OB Khalibah pushes career on TikTok

Like others in the music fraternity, Oneil 'OB Khalibah' Graham is using TikTok to push his DJ career.

Using the username 'Ob_khalibah', he has garnered a large following with infectious freestyles, catchy remixes, and an overall vibrant personality.

He initially pursued a career in dance before transitioning to become a deejay. Struggling to provide for his daughter, OB Khalibah sought a way to make money. With his friend DJ Kyle, they combined his nickname 'OB' with a play on the word 'calibre', to symbolise their dedication.

OB Khalibah said they intend to convey that, "We are shooters as DJs and that there are levels to the ting, like what you would see at a shooting site." This combination created his stage name.

The DJ had his humble beginnings in Mandeville, Manchester. He worked on his craft until IRD Events gave him his first official gig in 2016. Since then, he has produced different freestyles and remixes, with much of his lyrics being centred around females, which is a marketing strategy.

"Women get yuh thing out there. Me speaking about women, things that they don't like to hear or be reminded about, those are the things that they are willing to repost."

Having migrated to Canada, international party promoters have booked him to play at several events. Despite being accepted in international spaces, OB Khalibah said that he gets more support from Jamaica, more so from parishes outside of Manchester.

"My people will watch, but to share? Nah, they are not into entertainment like that. They 'don't frighten fi people' as a lot of us entertainers would say," he said.

With the release of his recent Earthquake freestyle, which was inspired by the 5.6 magnitude earthquake that hit the island on October 30, fans commended his talent.

"The freestyle blew up in no time. Some people suggested that I should make it a whole song, but I am not venturing to become an artiste" he told THE WEEKEND STAR. However, persons from Haiti, which has seen devastation from earthquakes, were not pleased.

"They thought that I was speaking down on their country, their people and the disasters that affected their country. I went on to apologise to everyone that I saw with that comment," the DJ revealed.

OB Khalibah shared that his eight-year-old daughter, Reshayda Graham, is his inspiration.

"I don't want her to fight battles for me [that] I had to fight for my parents. Just to be able to provide everything for her upon request pushes me to do more, just for her to see that one can follow his or her dreams and make it."