Ozomatli has always juggled two key identities. They are the voice of their city and they are citizens of the world.
Their music — a notorious urban-Latino-and-beyond collision of hip hop and salsa, dancehall and cumbia, samba and funk, merengue and comparsa, East LA R&B and New Orleans second line, Jamaican ragga and Indian ragga— has long followed a key mantra: it will take you around the world by taking you around L.A.
Originally formed to play at a Los Angeles labor protest, Ozomatli spent some of their early days participating in everything from earthquake prep “hip hop ghetto plays” at inner-city elementary schools to community activist events, protests, and city fundraisers. Ever since, theyhave been synonymous with their city: their music has been taken up by both the Los Angeles Dodgers and Los Angeles Clippers, they recorded the street-viewtravelogue “City of Angels” as a new urban anthem, and they were featured as part of the prominent L.A. figures imaging campaign “We Are 4 L.A.” on NBC, and have the distinction of headlining the Hollywood Bowl three times in 2008, 2010 and 2012.
In recognition of their efforts towards Los Angeles, the City of Los Angeles has officially declared April 23rd in perpetuity as “Ozomatli Day”. Ozomatli were also recipients of the Local Heroes Award by Los Angeles PBS station KCET-TV, recognizing the band’s longstanding accomplishments and community service throughout Southern California. On the national stage, the band were recognized for their service not just to Los Angeles but as global activists, receiving the National Council of LA Raza's Humanitarian Award, and performing twice for Barak Obama.
“This band could not have happened anywhere else but L.A.,” saxophonist and clarinetist Ulises Bella has said. “Man, the tension of it, the multiculturalism of it. L.A. is like, we’re bonded by bridges.”
Ozo is also a product of the city’s grassroots political scene. Proudly born as a multi-racial crew in post-uprising 90s Los Angeles, the band has built a formidable reputation over five full-length studio albums and a relentless touring schedule for taking party rocking so seriously that it becomes new school musical activism.
“Just being who we are and just doing what we’re doing with music at this time is very political,” says bassist Wil-Dog Abers. “The youth see us up there and recognize themselves. So in a playful, party-type of way, I think it’s real easy for this band to get dangerous. We are starting to realize just how big of a voice we actually have as a band and how important it is for us to use it.”
The band had long been a favorite of international audiences-playing everywhere from Japan to North Africa and Australia-and their music had always been internationalist in its scope, seamlessly blending and transforming traditions from Africa, Latin America, Asia and the Middle East (what other band could record a song once described as “Arabic jarocho dancehall”?), but that year they entered the global arena in a different way.
They were invited by the U.S. State Department to serve as official Cultural Ambassadors on a series of government-sponsored international tours to Asia, Africa, South America, and the Middle East, tours that linked Ozomatli to atradition of cultural diplomacy that also includes the esteemed likes of Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman, and Louis Armstrong.
In places like Tunisia, India, Jordan, and Nepal, Ozo didn’t just play rousing free public concerts, but offered musical workshops and master classes and visited arts centers, summer camps, youth rehabilitation centers, and even a Palestinian refugee camp. They listened to performances by local musicians and often joined in for impromptu jam sessions with student bands and communitymusicians. Most shows ended up with kids dancing on stage and their new collaborators sitting in for a tabla solo or a run on the slide guitar.
In the case of Nepal, the band’s trip was part of a celebration of the country’s newly ratified peace accord and they arrived with a direct message: “different instruments but one rhythm, together we can make a prosperous Nepal.” Their concert, which drew over 14,000 people, was a historic one - Ozo were the first Western band to do a concert in Nepal and the event was the country’s first peaceful mass gathering that was not a protest or religious ceremony.
Ozomatli traveled to Myanmar, Vietnam and Thailand performing free concerts and extending humanitarian outreach, including HIV and AIDS care clinics, visits to schools for the blind and deaf, orphanages, Methadone clinics, and outreach programs to refugees and disadvantaged youth.
Ozomatli also journeyed to the earthquake zone in Dujiangyan, China – an area still ravaged by the devastating 7.9 temblor of May 12, 2008 - killing at least 68,000 people and injuring countless more. Ozo’s outreach in this area focused on extending the value of music education to children in orphanages, schools for migrant workers families, and schools for the handicapped.
Ozomatli were honored to help celebrate the Boston Pops 125th Anniversary, accompanied by the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Since that first orchestral collaboration, they have gone on to perform Ozo classics live with the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center, the Colorado Symphony, the San Diego Symphony, and the New York Pops.
Ozomatli made an appearance at TEDxSF – the first musical talk ever given at any TED conference - mixing discussion and sound to explore the challenges and promises of musical identities in a global age.
