OGB:
The DMV Artist With Revolution In His Genes
by Brandee Johnson for urban sentinel
his second album titled “Praying You Make It Home” in January, and released his video for one of his top singles, “If It All Falls” on YouTube in April. And my brother is only getting started. Well, first off, I want to say Congratulations on releasing your new video for “If It All Falls!” Thank you! I know our families tell us to go to school, get good grades, graduate, and have a great There are some people in life who inspire others through their example. For me, one of those people in my life would definitely be my brother, Rodney Johnson, Jr. Even though Rodney is my younger brother, he has taught me how important it is to follow your passion. The way that he has pursued his music career since graduating from high school has inspired me to start my journey as a freelance writer. Rodney, also known by his stage name as OneGreatBastard, is not your average rapper. Instead of following trends, my brother sets them. Every part of his life centers around community. He works as a substitute teacher during the day, coaches an all girls’ soccer team after school, and spends the rest of his time collaborating with several amazing artists in the DMV area. 2022 has definitely been the year of OGB. Rodney released
career. What was your main inspiration for choosing a different path and just saying, “Instead of this, I’m going to follow my dreams?” In all honesty, it was two moments in my life. The first moment was having a conversation with my teacher, Mr. Young, from Friendly High School. He used to tell me all the time, “Bro, if you’re going to do school at all, go to a community college. You don’t really need to go to school.” He was the first teacher or older person to say that to me. I asked him, “Why wouldn’t I want to go to a four-year university?” He said, “I’m in my 40s, and I just finished paying off my student loans. I just finished off paying an education that I got at age 24, 25.” They make you pay 20 years for a 4-year period of your life. He told me that, and it made me think that maybe that’s not what I want to do. The second moment was when I graduated high school and
URBAN SENTINEL MAGAZINE | AUGUST 2022
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