Why?
This video was an idea I had in late 2023. I had uploaded then but decided to take it down in early 2024. Looking back at it, this was when I started exploring the concept of storytelling and how it ties to my life's mission or as I call it, my Power. I deleted my Instagram so these clips in the video are the last pieces of documentation that I have from this time. I didn't break down each year in the video so I thought it would help to add context via this blog post.
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2018
This year was defined by the beginning of Old Souls Organized Sound, O.S.O.S. I was back from Ohio ready to work on music and ready to start collaborating with Soulreal. We had talked about it for years but it was time. The music we decided to do was a combination of Boom Bap, classic G-Funk, and new school West Coast music. I was going to school at Santa Monica College for the 1st half of the year which made it easy to meet up with Soulreal everyday. Soulreal was still working at the Pico Youth & Family Center which was the location where we recorded our 1st project "Foo That Shit Bangs". The project was released in November. I was also working on a lot of music at home for some solo projects. I was hungry to make a statement and let people know that I was back in LA. I ended the year on a high note by investing in my home studio and upgrading some of my equipment.
I included some videos of my huskies Thunder & Dragon which makes me sad looking at them now. My boiii Thunder passed away in 2024. All I got left are these videos and the memories. RIP Fooly, I miss you.
There are some clips of me drinking and chilling with the homies. 2018 was the year where my tolerance was at its highest. I couldn't get past the fact that I wasn't in college anymore but I still wanted to post up like I was.
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2019
In 2019, Soulreal and I began working on O.S.O.S Vol. 2 "Sick Ass Foos". By now, Soulreal had already moved on from the Pico Youth & Family Center so we were working out of his home studio. I also kept investing in my home studio which was a turning point in my solo career. I wanted to take my music to the next level and not just release unpolished tracks. Learning how to mix & master on Logic was time consuming but worth it in the end. The end of the year was special as I was able to achieve a dream of mine related to music. I got to perform at my house during a show I organized with Soulreal called "Frostbite".
My Grandma passed away in June. This led me to go visit Mexico for the 1st time since 2008. I got to see my family but I was only there for 4 days. That meant that I couldn't enjoy my time there like I wanted to.
This was also the year where my health began to take a turn for the worse as I got diagnosed with Diabetes Type 2 in September. I was still about that Rowdy life but I found out the hard way about the consequences of it. I was only 24.
Speaking of the Rowdy life, this was the year where I began studying Marketing & Branding to take the Rowdy movement to new heights. I started a clothing brand called Stay Rowdy and during "Frostbite", we sold our 1st shirt. We also had a mural done in the back of the homie Sharky's family store "Xochilt Market" on Broadway & 42nd.
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2020
Before the start of the the pandemic, my life revolved around trying to make Stay Rowdy a legit streetwear brand. We were working on content for Youtube and other social media platforms. We were planning for the next drop. Everything came crashing down once it became clear that the world was going to stop for a while. All we had was the 1st drop and the content. Getting the actual clothing became difficult.
The pandemic did alter my plans but I also used the stimulus checks to invest in equipment that I needed for Stay Rowdy and my music. This is when I got my camera that I still use to this day. My 1st vlogging era had commenced.
As part of the Marketing & Branding research, one piece of advice that I began to implement was the use of livestreaming to build my brand. Call of Duty Warzone had the gaming space in a chokehold and I wasn't going to miss out on it. I started livestreaming myself playing Warzone through my PS4. Because of this, I had the idea to start a gaming clan with the homies. Rowdy Clan Gaming was my new project. As I took a pause from Stay Rowdy, RCG was my focus. I didn't need shirts or other physical materials, all it took was a TV, a PS4, and a Playstation camera.
Soulreal and I were back in the lab working on O.S.O.S Vol. 3 "Foos From the Beyond". We even filmed a documentary that captures behind the scenes moments of us working on the project. I had so much free time as well which I used to work on my craft. I found my voice which was something I had struggled for years. This is when my collaboration with Chico Sergio from Spain happened.
