Osita Umeh

German hip-hop, soul, funk and jazz aficionado, MC/host and radio personality of Nigerian descent, born September 8th, 1977 and deceased August 30th, 2021 in Göttingen, Lower Saxony, Federal Republic of Germany. An MC/DJ, writer and original b-boy, Osita and his brother Afam were hip-hop pioneers in the small town of Göttingen. Getting their start at making beats on the Roland 707 in the late eighties after hours at the HACK Music store downtown. He was a part of one of the first hip-hop groups Black Essenz, and was a cultural cornerstone in the development of the art form in the small university town. Featuring on the first ever hip-hop vinyl release Tag Der Abrechnung in Göttingen on No Warranty Records in 1994, and performing at various hip-hop jams locally as well as in Kassel, Hanover, Hamburg, Bremen, Berlin and more. Performing with groups such as Radical Committee, Counter Attack, Bluntyard, Lautes Organ and Guano Apes with frequent performances at the Jugendzentrum Innenstadt (JuzI), Göttingen, Germany. In 1998 he founded the "Tha Prophecy Hip-Hop Radio Show" on Stadtradio Göttingen 107,1 FM together with Mark Vlek and DJ CFX, after a year and a half of collaborating Mark relocated to the Rhine Valley and with Cfx focussing on his studies, Osi went on to forge an entire career around radio, continuing to produce the show with a slew of collaborators, including long time friend and collaborator MagTwo, as well as DJ's such as Lordz Of Fitness members Kid Fresh, and Rasgunyado, Han Shock, DJ Yuka-Tek, Philipp Khabo Koepsell, DJ Lucky, Slick-Tek, XDB and more, Broadcasting live every Friday night, it is one of the longest running hip-hop radio shows in the country, with DJ Bar Tek taking over to keep the show going after his passing. The radio show serves as a platform for the hip-hop community in the region, having been broadcast live weekly for more than 23 years thanks to Osita. Osita had truly found his calling. His big infectious smile and deep soulful voice were perfect for radio. He later joined Jazz Radio, 106.8 FM, Berlin, where he was responsible for the DinnerJazz show on Monday nights as well contributing to the late night programming at the station. In love with soul/funk, jazz, hip-hop he travelled to NYC often in search of rare vinyl to play on his shows. He would also later frequent Puerto Rico as he shared a profound love for the island and its musical culture, in search of rare vinyl. On August 30th, 2021 Osita died as a result of a lung embolism in his home town. He was survived by his fiancée and longtime soulmate Sandra aka Bgirl183 and their daughter Nala.