Domo Genesis is driving by means of Los Angeles with a purple fitted cap on his head, the blue sky blaring by means of his sunroof, and his telephone positioned vertically so you’ll be able to barely see anything. Whereas he’s barely within the body, Domo is extra targeted on being heard over Zoom. For the primary time in over a decade, he’s talking with SPIN, the identical publication that — on the quilt of the December 2011 problem — labeled him and his Odd Future crewmates because the “altering face of hip-hop.”
The collective launched the careers of groundbreaking artists in Tyler, the Creator, Frank Ocean and Earl Sweatshirt. Hell, it even offered the most recent star of Jackass in Jasper, the founders of the Web in Syd and Matt Martians, and The Bear standout Lionel Boyce.
Immediately, nevertheless, Domo — brief for Dominique Marquis Cole — isn’t the most important identify in music. He was by no means chasing fame. He additionally isn’t hanging with sharks or starring in a brand new collection alongside the man who performs Lip Gallagher on Shameless. When he joins the Zoom name, he’s two weeks faraway from the discharge of his new collaborative undertaking with Proof, Intros, Outros, and Interludes. It’s a group of songs that locations him in the course of his journey (the “interlude”) as he finds solace in the truth that he’s precisely who and the place he must be — a superb rapper whose fireplace has by no means burned brighter.
“I [had to] present those who I’m extra than simply any individual driving any individual’s coattail within the group,” Domo says. “That’s by no means been the case of what it was, and by no means what I wished it to be. It bothered me. That was one thing that basically ate at me for a very long time. On this undertaking, I really feel like I’ve been busting my ass the entire time. As an alternative of attempting to think about issues to jot down about, I simply wrote about that. I wrote about the entire strategy of being uninspired, looking for inspiration, and realizing that inspiration comes out of your self-confidence — and also you gotta get proper with your self first.”
Now 31, Domo Genesis is lastly getting proper with himself. Regardless of moments through which he felt like giving up on rap, he explains that he all the time noticed indicators — like accolades or assist from followers — pushing him to proceed. These indicators have led him to his most susceptible undertaking but (and one which his circle of relatives obtained concerned within the making of) and a resume that now contains contributing to the 2022 Grammy winner for Greatest Rap Album, Tyler, the Creator’s Name Me If You Get Misplaced.
“Total, on [Intros], I really feel prefer it was nearly progress and hashing out all of the issues I’ve been by means of up to now — closing these chapters firmly and eventually,” Domo says. “I’m closing the chapter on… I don’t wanna say youth, however simply the teenage angst a part of the journey. It’s probably not about that no extra. It’s about forgiving all of the issues that should be forgiven. It’s actually nearly progress.”
Intros, Outros, & Interludes, which follows Domo and Proof’s 2018 joint effort, Aren’t U Glad You’re U, was conceptualized late final yr as the 2 started to spend so much extra time collectively once more. On the time, Domo says he tapped into the identical type of spirit he had whereas recording his 2012 Alchemist collab album, No Idols, a undertaking that also holds a cult appreciation amongst followers.
After recording what could possibly be thought-about an early draft of Intros in late 2021, Proof then invested in a brand new microphone, prompting the duo to scrap your complete factor and begin from scratch with new materials, new lyrics and a brand new mindset. Domo would go to the studio on weekdays from 8:30 am to 2:30 pm, earlier than Proof (and infrequently Domo) must decide his son up from faculty. That left the pair with scheduled studio time and a will to get the factor performed earlier than the bell rang.
“Once I was creating this one, I used to be at a crossroads,” Domo says. “I used to be on the crossroads of being fully modified from how I used to be pondering and who I used to be on the time earlier than this undertaking. I simply went by means of some whole self-recreation of the best way that I assumed on the within, my perspective on loads of completely different shit. It’s good to see lots of people be accepting of that.”
The fabric on the brand new undertaking is wide-ranging, however as he suggests, it principally faucets into the Hawthorne-born spitter’s inner adjustments. Domo mentions “Tallulah” as some extent of reference, sharing that he prevented all punchlines all through, as a substitute specializing in his journey towards working by means of critiques and a scarcity of inspiration.