In addition to their substantial history licensing their music for film, tv and video games, the band has also gone on to compose and score, recently contributing music to Happy Feet 2 and Elmo's Musical Monsterpiece for Warner Brothers Interactive, SIMS for EA Games, music for PBS Kids, the films A Better Life and Harlistas, and for the TV Show Standup Revolution on Comedy Central.
Ozomatli has worked diligently to spread its message of peace, communication and understanding through music, with a longstanding tradition of performing for children all over the world, from the schools of North St. Louis to the orphanages of Southeast Asia. The band has also created “Ozokidz”, a special family friendly set geared towards performing for children and adults alike.
1 2 3 4
Ozomatli Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
One, two, three, four
Out the gate I brought the horsepower
Rev-Mex to your hard drive
We run a hard bargain
Pardon the trip
We park the art well
Hung on all fours, box and start sell
Available to you and yours
Other songs only make attempts
To love they inner
Understand I am just saying it
To validate displaying Ozomatli
Stance at first glance
It's like the train
Brought to hit you like James
With the 1, 2, 3, 4
True martial arts
Official souls my brainchild
Sing the song name now
1, 2, 3, 4
Bust a track till they flat on they back
Have the referee smacking the mat like
1, 2, 3, 4
We do it on the phone
When we stuff the funk in it, huh
Now wait a minute, so allot of us
Yo, I'm the East Coast south paw
Hanging with these West Coast north stars
Shining bright, height five elev'
Come on
Formatic for the handlin' the trouble
Comin' my way
The highway to heaven
Is a long road among the lyrical coves
The bus
Allot of us
Punk minds with the one of a kind rhymes
I .M.C., spit, kick for fee
Then all, not the player baby
But I running while you crawl
Too fast on your comprehension
Did I mention
Dave Madden scored a goal from the team
Second team I
I'm ready for crunch time
The lunch line was my favorite
Till I graduated to bus
Uh, uh, then I spewed to spit it
Now it's the three of us
Connected like Siameses
We on time
Like shiny bits of metal
Strapped to your wrist
We are tattoo to this rap thing
With invisible ink
I'm gone in a blink
Lethal like my pinkie
And clown like Bozo
Don't you know that Ozo bring the
1, 2, 3, 4
To hard to face
But lovin' the taste
Squeeze it out like paste alright
1, 2, 3, 4
Plug 2 will only rock a few
So now I roll with Ozomatli crew
Bringing you
1, 2, 3, 4
We know the backs to break
Ozomatli the great
Bring it
1, 2, 3, 4
1, 2, 3, 4
The song "1 2 3 4" by Ozomatli is a high energy and upbeat track that opens with the counting sequence, "one, two, three, four" to signal the start. The song's lyrics describe the group's powerful and energetic performance, with references to martial arts and sports. The opening lines "Out the gate I brought the horsepower, Rev-Mex to your hard drive" suggests that the group is coming in strong and taking listeners on an exhilarating ride. The verses are filled with wordplay and rhymes that are playful and fun, such as "I sneeze jealousies into these rhyme cartel, We park the art well," and "Too fast on your comprehension, Did I mention, Dave Madden scored a goal from the team."
The chorus of the song repeats the numerical sequence, "1 2 3 4" adding to the catchy and infectious nature of the track. The lyrics seem to be a call to action to fans and listeners to join in and groove to the beat. Overall, the song is a fun and energetic track that captures the energy and excitement of a live performance.
