OKnice is an emcee originally from Oklahoma, but now based in St. Paul, who has been releasing music for about the last four years. He’s released a couple of recent singles, but his last project, an EP done with producer Hex, Social Distance, came in April of 2020. Now he’s ready to release his newest full-length album, Have You Tried Being Happy?

As you might have guessed from the title of this album, this is a hip hop project from OKnice centered around mental health, growth, and identity. Or, just simply trying to figure out what “happy” even means. For this project, OKnice enlisted the help of producers Deergod, Zepeda, Akamoto, Minnesota Cold, Hex, and Metasota, along with scratches from Anthony Kasper. They come together to help form this soundscape that is very laid back and jazzy, leaning on the minimalist side of things. Things are funky and crisp, but the important thing here is to just set the mood and not distract too much from OKnice on the mic. OKnice has a great conversational flow and a nice deep voice that resonates on the mic, which leads to a great setting for him to turn this album into a combination story time and therapy session as he explores this idea of happiness and why maybe it has eluded him for chunks of his life. It also raises the point that as far as we’ve come when it comes to talking about mental health, we still have a long way to go, because there are plenty of young people out there that internalize their problems and don’t seek help. Now, in lesser hands this could easily turn into a pity party or a doom and gloom album, but OKnice does mix in a sense of humor and a bit of optimism to level out his frank discussions about some of the turmoil he’s faced in his life. As a result, this album becomes a great one to put on the headphones and go for a walk while you’re listening to it, so that you can get in your own head and have a one-on-one conversation with the album and maybe work through some things.

Have You Tried Being Happy? is a great step forward for OKnice. It’s incredibly honest and emotionally raw, but it’s also really mature and delivered with the confidence of someone who’s been making music for much longer than he has.