Okko Releases Debut Extended Play in Hopes to Gain an Audience that Share his “Visions”

Okko Quaye’s latest music is now available on Spotify, Apple Music, and Youtube.

Credit: Visionary World LLC.

By Chantal Brown

People who cannot see Okko’s “Visions”, may need their eyes checked.

Okko Quaye, a fifth-year student in information systems, released his first six-track extended-play, “Visions” on Friday after struggling with depression and hesitancy to pursue music. 

According to Quaye,“Vision”  possesses heavy rap, R&B and soul influences based on his real-life experiences. The project comes after nearly two years of start-up woes with his brand “Visionary LLC”.  

As he strives to improve, Quaye said he hopes to gain more exposure and producer experience post-graduation. 

“It’s about the feeling of having faith in yourself and seeing your vision and staying true to your vision,” Quaye said. 

Quaye said he has had an ear for music since playing the drums at church and fifth-grade graduations. 

 As a child, Quaye said he spent  his time living with family members in Washington, D.C. as well as Louisville, Kentucky. His household playlists were filled with gogo, reggae, soul, gospel and Ghanian mixes. However, a career in the music industry was not encouraged as the ideal path. 

“Growing up in an African household, I did not have much choice but to go to school,” Quaye said. “Now I have to manage expectations of going to school ,doing music and working part time.”

Quaye said hefirst began to seriously consider a music career in the fall of 2020 with the release of his first single, “20/20 Flow.” Music became an outlet for Quaye to process his emotions when the pandemic sent him into a state of depression. 

“I started going to therapy and I realized that I had to be more assertive in following my dreams,” Quayesaid. “Growing up, I did not believe in myself. I think because I did not believe in myself I looked to other people to believe in me so that it could compensate for not believing in myself, but that wasn’t it.”

Okko Quaye getting ready to record one of his latest hits in March 2022.

Credit: Jeremiah Collins

When it came to crafting “Visions”, Quaye said he would spend hours searching for beats and writing over them. He spent nearly two years coordinating with producers and videographers in Columbus, Cleveland, New York and Texas. Quaye said he learned many hard lessons about the music business.

Quaye said he hopes this EP and recent single, “Movin’” will showcase his capabilities as an artist to the world. Max Rodney, Quaye’s manager, who is also a part of the brand “Visionary World LLC,” said he hopes to increase his local popularity.

“Visionary World LLC”, is meant to be a safe space to assist Black creatives, hopes to host more live events and charity showcases in Columbus. 

“It’s not just music, we want to get people who do art, poetry, just people who we can show their creativity. We want to expand and see how far we can go,” Rodney said. 

After graduation, Quaye said he is planning to continue working  on his artistry.

“It is a blessing to know what you are passionate about. For me to know it, I think it’s only right that I pursue it,” Quaye said.