Line by Line Meaning
One, two, three, four
Counting off, getting ready to set the energy for the track
Out the gate I brought the horsepower
I'm coming in hot, with a lot of power behind me on this track
Rev-Mex to your hard drive
I'm delivering some of that energy from the Mexican Revolution, right to your system
We run a hard bargain
We expect a lot from ourselves and each other, we're a tough crew
Pardon the trip
Sorry for any mess we might make, but we're bringing a wild ride
I sneeze jealousies into these rhyme cartel
I'm competing with other rappers, pushing myself to be better, and rubbing my success in the faces of those who doubted me
We park the art well
We deliver our music and our message with a lot of skill and care
Hung on all fours, box and start sell
We're willing to get down and dirty to fight for what we believe in, and we're always hustling to make a living doing what we love
Available to you and yours
We're here to share our music and our message with anyone who is open to it
Other songs only make attempts
Other artists are just trying to make an impact with their music
To love they inner
To connect with themselves and their own feelings
Understand I am just saying it
I'm not trying to be aggressive or make anyone feel bad, I'm just speaking my truth
To validate displaying Ozomatli
To show that we're proud of our crew, and that we believe we have something important to share
Stance at first glance
The way we present ourselves is eye-catching and powerful
It's like the train
We're charging forward with momentum, like a freight train
Brought to hit you like James
We're delivering our message and our music with power and efficiency, like a boxing champion
With the 1, 2, 3, 4
Our message is clear and direct, hitting you strongly and simply
True martial arts
We're skilled and strategic in what we do, like martial artists
Official souls my brainchild
Our music is a creation that comes from the heart and soul, and we take it very seriously
Sing the song name now
We want you to remember who we are and what we stand for
Bust a track till they flat on they back
We're delivering hits that are so good they're knocking people out
Have the referee smacking the mat like
Our tracks are like heavyweight fights, and the referee is smacking the mat to count out our competitors
We do it on the phone
We're making music and collaborating from different places, even when we're not together
When we stuff the funk in it, huh
Our music is all about bringing the funk and energy to our listeners
Now wait a minute, so allot of us
Let me take a second to introduce ourselves and our crew
Yo, I'm the East Coast south paw
I'm from the East Coast and I'm left-handed, and I bring my own perspective to our music
Hanging with these West Coast north stars
I'm collaborating with some of the best musicians from the West Coast, who bring their own unique styles to the mix
Shining bright, height five elev'
We're standing tall and proud, shining with energy and creativity
Come on
Let's keep this energy going
Formatic for the handlin' the trouble
We're prepared and strategic in how we deal with any problems or obstacles that come our way
Comin' my way
We know we'll face challenges on this journey, and we're ready for them
The highway to heaven
Our music is going to take us to great heights, and we're ready for the ride
Is a long road among the lyrical coves
The journey to success in the music industry is slow and winding, and there are many talented artists we'll have to compete with along the way
The bus
We're all in this together, moving forward on the road to success
Punk minds with the one of a kind rhymes
We're a group of creative and innovative artists, pushing ourselves to be unique and original
I .M.C., spit, kick for fee
I'm an MC (Master of Ceremonies), spitting (rapping) and kicking (delivering tracks) with a lot of energy and skill
Then all, not the player baby
We're not just messing around or playing games – we're serious about our music and our message
But I running while you crawl
We're working hard and moving quickly, while others are lagging behind and moving slowly
Too fast on your comprehension
We're moving so fast and delivering our message so directly that some people might not be able to keep up
Did I mention
I'm reminding you again how powerful and effective our music is
Dave Madden scored a goal from the team
Our music is delivering results – like Dave Madden scoring a goal for his team
Second team I
Even though we're up-and-coming, we're still making a big impact and people are taking notice
I'm ready for crunch time
We're ready to work hard and deliver our best even when the going gets tough
The lunch line was my favorite
We may have started small and humble, but we're happy to work hard and build our success from the ground up
Till I graduated to bus
Now we're working as a team and moving forward together
Uh, uh, then I spewed to spit it
Now I'm delivering my message and my music with even more power and skill
Now it's the three of us
We're working together as a trio, with even more creative and musical energy
Connected like Siameses
We're so in sync and collaborating so well that we're like two parts of the same body
We on time
We're always punctual and ready to deliver our best work
Like shiny bits of metal
We're sparkling with creativity and energy, and our music is just as bright and powerful
Strapped to your wrist
Our music is an essential part of your life, like a watch or a bracelet
We are tattoo to this rap thing
Our love for hip hop and our message is so deeply ingrained in us that it's like a tattoo on our bodies
With invisible ink
Our message is subtle and under-the-surface, but always present
I'm gone in a blink
My creativity and energy are fleeting, and you have to pay attention to catch it
Lethal like my pinkie
Even something as small and seemingly harmless as a pinkie finger can be powerful and dangerous, just like our music and our message
And clown like Bozo
Our music is playful and fun, but we're still serious about our message and our skills
Don't you know that Ozo bring the
We're reminding you who we are and what we stand for
To hard to face
Our music and our message might be difficult to confront, but they're important and worthwhile
But lovin' the taste
We're still enjoying the process and the journey of making music and delivering our message
Squeeze it out like paste alright
We're working hard and delivering our music and our message with a lot of force and pressure
Plug 2 will only rock a few
We're not concerned with popularity or fame – we're focused on delivering our message to whoever wants to hear it
So now I roll with Ozomatli crew
I'm proud to be part of this talented and powerful group of musicians and artists
Bringing you
We're always delivering our best and brightest work to our fans
We know the backs to break
We may face challenges and obstacles along the way, but we're prepared to work hard and push through them
Ozomatli the great
We're making a big impact and building a powerful legacy with our music and our message
Bring it
We're ready to deliver our best and brightest work, and we're always pushing ourselves to do better
1, 2, 3, 4
Our message is simple and direct – we're delivering our best work and pushing our creativity to the limit
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
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