Obie Trice, ‘the real-name-no-gimmicks’ rapper from Detroit, will be in Australia in July to celebrate the 15th anniversary of his debut album, ‘Cheers’.
After years of toiling on the underground hip hop scene, Obie was signed to Eminem’s Shady Records in 2000 and initiated as a member of rap collective D12.
Obie released ‘Cheers’ in 2003 and has fond memories of writing and recording the album. “That was a good time,” Obie says. “I mean, I was signed to a major label at the time, I had just met Eminem not to long ago; we had become good friends at that point and with all the guys at D12.
“It was exciting to be able to make that record; a lot of people had [sic] passed on since then who were involved in that record, so those were the good days for me. That will always be my start, Marshall [Mathers] will always be my brother and the D12 guys will always be my brothers, so we had a great time.”
Having cut his teeth as part of D12 and most notably featuring at the beginning of ‘Without Me’ by Eminem, ‘Cheers’ was Obie’s entrance into hip hop as a solo artist and exposed his music to audiences as far flung as Australia. “In Australia I went platinum twice there,” Obie recalls.
“I always enjoyed myself in Australia; I’ve always had a great time in Australia. I remember when I first went there it was the whole Shady [Records] camp: G-Unit, 50 Cent – all of us went for my first time going.
“We had a ceremony when we landed with the Aboriginal people with the spears; we stood there while they chucked spears and they celebrated with a traditional dance; it was a great time. So every time I go to Australia I try to enjoy myself.
“Last time I was there, maybe a couple of years ago, we all went to a vineyard and we had a great time. The performances were nice, the crowd, the atmosphere – I got [sic] a special place in my heart for Australia.”
Obie is now a successful, independent artist running his own label, Black Market Entertainment, but has always paid homage to the tutelage of Eminem and the guiding support of Shady Records in helping to establish his career.
Considering his success in Australia, Obie has high expectations for the ‘Cheers’ anniversary tour. “I’m going to perform the ‘Cheers’ album and I’m also going to do some new material,” he says.
“I’m looking forward to seeing some of the acts that are performing before me. I want to be in the building quite early to do my meet-and-greets and chop [sic] it up with some of the fans over there, and just have a good time. I just come to have a good time, have some conversations with some people and do what I came to do.”
Obie Trice Tour 2018
Thu 12 Jul - Max Watt's (Melbourne)Fri 13 Jul - Fowler’s Live (Adelaide)
Sat 14 Jul - Metro City (Perth)
Thu 19 Jul - Opium Nightclub (Darwin)
Fri 20 Jul - Max Watt's (Sydney)
Sat 21 Jul - The Back Room (Brisbane)
Sun 22 Jul - Miami Shark Bar (Gold Coast)
