{"id":19876,"date":"2020-06-29T14:24:21","date_gmt":"2020-06-29T19:24:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thebozho.com\/?p=19876"},"modified":"2020-07-10T09:30:39","modified_gmt":"2020-07-10T14:30:39","slug":"quarantunes-godly-the-ruler-keeps-beat-going","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thebozho.com\/quarantunes-godly-the-ruler-keeps-beat-going\/","title":{"rendered":"Quarantunes: Godly the Ruler uses technology to keep the beat going"},"content":{"rendered":"

Live music is on hiatus, but that hasn\u2019t stopped Madison area artists from putting out new work. With\u00a0<\/em>Quarantunes<\/em><\/a>, we\u2019ll spotlight recent releases in the time of lockdown.<\/em><\/span>\n

Before the coronavirus outbreak, more than 100 people gathered in a musty Madison basement to watch a series of performances by UW students. With barely enough room to move, the audience just swayed together \u2014 bodies pressed close to each other and the beat thumping loudly through the speakers.<\/p>\n

This was the scene that greeted Godwill Oke, also known as rapper Godly the Ruler<\/a>. \u201cIt was always amazing to see the sheer amount of people who would come out to see us do our songs,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

Oke is a Chicago native from Rogers Park and a rising junior at Wisconsin. Although he\u2019s a psychology major, Oke is a fixture of Der Rathskeller and other campus venues as a talented musician and performer.<\/p>\n

Inspired by Kanye West\u2019s music and dedication to craft, Oke constantly cultivates his art. The 20-year-old and his roommates hosted about six basement performances during the school year pre-COVID-19, each with audiences of 80-120 people. And any free moment he gets, Oke is creating new material to release.<\/span>\n

\"Godly<\/p>\n<\/span>Unfortunately, the pandemic has made it impossible for Godly the Ruler to perform for live audiences. But the resilient Oke says the transition to online has been seamless.<\/p>\n

\u201cI always liked doing video stuff,\u201d he says, \u201cso I\u2019ve been recording more videos casually in my room or backyard.\u201d As a result of his generation\u2019s adeptness with social media, Oke has also been able to host live streams via Instagram<\/a> and Twitch.<\/p>\n

But although live performances tend to be a more social experience and leave a bigger impact on the people in attendance, Oke has found that he has been able to reach a broader audience lately.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s really impossible to compare them,\u201d says Oke about live music and live streams. \u201cThere\u2019s definitely stuff you miss out on when you\u2019re doing in-person stuff versus online gigs.\u201d<\/p>\n

More than ever, he\u2019s been using his music as an outlet and mode of reflection. Oke never writes down his lyrics before he raps them. Instead, he listens to the beat and lets his mind take over, saying whatever springs forward in a stream of consciousness way. As a result, he says he\u2019s often learning something new about his inner self.<\/p>\n