Opulently, Passionate Bois’, What That About?
'Is it a movement?'
'Fuck yea it's a movement… as long as I'm involved in it's a movement.' (Jack)
Yann (left) & Jack (right) during our interview, sat in the alleyway to their newly acquired studio space.
Orange, Pink and Blue were the colours painted across the sky on Yannick's birthday in 2020. Broad brushstrokes of the universe- Opulent and Passionate in her splendour, Brave with her creative alchemy. Yannick was inspired...
From hosting open mics for Helch Market, Yann met his partner-in-crime- Jack. Known on the stage and the street as N/A or Iron Lung- Jack is a MC by craft and promoter and producer by character. Truly a Jack-of- all trades. As is Yann, with his soulful spoken word, graff artistic expressions and dance. From the fated rendezvous at open mic nights, Yann and Jack birthed OPB Studio.
As the insta bio to @opb_studio states, they are 'persuading our dreams to come to life' through the OPB Studio. It's a concentrated vision of creativity and community. An idea, a dream, a reality of 'mutual understanding' (Jack) where 'you can … feel like there is space for whatever the fuck you wanna do' (Yann). The spontaneity of the Friday cyphers in Bournemouth Square speaks truth to this. A zeitgeist of anything goes and creative freedom knows no bounds. Whether it's MC's rapping didactic - slightly profane- aphorisms in the mic to mother's and toddlers watching and nodding in agreement, folk violin played in time with drum and bass beats, breakers and hip hop dancers rawdogging movement on flattened cardboard or justly telling the police to 'go to your job' when they tried to break up a cypher without justifiable reasons- OPB Studios cyphers is a place where every bird can come to roost, revel and spread its wings.
OPB Studio is inspired by the Wu Tang Clan who were a legendary hip- hop group formed in New York. They revolutionised hip-hop in the 1990s through pioneering the concept of rap collective members, pursuing solo careers, while maintaining group identity. The influence of this is evident through the OPB Studio's emphasis on 'self-reliance and self-knowledge' (Yann) through 'mutual understanding' and 'supporting each other' (Jack). It's this that empowers community. OPB Studio provides a boundless, creative space in which creatives can help each other help themselves.
Crucially, OBP Studio harmonises the opposing visions of community and independence through the principle that 'it weren't a spoken thing' (Jack) and thus works with infinite creative freedom. This is achieved by 'speaking to something larger than the surface' (Jack) and creating a platform to 'just try my shit' (Yann). Especially because it's a 'lot easier to think about how you wanna push yourself' (Yann) when a non-judgemental, creative community is there to celebrate and challenge your artistic limits. This freedom is married together with community through the cyphers because it enables unbounded creativity to 'coexist with people who are maybe so against the art graffiti or Mcing' (Jack).
Although OPB Studio has a deep veneration for music, it is, at it's soul- a multi-media studio. Art, movement, photography, videography, fashion and any other creative expressions are welcome. With the recent studio OPB has acquired, this aim is on the horizon. The vision for the studio is for it to be an events space and recording studio. This goal needs the help of the community. As talented and resourceful Yann and Jack are, there is only so much they can do whilst balancing their full-time jobs (which is used to help finance OPB Studio and it's events) with studio responsibilities. Speaking candidly, they admitted they 'find it hard to ask for help'. So, let's tell them we will help. Yann and Jack who have already done so much for BCP creatives. Calling all creatives, students, dissidents, strays, ballers, brawlers, baddies and bastards- intern for OPB. OPB Studio needs interns for -
(Prior experience recommended)
Join the movement, break the boundaries, find community, get experience, form memories, be part of the family where 'once you meet one of us, you meet all of us' (Jack). Intern for OPB Studio.
Be blessed, stay soulful, come curious...
Love OPB Studio
Written by Adaya
(a journalist intern for OPB)