Listen: OOH, “Hometown”
Over Dukeyman’s thumping beat with a plaintive piano loop and a rapidfire 32nd note hi-hat pattern, OOH opens “Hometown” with the line “Baltimore ain’t been the same since Odell’s been closed.” But by halfway through the song, the tone is less nostalgic or pessimistic than an exhilarating rush of conflicting emotions, as he hollers to the producer, “Duke, I feel like I’m on the elliptical or somethin’, yo! I start talking about my city, I get these goosebumps!” It’s hard not to get caught up in the moment right with him, even when he stops ad-libbing and just lets the gorgeous instrumental play out for a full minute at the end of the track.





