Oh No

Oxnard, California's Oh No is a forceful emcee and exploratory beatmaker with an extensive discography of both vocal and instrumental hip-hop albums to his name. While he shares his older brother Madlib's penchant for deep crate-digging and constructing music from a wide range of genres, Oh No's work is often less abstract and more melodic and accessible. After guesting on records by close friends like Lootpack and Declaime, Oh No made his full-length debut on Stones Throw with 2004's The Disrupt. He built 2006's Exodus Into Unheard Rhythms from Galt MacDermot samples, then explored Mediterranean psych-funk on his first instrumental album, Dr. No's Oxperiment (2007). Subsequent albums focused on sample sources including Ethiopian music, Rudy Ray Moore's Dolomite soundtracks, and the catalog of reissue-heavy label Now-Again Records. Oh No is half of the duo Gangrene with lauded producer/rapper the Alchemist, and he released an album with Madlib, as the Professionals, in 2020. His other collaborative efforts include releases with Prince Po, Blu, and Tha God Fahim. He deconstructed the music of Roy Ayers on 2023's Good Vibes/Bad Vibes, and issued the fourth Gangrene album, Heads I Win, Tails You Lose, in 2024.

Michael Woodrow Jackson comes from a musical family. His parents are soul singer Otis Jackson Sr. and songwriter Dora Sinesca Faddis-Jackson, and his uncle is jazz trumpeter Jon Faddis. He and his brother, Otis Jackson, Jr. (aka Madlib), both began making hip-hop at a young age. Michael got the nickname Oh No the Mischievous Rebel from Wildchild, Madlib's bandmate in the hip-hop group Lootpack. Oh No guested on Lootpack's acclaimed 1999 full-length Soundpieces: Da Antidote!, and released two singles as part of the group Kali Wild. He released his first single, "Check It Out" (with Kazi and Wildchild), on German label Hum Drums in 2002. He produced or guested on records by Murs, Wildchild, and Declaime, then signed to Stones Throw and released his full-length debut, The Disrupt, in 2004. Oh No produced Grand Agent's 2005 album Under the Circumstances, then issued his second album, Exodus into Unheard Rhythms, in 2006. Based entirely on samples of Hair composer Galt MacDermot, the record featured an extensive list of guest collaborators, including Posdnous (De La Soul), Aloe Blacc, Georgia Anne Muldrow, and Vast Aire (Cannibal Ox). Oh No also issued several limited-edition promo mixtapes. His first instrumental album, Dr. No's Oxperiment, arrived in 2007, and its tracks were created from samples of Turkish, Lebanese, Greek, and Italian records.

Oh No released his second instrumental full-length, Dr. No's Ethiopium, on his own Disruption Productions in 2009. This time, the record focused on samples from Ethiopian jazz, funk, and psychedelic rock records from the '60s and '70s. Oh No formed the duo Gangrene with fellow producer/rapper the Alchemist. The two signed to Decon and released the EP Sawblade (released on vinyl shaped like a circular blade) and the full-length Gutter Water, both in 2010. Greneberg, a collaborative EP with Roc Marciano, appeared in 2011. Gangrene's second full-length, the psychedelic-influenced Vodka & Ayahuasca, appeared in 2012, followed by the EP Odditorium. Ohnomite, the first Oh No release in three years, was made from samples of Rudy Ray Moore's Dolomite soundtracks, and included guests like MF Doom, Guilty Simpson, and Phife Dawg (A Tribe Called Quest). An instrumental companion, Dr. No's Kali Tornado Funk, was also released. Rounding out a prolific year, Oh No also released Ashes with Chris Keys, and remixed tracks from Strong Arm Steady's album Stereo Type, resulting in the EP Stereo Jr.

Disrupted Ads, a full-length with appearances by Rapsody, Souls of Mischief, and Chali 2na (Jurassic 5), kicked off 2013. Oh No vs. Now-Again 2, the sequel to a previous beat album sourced from the catalog of Now-Again Records, appeared on the label. Oh No produced the majority of Chaotik Stylz's album The Subliminal Substance. Animal Serum, a collaboration with Organized Konfusion's Prince Po, was released in 2014. You Disgust Me, the third Gangrene full-length, arrived in 2015. Oh No and the Alchemist also released Welcome to Los Santos, an album of their music for the popular video game Grand Theft Auto V. Expanding beyond hip-hop to incorporate indie rock, synth pop, and dancehall, the album included songs with Earl Sweatshirt, Wavves, Phantogram, Vybz Kartel, and many others. Oh No released Ultimate Breaks & Beats, constructed from samples of the influential LP compilation series of the same name, in early 2017. He then collaborated with Tri State for 3 Dimensional Prescriptions, issued by Oakland rap mainstay Hiero Imperium. Oh No vs. Now-Again 3 also appeared that year. Borgata, an EP with Pounds448, was released in 2018.

Oh No teamed up with Blu for 2019's A Long Red Hot Los Angeles Summer Night, issued by Nature Sounds. He also released the EP This Thing Called Life with Fokis. In early 2020, Oh No and Madlib released their first collaborative project, the self-titled The Professionals. Madlib handled the album's production, while Oh No provided the majority of the vocals, along with features by eLZhi, Chino XL, and Adub. "The Next Day," a collaboration with Freddie Gibbs, was included as a bonus 45 with a deluxe edition of the LP. In 2022, Oh No released the lush instrumental full-length OFFAIR: Dr. No's Lost Beach. Returning to Nature Sounds for several more collaborative releases in 2023, Oh No issued Berserko with Tha God Fahim; Good Vibes/Bad Vibes, an instrumental work created using Roy Ayers samples; and Heavy Vibrato, with eLZhi. Heads I Win, Tails You Lose, the first Gangrene release in nearly a decade, appeared in 2024. ~ Paul Simpson, Rovi