Wicked Local Wednesday Recap: Oompa

By Nicole Bae

Oompa, the Bostonian poet turned rapper, stopped by our studio for a session of Wicked Local Wednesdays. 

Oompa jumped into her set with "Catch 22," and I was immediately blown away. Though the original track is backed with electronic and sampled beats, this studio version was completely stripped down. Oompa's vocals were solely accompanied by a guitar and a backing vocalist, which made the opening lyrics stand out even more: "the blacker the berry, the stranger the fruit is / the bloody the body, the sweeter the bruise gets." 

The second track of the night was "Take Me Back." In it Oompa lamented the hardships of adulthood, wishing she could go back to the days of Pokemon cards and Nintendos. Despite the painful lyrics, the song ended on a happier tone, Oompa herself smiling and vibing with her bandmates. 

Carrying on with the hopeful tone, "Thank you" wrapped up the night, a track all about overcoming and persevering throughout all of life's troubles. The Oompa crew was enjoying their performance just as much as I was, dancing, as they sang: "I can't believe I came this far / I can't believe I lost it all / When I think about all I want / I gotta thank you."