As kids growing up in West Harlem, association with popular rappers was a daily norm for O and Big Ben who make up the rap group Bragadocio—a name that reflects their confident swagger and flow. Spending time around Rap pioneer Dougie Fresh “The Greatest Entertainer of All Time,” played a major part in the brothers of West Indian decent deciding to rap for fun in junior high. But, like their mentor Dougie Fresh, Bragadocio is well aware of the fact that innovation and distinction are key success factors. “Music was always around us heavy,” says Ben. “Our father always had a set of turntables and a microphone around. My whole family is musically inclined.”
In the early eighties, standing out among the other neighborhood children is something that came naturally to the only two West Indian kids (half Trinidadian, half Antiguan) on legendary Morningside Avenue (AKA Murdaside Ave.) where they were raised. When most kids worked at McDonalds, in their teen years, Bradocio was holding down their own club venue, hosting some of the most popular parties in Harlem at the time. In the late ‘90s, when Cadillacs on 26-inch rims was a rare sight in New York City, they were already experimenting with it. Their automotive originality even startled Houston rapper Scarface, one of the many notables who could be found paying a visit to Bragadocio’s block.
Bragadocio are also innovators of “Harlem Screwed,” a form of remixing rap music at a very slow tempo which originated in Houston, Texas. Although the rap game and fashion go hand-in-hand, tons of rappers view rap with the same mindset as they do style. As O, the elder the two Harlem brothers of puts it, “If someone has a hot pair of sneakers, everyone has to go and get them. That’s the same way it is with music, especially in Harlem, people hear Cam or Jimmy rap a certain way and they feel as if that’s the way they should sound on a track.”
However, Bragadocio takes pride in being multifaceted. Country, pop, R&B, Reggae, West Coast and the South are some of the musical styles they embrace. As a result, in their music, you get hip-hop with a unique blend. Being the elder of the brothers, O credits himself with bringing a little bit of an old school twist to the duo’s songs; meanwhile, Ben has a obtains more appeal amongst the younger hip-hop hop crowd. Together their combined musical attributes satisfy two overlapping generations of listeners.
“With this music game, it’s like everything else, you get out of it what you put into it.” says Ben. “If you know us you know what we put 100 percent into ANYTHING we do. So you can expect for us to be the next greatest thing in Hip-hop.”
