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INSIDE REGGAETON - Exclusive!
New Artist Spotlight: Omawi Bling
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July 12, 2006
Omalwin Vasquez spent his childhood moving from Florida New York and Puerto Rico, something not uncommon for young Latinos on the east coast. He describes his youth as some what of a roller coaster ride. No matter what problem came his way, he says his parents were always there for him. As an alternative to life in the streets, he turned to music for inspiration.
The sounds of Hip-hop and R&B sooth the soul of many music listeners old and young.. It is music that gives us comfort in trying times and allows us a new understanding to the ideas of others, and to share an emotional moment over and over again. Music lovers look for the perfect combination of beats and rhythms coupled with the purest of lyrics that come from the heart and real life experience. Omalwin Vasquez, known to the world of Reggaeton as Omawi Bling, is here to do just that. He proudly states that with or without the bling around his neck, he will always be Omawi.
“Since I was raised on Hip-hop and R&B, I have always loved Hip-hop and am a huge fan of most of the rappers out there,” stated Omawi in a recent interview with Reggaetonline.net. “Back in 1994-95, that was when I really started getting into Reggaeton and listening to artists like Vico C and a lot of others who, over the years, have made Reggaeton into the movement that it is today. As a youngster I was part of the streets but I always had my music as inspiration.” Tupac, Wu-Tang, and P-diddy are among the many rappers who have influenced Omawi over the years. “Back in the day there was a lot of people struggling to make it happen in the music industry, and their struggle is what inspired me.”
Life is not a bed of roses and many of our youth. They often look to the streets to try to find ways to help their families make ends meet. The feeling of freedom and easy money makes it difficult for most to walk away before the law catches up to them. I was hustling on the streets when I was 13 or 14,” recalled Omawi. “When I was 17 he caught a couple of cases won them and then caught a federal case and that was a different story. At that point I thought, ‘what should I do?’ Either I stay in this life or make something better and make my mom proud. My Mom was going through a lot of things back then. We had to struggle, but my mom was there for me no matter what. When I was in jail I finally sat and realized that I needed to do something different with my life. I finally put my mind to the thought of doing music and doing something positive and different. I started doing my thing with Reggaeton, struggled and hustled my way in and now I am making it happen.”
Omawi has done his fair share of hustling, promotion and traveling between New York and Puerto Rico to try to make things go his way. When he was in New York he started his own record label. He also worked with a friend while in Washington Heights, calling themselves the Kingpins, they both promoted themselves during events like the Puerto Rican Day Parade. He later met with his friends Miguel and NeyFlava from Clavo Music and from there hooked up with UBO (Urban Box Office.
In 2005 Omawi was featured on El Draft 2005 which was produced by Chencho from Plan B and Boy Wonder. His style mimics the best of all the genres combined in that he keeps steadfast to his roots of Hip-hop, R&B and Reggaeton. All these music genres are the motivation and inspiration for most Reggaeton artist, yet most chose to specialize in Reggaeton.
Omawi’s first solo album is set to come out early this fall in August and September. Artists featured on his album will include the likes of Brian McKnight which present us with a unique blend of R&B. On the Reggaeton side of the music Omawi collaborated with Voltio and Tempo Alomar among others.
Omawi is very open to speaking about his past and his future, but he reminds us that dreams are just the beginning. “People dream about what they want all the time. For example they may think, ‘I am going to get a house or an apartment,’ then they actually start on the road to making it happen. They also consider just how they are going to accomplish their goals and the road looks tough.” Omawi continues to explain no matter how hard things seem keep working towards your goals. In the beginning it may look like a long processes to reach the end of the task, but in the end, it will be well worth the struggle. “I changed my life and to me that is a blessing. No probation, no problems, I can just take it easy with my daughter who is now 6 years old. When you look at things like that from where I come from this life I am living now is a blessing.”
