After five years, this is my first official single from my upcoming album. On my 30th birthday, my girlfriend treated me to a cabin retreat in the mountains. It was a beautiful way to ring in a new decade of life, but it was also a moment for myself to slow down and take a breath. Be it school, work, sports, or whatever, I’ve always been someone who is constantly on the move and worse, I would find myself upset when I  wasn’t busy.

For once though, I finally had a chance to just...be. No worrying about the duties or responsibilities of life. Just a few days to exist how I wanted to exist.

 As we were surrounded by the fresh mountain air and a light layer of snow, we sipped refreshing cups of  coffee, ate delicious homemade food, read books, and created art alongside one another. It was the perfect sense of serenity that I needed.

And as I played some of the vinyl I had brought along with me., there was a moment that made me realize what I really wanted. An album.

But to run a mile, you need to take your first step.

We can talk about this another time, but five years ago, I had pretty much walked away from music. I had lost a close friend and my inability to cope at the time affected my passion to create. A couple years later though, I found myself falling back in love with it and have spent the years between just creating art and working behind the scenes with the music community. It’s been an absolute blessing, but throughout it, everyone I know has wanted me to finally release my music. I wanted that, too.

However, every time I attempted to release something I would find myself being too busy or too much of  a perfectionist. Everything had to be just right, and there needed to be a perfect time to release. And as any artist knows, the stars don’t always align that way.

So as I laid in the cabin the night before my big day, I made myself a promise. I will finally release a song this year, no matter what. And then an album.

On my 30th birthday, I crafted that song. And six months later, here we are.

Using the records I brought with me, I wanted  to capture those three days of relaxation.  Even more so, I wanted to capture the five years that I have been away. “A Getaway in the Mountains” is my way of reintroducing myself. I’ve spent five years trying to heal by creating art that I wanted to create and helping others do the same. In a way, these past few years have been my own self imposed getaway. A moment to regroup.

But now I’m back. Coming down from the mountains, I’m ready to share my art.

My name is Eric, some of you used to know me as Daze, but you may call me OSHEN. This is the first song of many that you will come to hear. And it will not be the last.

I've missed you all.

A Getaway in the Mountains

A Getaway In The Mountains

Cowboy Boombap

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Beyoncé - Crazy In Love [Remix] (Produced By Daze)FREE DOWNLOAD

Additional production: AJ Beckley

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Mario - LMLY [Let Me Love You] (Produced By Daze)FREE DOWNLOAD

Flo Rida & Sage the Gemini - GDFR [Remix] (Produced By Daze) FREE DOWNLOAD

A slow, grinding dance track kind of beat. The use of a girl moaning in the background was the reason for the name of the track, taking her breath away.
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Asthmatic

On the surface level, in honor of the late legend, I decided to create a track that set out on highlighting the rapper's positive and soulful energy that so many fell in love with. Utilizing verses from several of his songs such as "Status Symbol", "Road To Riches", and "Outro", I tried to weave together a track that was not just a remix, but something that could pass of as a legitimate song that Nipsey would release. I even tried to put together a hook that would make the song catchy, but instead realized something else. Throughout the hook sections, I added audio clips that highlighted the positive influence Nipsey had in his community, rather than focus on the negative aspect that was his death. I felt like this had more of an impact with defining what this track was about, more so than trying to make it catchy. Towards the end, I further added audio clips from those in the community that cherished the work and charisma of a man who was loved by many.

On a personal note, it has been three years since I have officially released a song. The death of a best friend took a heavy toll on me and somewhat forced me to take a hiatus from creating music due to depression. When I finally got back into it, I kept things to myself for the pure joy of making art and decided the best way to be involved was to help the community of hip hop from behind the scenes with blogs and labels. Over the past year or so, I have debated what I wanted to release and when to release it. A single, a remix, and album, etc. Then a few days ago, I heard the news of Nipsey's death. I had been somewhat following him since college, and admired the work and amount of effort he put into building his community into a better place. Prior to hearing the news, I had been thinking of remixing a Nipsey Hussle song or two earlier that week, and trying to figure out a sample that would fit. An hour before hearing the news, I found one. When news broke about his death, I was listening to that sample as I watched video after video of fans and new outlets paying tribute to the legend. At that moment, I knew what I wanted to do. While I wish making the track came to fruition for less morbid reasons, I opted for creating something that paid respect to a man who deservedly had earned his respect from the culture around him.

I also want to take moment to dedicate this track to the friend that I lost three years ago. We miss you brother and I know you would enjoy this track. It has taken awhile for me to feel comfortable again in releasing something of mine, but I feel as though this is the perfect track to share with everyone after being away for so long. Hopefully, you all feel this song just justice by the man.

Nipsey Hussle & OSHEN - Marathons: A Nipsey Hussle Tribute (Oshen Remix)

Beatsmith. Probably wearing a beanie. Probably drinking coffee. Honestly, probably both.

OSHEN

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