The Sound Off! Semifinals conclude this Friday with the final epic showdown of incredible PNW talent.

Get to know the performers on our blog before cheering them on to victory this weekend.

An alumnus of The Residency—MoPOP’s hip-hop focused program—EyezOthelo combines the gritty, old-school sound of hip-hop pioneers with the uplifting, soulful styles of modern music. His strong hooks, smooth rhymes, and restrained production combine to make tracks that balance easy aural consumption with challenging social commentary. With songs rooted in Seattle, EyezOthelo’s music reflects his experiences dealing with social and racial injustice in a city he sees as gentrifying.

Check out this clip, and then read the whole interview below.

What does being part of Sound Off! mean to you?

Being a part of Sound Off! means collaboration. A way to get your music and yourself as an artist or a band to the next level. Get a little more of a feel of actually being a band or artist. Instead of playing in your garage or whatever.

Why do you make music? How does creating make you feel?

Why I create music, I would have to say would be really just to get my message across and what I’m feeling. You know, I’ll write when I’m feeling down, when I’m feeling sad. I’ll write when I’m feeling happy. Depending on how I’m feeling is what’s going to show in my lyrics. That’s the reason why I write.

How it makes me feel—it does change my mood. I’ll be down. I’ll start writing. Drink a Red Bull. And I’ll just get that feel of just, like, “OK, I’m creating something.”ť You know? And also being in the studio. Just connecting with my engineer. I don’t know how to explain it. It’s just that feeling.

I know what you mean though. Like that question, “how does it make you feel?”ť It does make me feel though.

What do you hope to achieve with your music?

Fame and fortune. Psyche.

I hope to achieve—I don’t know the word for it. That notoriety? Just to be noticed, you know what I mean? Just by my peers and people who seem me in school [say] “Oh, I went to school with him! I was in his class. Wow. He’s actually doing what he loves.” That’s what I want to do it for. So people can say, “OK. He’s actually doing something.”

Describe your music using only emojis.

That’s a weird one. Oo. The eyes emoji. The eyes emoji because of EyezOthelo.

EyezOthelo plays Sound Off! Semifinals #3 on February 23. Don’t miss it. Get your tickets right here.