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2021
As the world began to slowly adapt to the times, my goal was to focus on laying the foundation for my Rowdy brands. Stay Rowdy had just dropped the 2nd shirt in late 2020 so we had to capitalize on it. The content on social media continued to be uploaded.
One thing that changed was the home of my podcast. Originally, I wanted "Rowdy Talk" to be a Stay Rowdy project but I decided to upload the episodes on my personal Othree Youtube channel. By this point, my addiction to social media became worse. I was trying to exist on multiple platforms at once and while I was doing research, the algorithms were able to suck me in. The highlight of the year was the reintroduction of the Baby Foo logo. I had it remastered and the end product is the one you see today.
O.S.O.S Vol. 3 "Foos From the Beyond" officially dropped on all streaming platforms. This was the year where POBRE$A, who went by Dvtchmouff at the time, and I connected. We formed GRHYMELYFE towards the end of the year. We began working on a tape that would be half in English and half in Spanish.
Rowdy Clan Gaming kept developing and I continued to upgrade my equipment to make my streams better. I was still on PS4 but I attribute this time as the days where I was learning to become the best streamer I could possibly be.
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2022
One of the most productive years I've had with music. The 1st GRHYMELYFE tape was dropped in January. "Exhibit A" was our introduction to the underground rap scene. We recorded two music videos and a lyric video for promo. I recorded and dropped 2 mixtapes this year as well. Music videos, photoshoots, visualizers, etc. I was in flow state when it came to my music career.
One of the biggest blessings came in July when the homie Tino gifted me his old gaming laptop. This is when my content strategy leveled up. I wasn't livestreaming through the PS4 anymore, I was on OBS now. I felt legit and it opened up the possibility to do more than just game on my streams. I was hosting shows, doing my podcast, gaming, and participating in other activities during my stream. I continued my vlogging series and my podcast "Rowdy Talk" was still a regular on my Youtube channel.
My other brands began to take a back seat to my career though. I began to rethink my Rowdy life which jumpstarted my loss of ambition to continue Rowdy Clan Gaming and Stay Rowdy. There was no motion and I kept procrastinating on the work that was necessary. I would display the logos during my livestreams but behind the scenes, I was tired of wanting to start a clothing brand and gaming clan.
The highlight of this year was my shroom trip in February. This was the catalyst to many changes in my life that would start taking form the following year. My thoughts on sobriety changed, I started becoming spiritual, and my health became a priority. I was taken off my Diabetes medicine and dropped my A1C to below the threshold.
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2023
This year was perhaps the worst and best year of my life depending on what time frame we're talking about. The 1st half was one the darkest points in my life. I felt like I hit rock bottom and began to question everything. I got my heartbroken in April. I started OCD therapy in May. I had to quit my job and disappear from the world. I deleted my social media pages except for Instagram. I didn't want to be seen or see anyone. However, this led me to look inside for answers. I started practicing meditation, journaling, and I would listen to binaural beats while doing jigsaw puzzles online. I was crying a lot as I began healing from years of trying to be someone that I wasn't. I became self-aware. I was in denial about a lot of things but I was forced to stop and realign myself with my life's mission.
I got burnt out from all the content I was trying to produce for my Youtube channel. I deleted all my videos except anything related to music. I was at the verge of quitting everything. At various points in the year after May, I tried to stream or do content but it wasn't in me anymore. I was tired. I had to come to terms that I wasn't Rowdy anymore as well. I could count in my hands the amount of times I drank that year. I didn't know how I was going to be Othree without the Rowdy image. I had to go back to the drawing board. I didn't work on music too much either. I had no energy to do anything and I was on E when it came to creativity. I did, however, start writing poetry and taking pictures with my camera towards the 2nd half of the year. The 2nd half of the year was when I started drawing up all the ideas that I would execute in 2024.
The highlight of the year was my return to Ohio since 2017. My boiii Chimpys got married and I got to reunite with a lot of my fraternity brothers from college. I even got the chance to step foot at Ohio Wesleyan University once more. What a trip down memory lane.
My last drop of alcohol came November 3, 2023
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