Behind The Blocks #5: HOC
Our international repertoire of audio NFTs is enriched with the addition of Lagos-based Henry Onyebuchi, aka HOC, who just released his genesis NFT album under the Ethereal Audio stamp (EAI003).
This is a particularly special moment for us at the RC3 family, as Henry is one of the founding members of RareCandy3D and our dear CTO — only this time, we are collaborating with him as HOC on his personal music album.
“Impulse”
East-coast hip-hop-inspired Impulse is a seven-tracker EP consisting of original tracks written and performed by HOC with fellow Nigerian artists adding their flair, tokenized and distributed by Ethereal Audio.
EAI003 comprises a single-edition gold-plated 12" vinyl that comes with a digital album and individual digital tracks as unlockable content upon purchase and is available on Rarible, OpenSea, LooksRare, and Mintbase.
Additionally, 10 x digital albums, alongside 100 x 7 individual audible specimens will be available in NFT format on the Tezos blockchain as OBJKTS in the near future.
Who is HOC?
29-year old Henry got first introduced to 90’s hip-hop music as a young kid roaming the streets of Port Harcourt, Nigeria, with his brothers.
“Saturdays were the best days because I and my brothers would usually go to have a haircut, and most barbers during that time knew how to bang the music loud.”, he recalls.
During a Fine Art class on hip hop and rap music in junior secondary school, Henry found himself performing for the first time in front of his classmates.
“The teacher asked if anybody could give a rap example to the class. I didn’t hesitate to raise my hand and I got picked to rap. I was familiar with the first 8 bars of Eminem’s “Lose Yourself” track from 8 Mile. I did great with my effort and got the whole class, including my Fine Art teacher clapping for me.”
A few years later, teenage-HOC was in Port Harcourt with his family attending an event. After the local DJ gave the green light, Henry and his brothers went on stage and performed some Jay-Z verses only to find the whole place cheering, spraying them with money.
“This was the first time I was rapping on a mic and the whole place was booming. I definitely knew I had a stake in doing this from that moment.”
Henry is a multi-disciplinary artist, dedicating his free time to his love for rap music when he’s not busy making a living as a professional senior engineer integrating blockchain technologies and building dapps.
“I usually take a walk, or sometimes a ride. It gives me time to think of/see new stuff and create new ideas. I get to do this for a while until I’ve built enough momentum to embark on new work. I mostly get to write new lyrics in the morning.”, he shared with us when asked about his sources of replenishing inspiration.
Being inspired by American East coast iconic rappers in the likes of Nas, Wu — thang, AZ, Mobb Deep, Canibus, and Joey Bada$$, Henry has been underground for a while and is now set “to unfold the real powers of hip-hop for society and the overall wellness for the body and mind.”, as he genuinely put it himself.
“Rap and hip-hop gave me boldness and determination to reject what I do not accept in my spirit and embark on new adventures that I value. It made me a confident individual, eliminating so much disbelief from my heart, and this is the influence I would love to have on my audience through my music.”
If you want to get to know more about HOC, check his Insta, Spotify, and Linktree accounts and drop a follow to stay up to date with his work. ❤
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