Ozomatli was formed in Los Angeles in 1995. Ozomatli have gone from being … Read Full Bio ↴Ozomatli was formed in Los Angeles in 1995. Ozomatli have gone from being hometown heroes to being named U.S. State Department Cultural Ambassadors.

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.

Pensando En Mi Vida
Ozomatli Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Siempre pensando de mi buen estar
No sufro de las cosas de mi sociedad
Nunca buscando de la verdad
No paso por las cosas de esta comunidad

Estoy contento saber del, "No saber"
Ignorante de las vida alrrededor
Pero ahora nóto que mi felicidad

Esta deminuendo con la sociedad

Ahora mi vida
No veo que sigua
Hacia una vida-antigua
Why esto me fatiga

Todo la gente lleno de temor
Mata-why muere todo alrrededor
Sangre why muerte why lo mas peor
Mi vida ya no llega a lo mas mejor

Pensando de mi vida de lo que no hize
Paso lo peór poniendo mis niños triste
Mi hijo baron perdio su vida
Luchando contra estas injusticias

Ahora mi vida
No veo que sigua
Hacia una vida-antigua
Why esto me mata

Pensando en mi vida, pensando
Hubiera hecho halgo mejor
Ahora mi vida esta llena de temor

Ahora mi familia vive lo peor
Por eternidad vivire en rencor

Overall Meaning

The song "Pensando Mi Vida" by Ozomatli is a contemplative reflection on the societal struggles experienced by an individual. The opening lines express a sense of contentment in being ignorant of the turmoil and unrest around them. However, this attitude is transient, as the singer's happiness diminishes in the face of the society's harsh realities. The lyrics speak on the pervasive fear that grips people, resulting in death and destruction. The singer's sense of serenity is now gone as they reflect on the opportunities missed, the pain caused to their children, and the loss of their son in fighting against injustice.

The song's message is a powerful commentary on the struggles and injustices of modern societies. The singer begins by claiming ignorance and contentment, but as they become aware of the world's problems, they experience a profound sense of loss and sadness. The lyrics highlight the struggles faced by individuals in society, specifically referencing the violent and destructive forces that are unleashed. The singer's thoughts turn to the past, including the actions they might have taken differently, as well as the pain and loss they have caused their family. The song ends on a note of bitterness and anger, with the singer stating that they will always feel resentment.

Line by Line Meaning

Siempre pensando de mi buen estar
I always focus on my well-being

No sufro de las cosas de mi sociedad
I don't suffer from the things happening in my society

Nunca buscando de la verdad
I never search for the truth

No paso por las cosas de esta comunidad
I don't get involved in the things happening in this community

Estoy contento saber del, "No saber"
I'm happy with my ignorance

Ignorante de las vida alrrededor
I'm ignorant of everything around me

Pero ahora nóto que mi felicidad
But now I realize that my happiness

Esta deminuendo con la sociedad
is decreasing because of the society

Ahora mi vida
Now my life

No veo que sigua
I don't see it continuing

Hacia una vida-antigua
Towards an old-fashioned life