“We’ve been at factors the place I wished to stop, the place I used to be shying away from the highlight and never placing issues out and never taking alternatives as a result of it’s actually onerous as an artist to think about some shit that drives you,” Domo says. “Some issues that make you click on, make you go, then you definately launch that to the world and persons are like ‘Man, this shit stinks.’ Everybody says they’re constructed for that, however I all the time inform individuals ‘You don’t know if you happen to’re prepared till any individual tells you — whenever you thought you have been probably the most prepared — that you simply’re not prepared in any respect.’”
On Intros, Domo sounds prepared. The manufacturing from Proof is shifting in telling that story, particularly when blaring horns come by means of on the opener “Don’t Consider Half.” Whereas Domo rhymes about coping with adversity as an artist who’s been within the recreation for over a decade, there’s a confidence in his supply. However that confidence might not have all the time been there, which he says is partly a product of feeling ignored as an MC.
“I all the time thought that there was a hierarchy in Odd Future,” Domo says. “It’s not one thing that anyone, or any individual, in O.F. created. I felt just like the fanbase created this factor the place it could possibly be like 5, 4, three individuals who have been ranked on the prime, and everyone else was part of ‘these guys,’ proper? I used to be all the time uncomfortable with ‘these guys.’ I all the time had a chip on my shoulder due to that. I had rather a lot to share, I had lots of people to encourage, I knew the issues that I used to be saying have been… I don’t wanna say ‘vital,’ as a result of it sounds self-righteous, however I knew that they’d issues to them that might assist encourage individuals.”
Odd Future quietly disbanded only a few brief years after their emergence, however Domo nonetheless shares shut bonds with just a few of his co-stars — the identical guys who inadvertently motivated him to excel at his craft. Final month, Earl referred to as him a worthy “sparring accomplice,” and Tyler promoted Intros on Twitter for some added visibility.
Whereas the collective is now not releasing music collectively, Domo knew that his Grammy-winning reunion with Tyler was “one thing completely different” — even when he wasn’t anticipating to win any awards.
“It’s like, man, nevertheless a few years of labor it’s been and nevertheless a few years of individuals not being attentive to particularly what I used to be doing — it simply reveals me that you simply gotta simply hold going, bro,” he says. “You gotta consider that what you’re doing is correct, even if you happen to get the smallest signal, you bought to learn that shit and be like ‘Yeah, I’m doing the fitting factor.’”
Making the fitting choices on Intros usually meant taking dangers. On the quilt of the 11-track undertaking, he’s crouched in entrance of each his grandfather and his younger nephew. The picture represents members of the family being on the intro, outro, and interlude of their lives, with each of his kinfolk taking part in a particular function. At first, that concept of labeling his grandfather as somebody on the “outro” of his life scared Domo. However that was earlier than he reminded himself that the perfect concepts are those that invoke uncertainty and concern.
“In the event you’re not getting the butterflies or the sensation that shakes you up — whenever you virtually rattling close to wish to say ‘Let’s not do that’ — if it doesn’t really feel like that, I don’t really feel such as you get higher,” Domo explains. “That’s being alive. I all the time inform my boys ‘What’s the one factor that if you happen to don’t get it performed, it’s gonna make you are feeling horrible? You don’t let go of that one factor.’ These butterflies are touching you for a motive.”
As for what Domo desires his followers to study from his work, he doesn’t essentially need himself and his story to be the main target. He makes it in regards to the listener — or actually anybody who could also be feeling ignored.
“In the event you’re doing one thing proper now that you simply really feel such as you ain’t been getting your flowers, I all the time say, ‘It’s flower season now,’” Domo says. “In the event you really feel such as you ain’t getting that simply due, individuals sleep in your craft, that is the time to stand up and get your shine on. I don’t know what’s within the playing cards — astrology and all that shit — however no matter it’s, it’s clicking.”
