Hip-Hop Collective Family Not a Group Lives Up to Its Name – KQED

On the track “Purposeful,” the rapper from Bayview recites, “Shit, I got some skeleton in my footlocker / eye open, I know God not the only one watchin’. / Under fire, smoke in the air, we went through madness / hands full, it’s gettin’ hard to carry the baggage.”

At the end of a track with Lex Culture, “All Falls Down,” Ozer shares an intimate voice note. “I recorded that the night my grandfather died,” Ozer tells me “That takes me back to that night—it was a real moment for me.”

He plays with the concept of devils and angels in the song “D & A.” The track is a bit of a double-entendre, referring to humans’ genetic code and how we’re composed of both good and evil.

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The etymology of the name “Ozer,” also has two paths: one is a biblical reference and the other is slang for moving drugs.

As a teenager he sat in a barbershop when one of his father’s friends walked in, asking if he was “Little O?” After confirming that he is indeed his father’s son, the man donned the name “Little Ozer” on him. Little Ozer went back to his father, telling him that he planned on taking his title, “He was like, ‘You know what that means?'”

His father explained that they called him Ozer because he used to push a lot of ounces. Then “Little Ozer” did more research on the name, and found that it also means “God’s Helper” in Hebrew.

“It has a bad meaning and a good meaning, which represents human life in general,” Ozer tells me in the same deep-raspy voice he uses to deliver his lyrics.

Ozer rocks the mic with his shirt off. (Ken IV)

Destined for this path, Ozer’s grandmother told him he’d be a preacher, but he said it was something he couldn’t foresee. Now as an MC he says he’s reaching people, and he’s looking to keep spreading the word this Wednesday.

The goal of Family Not a Group’s live shows is to “provide a memorable experience to everybody who comes to the show,” Ozer says. “It’s called ‘a family service,’ so it’s going to make you feel like family, and you’ll have a deeper connection to each artist that you see.”

The lineup is full of talented artists I’ve been following. Last year I did a podcast interview with Baghead, who along with Cereal For The Kids, published a film and audio project called “Dedicated To Those Who.” Jada Imani was the subject of an interview from January of last year. I’ve hosted separate events where both Astu and Afterthought (and the band he’s a part of, The Top Chefs) have performed.

I’ve also seen performances by a few of the other members of Family Not a Group, but I’ve yet to see Ozer. Before I got off the phone, I let him know that we’ll cross paths in due time. But what I didn’t explicitly tell him is that his words have already reached me—without having seen him in person yet.

Family Not a Group presents “A Family Service” at The Chapel in San Francisco on March 9, with performances by Ozer, Astu, Jada Imani and Afterthought. 

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