The Heat Index: Ohana Bam - In Ohana We Trust

The Heat Index is These Days’ hip hop column, showcasing a new hot record we can’t stop playing.

We begin Ohana Bam’s latest project, Very Proud Of U., listening to a voicemail of his mom speaking on Ohana’s journey through the music industry, her initial apprehension towards his dreams, and her appreciation for all that he has accomplished since then.

In the next 15 tracks (and three more voicemails from friends and family that serve as interludes), the emcee takes us on a victory lap full of bombastic production and celebratory bars drenched in contagious conviction. Very Proud Of U. sounds like confetti falling down from the rafters, oversized championship tees, and champagne overflowing in the locker room.

“In Ohana We Trust” arrives at the project’s halfway point —following femdot.’s interlude message about growing up together as men and artists—and it’s where Ohana allows himself to indulge in reminiscing about the old days and basking in how far he’s gotten, “Came a long way from minimum wage.” The instrumental, driven by a strumming electric guitar melody, is more subdued than the surrounding body of work, but it accentuates the emcee’s fiery delivery and lyrical prowess. It’s the type of record that fans will look back years down the line as a timestamp that marks an era for an artist and, in this case, it looks like Ohana is set for a dynasty run.