When O.T & Elesia step into a room, you can feel the energy shift. The dynamic duo has been making waves with their genre-blending sound that fuses Afro-urban vibes, hip-hop, and R&B into something distinctly their own. Fresh off the release of their latest single, “Prayed Up,” featuring none other than hip-hop legend 50 Cent, the pair is on a mission to inspire resilience, self-belief, and faith in the grind.
In this exclusive interview, we dive deep into the creative process behind “Prayed Up,” their unforgettable collaboration with 50 Cent, and their vision for using music to inspire change. From the grind of studio sessions to their unwavering belief in their purpose, O.T & Elesia share the stories and experiences that make them one of the most exciting duos in today’s music scene.
So buckle up, because O.T & Elesia are about to take you on a journey through faith, hustle, and the unstoppable force of staying “Prayed Up.” Let’s get into it.
“Prayed Up” is more than just a song—it’s an anthem of resilience. What personal experiences or struggles inspired this powerful message, and why did you feel now was the right time to release it?
We have both had moments along the way that have tested our ability to stay strong and on path, as we are humans. In particularly trying times, we are always pushed to lean on our faith, especially when things aren’t going the way we want or expect. I guess we realised the importance of staying “Prayed Up” on the daily, regardless of the circumstances, good or bad, and trusting that everything has a divine reason.
We also wanted to highlight the importance of believing in yourself. Never giving up, knowing that the setbacks, roadblocks, criticism, or challenges are only a stepping stone to getting you closer to where you are destined to go. We realised that if we could bring this message into popular culture, this could have a really powerful and positive impact. The time is now for this shift in the music industry for lit music with a good message. There’s literally a wide open space for us to be encouraging entrepreneurship, personal growth, and staying true to your hustle.
Collaborating with 50 Cent, a true icon of hip-hop, must have been a game changer. How did his influence and energy shape the track, and what was the most surprising thing you learned from working with him?
50 had explained to us that he really wanted to understand the lyrics and meaning of the song so he could “blend’’ perfectly with the track. He did this so impeccably by dropping pure heat while fitting into the record like the missing piece of the puzzle. He poured all the realness and grit of his actual life experience into this record, and for that we are truly honoured. After the session, we sat and broke bread. As a leading man in the game, he’s not short of wisdom and life experiences. He is very tuned into psychology and the way people tick. We spoke of future collaboration and potential performances. The energy was lit.
How do you feel “Prayed Up” aligns with the themes and messages you aim to communicate through your music?
“Prayed Up” sits right in line with what we are about, especially as a movement. There is even more behind ‘Prayed Up’ than the song alone. Soon enough, we will be kicking off the charity side of the movement. We want our music to be highly motivating, encouraging people to do better, be better, and generate more self-belief to keep pushing through and moving towards their goals. Our music is going to carry a string of motivational, inspirational, and positive influences.
You spoke before about wanting to bring a positive influence to genres that need a shift in direction. How does “Prayed Up” fit into that vision, and what impact do you hope it has on listeners who might need that extra push of encouragement?
Our objective is to bring a fresh perspective to popular music. One embedded with motivational messages. Music is a tool that can be used by those fortunate to have the platform to spread messages of any kind. As artists, we have the capacity to influence people and their lives, which is pretty insane. “Prayed Up” is intentionally made for people of any age, religion, or culture. All the sauce needed to bring edge and vibes can be felt through our delivery, flow, the interplay, and tone of our voices. We will be revealing over the course of dropping our body of work that this platform we are privileged to have can be used to motivate, uplift, and encourage for the better. We know there are plenty of listeners out there who need that.
Both of you come from incredibly diverse backgrounds. How have your cultural roots influenced your sound and musical direction?
Coming from different backgrounds has made us realise that music is a global language that can bridge cultural gaps. The role of music in globalisation is of huge significance, and we are down for interconnecting people and cultures. We are making timeless music not confined to any specific genre, though sometimes it might fit into certain categories. Everything influences our sound within and beyond our cultures, but being from origins rich in culture has definitely contributed to the way we are moved by music and how that translates into the music we make.
As a duo, what do you believe sets your sound apart from others in the Afro-urban and hip-hop scenes?
Firstly, there is no other duo out there like us. We have created our own lane. Rather than identifying our sound by a genre, we create our music to be energetic, cool, and soulful; we flow in our own style. Our music always embodies a message.
When you two work together in the studio, what’s the creative dynamic like? How do you balance each other out in the process of creating something like “Prayed Up”?
The way we write a lot of our records is by listening to the beat and going for a drive. There’s something about being on the road where you’re not thinking; instead, things are just flowing, and that really works for us. We often stop at a lookout with a view and the creative process just happens. We basically then roll off each other. One person will come through with a melody, and the other will continue on from that melody. Once we have the melody, we start writing the lyrics in the same way. It’s a very interactive process that happens quite uniquely and seamlessly between us.
From the writing and recording to the mixing and mastering, we really wanted everything to sit right. Multiple verses were written by both of us, then we agreed on the final verse selections. We also tried mixing this track with 3 different engineers before we were happy with the way it was sounding. The process was cool, but we are very particular about our sound. We know exactly what we want to hear. It’s just about finding people who can conceptualise and produce results in line with that.
“Chooky” was a chart-topping success. How has that momentum influenced your approach to new projects like “Prayed Up”?
“Chooky” is an anthem for our community that caught a wave of attention, including the OG Busta Rhymes. We were honoured that he liked and then blessed the track. Our trajectory has always been premeditated as we move by faith and manifestation. Nothing can stop us. We on a roll, rockefeller!
What has been your proudest moment together as a duo so far?
Seeing all that we manifest come into fruition.
