, and he thinks that moving to New York will help him keep his secret. He is afraid of being judged and rejected by his loved ones, and he doesn't want to come out of the closet. The final verse is about an American man who is addicted to alcohol and attends confession to seek redemption for his actions.
The chorus of the song emphasizes the importance of honesty and how lies will eventually catch up with us. The phrase "lava, lava las mentiras" means "wash, wash the lies," suggesting that the only way to move forward is by confronting the truth.
Line by Line Meaning
El llega con su pinta de galán
He arrives with his charming appearance
Un reloj de esos bien caros y un tumbao al caminar
Wearing an expensive watch and walking confidently
Y una bolsa con una chaqueta gap
Carrying a bag with a Gap jacket
Bañada en un perfume y mucho lápiz labial
Wearing perfume and lots of lipstick
Le a dicho a la mujer que por las noches el trabaja
He has told his woman that he works nights
Y es por eso que ahora llega a las tres de la mañana
That's why he now arrives at three in the morning
El cree que con lavarle bien el cuello a esa chaqueta
He believes that by cleaning the collar of that jacket
Alla arriba lo perdonan borrón y cuenta nueva
Up there, they forgive and forget
Lava, lava las mentirtas que a ti tanto te fascinan
Wash, wash the lies that fascinate you so much
Convirtiendo la malicia en una cosa de rutina
Turning malice into a routine thing
Lava, lava las mentiras pero acuerda que en la vida
Wash, wash the lies but remember that in life
Ya sea tarde o temprano la verdad nunca se limpia
Sooner or later, truth can never be cleaned
Bien a la moda adivina quien llegó
Guess who arrived, on-trend
El chamaco un poco fino ya tú sabe' otro simon, simon
The young man is a bit refined, you know what I mean
Deja contarte que en la lavadora 15 va mezclando calzoncillos
Let me tell you that he mixes underwear in washer 15
Con ropa victoria secret
With Victoria's Secret clothing
Si allá en su pueblo llegara a enterarse la familia
If his family back home was to find out
De que vino a nueva york para ocultar su doble vida
That he came to New York to hide his double life
El jura que por la distancia nunca allá se enteran
He swears that due to distance, they'll never find out
Eh muchacho porque escondes, ponte fuerte y sal del closet
Hey boy, why are you hiding? Be strong and come out of the closet
Si la bebida ofreciera salvación
If alcohol could offer salvation
Ese americano tiene una silla junto a dios
That American would have a seat next to God
Entra callado sus lentes cubriéndolo
He enters silently, his glasses covering him
Hoy no dice ni "good morning"
Today, he doesn't even say "good morning"
Ay! dale pepto-bistmol
Oh! Give him some Pepto-Bismol
Parece que los viernes sin pensarlo va de fiesta
It seems that on Fridays, he goes partying without thinking
Y cerveza tras cerveza se le piede la cabeza
And with each beer, he loses his head
Dando tumbes en el suelo se enlodó la camiseta
Falling on the ground, he dirties his shirt
Y ha venido a confesarse a comprar sus penitencias
And he has come to confess and buy his penitence
Lava, lava las mentiras que a ti tanto te fascinan
Wash, wash the lies that fascinate you so much
Convirtiendo la malicia en una cosa de rutina
Turning malice into a routine thing
Lava, lava las mentiras pero acuerda que en la vida
Wash, wash the lies but remember that in life
Ya sea tarde o temprano la verdad nunca se limpia
Sooner or later, truth can never be cleaned
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: OBED BERMUDEZ
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind