Lakiyra Williams, known professionally as Oompa, is a rapper, poet, and vocalist from

Roxbury, Massachusetts Roxbury () is a Neighborhoods in Boston, neighborhood within the City of Boston, Massachusetts. Roxbury is a Municipal annexation in the United States, dissolved municipality and one of 23 official neighborhoods of Boston used by the city for n ...

Early life

Childhood

Oompa was put into

foster care Foster care is a system in which a minor has been placed into a ward, group home (residential child care community, treatment center, etc.), or private home of a state-certified caregiver, referred to as a "foster parent" or with a family mem ...

at six weeks old. She grew up in Academy Homes, a low-income housing development near Jackson Square. When she was 5, she and her two biological sisters were adopted. Oompa started rapping in middle school, competing in

battle rap Battle rap (also known as rap battling)Edwards, Paul, 2009, p. 25. is a type of rapping performed between two or more performers that incorporates boasts, insults and wordplay. Battle rap is often performed or freestyled spontaneously in live ...

in the cafeteria for lunch money. As a kid, she played basketball at Washington Park in Roxbury, where she was given the nickname, "Oompa Loompa" because she was short and speedy. This inspired her stage name. In high school, Oompa's sister, Nicky, died from

lupus Lupus, technically known as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), is an autoimmune disease in which the body's immune system mistakenly attacks healthy tissue in many parts of the body. Symptoms vary among people and may be mild to severe. Comm ...

Education

Oompa attended

Bucknell University Bucknell University is a private liberal arts college in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1846 as the University at Lewisburg, it now consists of the College of Arts and Sciences, Freeman College of Management, and the College of Engineering. ...

in Lewisburg, PA, on a full ride scholarship. She performed rap and poetry at open mics on campus and taught herself how to professionally record music in her college's computer lab. In 2009, when she was a freshman in college, Oompa's mom died, which she described in 2019 as "the hardest thing in my life, thus far." Her debut album "November 3rd" was named for the day her mom died, and features the track, "Dear Mama" in dedication. After her mother's death, Oompa took a leave of absence from school to care for her younger sister while she was still a minor. They struggled with food insecurity and homelessness. Oompa returned to Bucknell later on, changed her

major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

from

mathematics Mathematics is an area of knowledge that includes the topics of numbers, formulas and related structures, shapes and the spaces in which they are contained, and quantities and their changes. These topics are represented in modern mathematics ...

, and earned an undergraduate degree in

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

and

Education Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty. Va ...

Poetry career

In 2016, Oompa won a spot on the Boston House Slam team. The team qualified for finals at the

National Poetry Slam The National Poetry Slam (NPS) is a performance poetry competition where teams from across the United States, Canada, and, occasionally, Europe and Australia, participate in a large-scale poetry slam. The event occurs in early August every year and ...

. She also coached a team of youth poets for Louder than a Bomb Massachusetts, who placed 5th in the state. In 2017, Oompa won the

Women of the World Poetry Slam The Women of the World Poetry Slam (WoWPS) is an annual poetry slam put on by Poetry Slam, Inc. The tournament features individual slam poets from around the world that "live their lives as women" competing to be the highest ranked woman poet in th ...

Dallas, Texas Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County w ...

. She has stated about her experience doing slam poetry, "A lot of slam was competition over who has the most important oppression and how awful things are. The truth is suffering is part of the human condition. We all hurt. It's not a competition."

Music career

In 2022, Oompa performed at

Boston Calling Music Festival Boston Calling Music Festival is a Boston-based music festival. The festival debuted in May 2013 and previously took place twice a year, May and September, at City Hall Plaza. The festival reportedly attracted 20,000–22,000 fans with its earlie ...

, was accepted into

The Recording Academy The Recording Academy (formally the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences; abbreviated NARAS) is an American learned academy of musicians, producers, recording engineers, and other musical professionals. It is famous for its Grammy Aw ...

, and was one of 12 artists selected to be a part of

Pepsi Pepsi is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by PepsiCo. Originally created and developed in 1893 by Caleb Bradham and introduced as Brad's Drink, it was renamed as Pepsi-Cola in 1898, and then shortened to Pepsi in 1961. History Pepsi was ...

Music Lab Academy class of 22–23'. In 2023, Oompa performed at the

Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. Founded in 1946 as one of t ...

half-time performance at

TD Garden TD Garden is a multi-purpose arena in Boston, Massachusetts. It is named after its sponsor, TD Bank, a subsidiary of the Toronto-Dominion Bank of Toronto, Ontario. It opened in 1995 as a replacement for the original Boston Garden and has been k ...

, and at Massachusetts Governor Maura Healy's inauguration. In August 2023, Oompa's song, "Outta Patience", was featured in a Beats commercial starring

Alessia Russo Alessia Mia Teresa Russo (; born 8 February 1999) is an English professional footballer who plays as a forward for Manchester United in the Women's Super League and the England national team. She has previously played for Chelsea, Brighton & ...

for the Women's World Cup. Oompa has won four

Boston Music Awards Founded in 1987, the Boston Music Awards are a set of music awards given annually that showcase talent in the Boston, Massachusetts, area. Past shows have featured such notable talent as Aerosmith, Paula Cole, Esperanza Spalding, Boston, Rubyhor ...

. She has performed with Jill Scott, 2-Chainz,

Marc Rebillet Marc Rebillet (; born December 10, 1988) is a French-American electronic musician and YouTuber from Dallas, Texas, currently based in New York City. Known for his improvised funk and hip-hop electronic music with free flowing, humorous lyrics, R ...

Palehound Palehound is an American band fronted by Ellen Kempner who have released three albums, ''Dry Food'' (2015), ''A Place I'll Always Go'' (2017) and ''Black Friday'' (2019); as well as the ''Bent Nail'' EP (2013) and a number of 7" singles. Initially ...

, and

Brandi Carlile Brandi Marie Carlile ( ; born June 1, 1981) is an American singer-songwriter and producer whose music spans many genres, including folk rock, alternative country, Americana, and classic rock. , Carlile has released seven studio albums. She has ...

Influences

Oompa has cited

Jay-Z Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and founder of Manhattan-based conglomerate talent and entertainment agency Roc Nation. He is regarded as one of ...

Lauryn Hill Lauryn Noelle Hill (born May 26, 1975) is an American singer, songwriter, rapper, and record producer. She is often regarded as one of the greatest rappers of all time, as well as being one of the most influential musicians of her generation. ...

J. Cole Jermaine Lamarr Cole (born January 28, 1985) is an American rapper and record producer. Born on a military base in Germany and raised in Fayetteville, North Carolina, Cole initially gained recognition as a rapper following the release of his d ...

Kendrick Lamar Kendrick Lamar Duckworth (born June 17, 1987) is an American rapper and songwriter. Known for his Progressive rap, progressive musical styles and Social consciousness, socially conscious songwriting, he is often considered one of the most infl ...

James Brown James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American singer, dancer, musician, record producer and bandleader. The central progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th century music, he is often referred to by the honor ...

Gospel music Gospel music is a traditional genre of Christian music, and a cornerstone of Christian media. The creation, performance, significance, and even the definition of gospel music varies according to culture and social context. Gospel music is com ...

, and

Black music Black music is a sound created, produced, or inspired by black people, people of African descent, including African music traditions and African popular music as well as the music genres of the African diaspora, including Caribbean music, Lati ...

across genres as her influences.

Critical acclaim

In 2016, Oompa joined HipStory (founded by Cliff Notez and Tim Hall), a Boston collective and multimedia production company that worked with her to record and release her first album, "November 3rd". A review from ''Sound of Boston'' called Oompa's rhymes "deadly" and referred to the project as "a deeply confessional collection of songs over smooth soul beats". The album was listed as one of ''Allston Pudding's'' favorite albums of the year and ''

DigBoston ''DigBoston''—formerly known as the ''Weekly Dig'' and known colloquially as ''The Dig''—is a free alternative newspaper in Boston, Massachusetts. It covers news in the Greater Boston area and offers commentary on music, arts, politics, busin ...

's'' Top 30 Local Albums of the year in 2016. In 2019, Oompa released the album, "Cleo", named for

Queen Latifah Dana Elaine Owens (born March 18, 1970), known professionally as Queen Latifah, is an American rapper, actress, and singer. Born in Newark, New Jersey, she signed with Tommy Boy Records in 1989 and released her debut album ''All Hail the Que ...

's character in Set It Off. ''WBUR'' commented, that the songs on "Cleo" "all benefit from Oompa's keen sense of melody, her knack for grabbing the ear with a certain phrase or rhythm and telling it something funny and incisive and memorable". ''Telegram'' called the album captivating and viscerally inspiring. ''Allston Pudding'' attended the album release and called the performance of "Cleo" "powerful from beginning to end". With "Cleo", Oompa landed on ''NPR'''s Slingshot Artist to Watch list. In 2021, Oompa released the album, "Unbothered". ''

The Harvard Crimson ''The Harvard Crimson'' is the student newspaper of Harvard University and was founded in 1873. Run entirely by Harvard College undergraduates, it served for many years as the only daily newspaper in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Beginning in the f ...

'' characterized the album as, "personal, unapologetic, inspirational, and incredibly deserving of all the glowing receptions it will receive". ''Vanyaland'' called the album, "a sacred space, the Boston's emcee commitment to herself — and her listeners — to cultivate a life worth living". ''Galore Mag'' hailed Oompa as having "a cadence and energy akin to the legendary

Missy Elliott Melissa Arnette Elliott (born July 1, 1971), better known as Missy Elliott or Missy “Misdemeanor” Elliot, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. She embarked on her music career with R&B girl group Sista in the earl ...

and the poetic finesse of Noname". ''The Three-Sixty Mag'' called "Unbothered", "an album brimming with gems". ''

Okayplayer Okayplayer is an online hip-hop and alternative music website and community, described by ''Rolling Stone'' as a "tastemaker" and "an antidote to dull promotional Web sites used by most artists". The community was founded by The Roots' drummer ...

'' named the project to their 15 New Hip-Hop & R&B Albums You Should Be Listening To list, and called the project, "an album riddled with self-reflective undertones and vibrant lyrics".

Cultural impact

Oompa is on the leadership council at The Record Co., a nonprofit that provides affordable rehearsal and recording space for Boston-based music makers. Oompa partnered with the

Somerville Somerville may refer to: *Somerville College, Oxford, a constituent college of the University of Oxford Places *Somerville, Victoria, Australia * Somerville, Western Australia, a suburb of Kalgoorlie, Australia * Somerville, New Zealand, a subur ...

Arts Council to create Black, Brown & Queer Fest. ''The Gumbo'' has praised Oompa's music for uplifting women. According to ''Boston'', in 2022, "she was one of 12 people and organizations awarded $500,000 in workforce development contracts as part of a program established by the city's Mayor's Office of Arts and Culture. She's using the funding to establish Outlaud Entertainment, an artists' collective and incubator that will mentor five emerging artists over the course of fifteen months."

Personal life

In 2023, Oompa reconnected with her birth father, who was a popular R & B singer in the '90s.

Awards

's Music Lab Class of '22-'23 *

City of Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- most p ...

, Workforce Development Contracts For Artists And Creative Workers, 2022 * City of Cambridge's Local Cultural Council Grants, 2022 * Live Artist of the Year, Boston Music Awards, 2022 * ''NPR'' Slingshot Artist to Watch, 2020 * Live Artist of the Year, Boston Music Awards, 2019 *

The Boston Foundation The Boston Foundation, founded in 1915, is one of the oldest and largest community foundations in the nation.https://www.tbf.org/-/media/tbf/files/financial-information/financial-statements/tbf-fy2018-audited-financial-statements.pdf?la=en&hash=FB ...

Brother Thomas Fellow, 2019 * Unsigned Artist of the Year, Boston Music Awards, 2018 * 617Session Winner, Boston Music Awards, 2018 * Passim Awards Iguana Music Fund Grant Recipient, 2018 * Women of the World Poetry Slam Champion, 2017 * National Poetry Slam finalist, 2016 * ''Allston Pudding's'' favorite albums of the year, 2016 * ''DigBoston's'' Top 30 Local Albums of the year, 2016

Discography

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Oompa East Coast hip hop musicians American lesbian musicians Lesbian rappers 21st-century American rappers American women hip hop musicians American LGBT rappers African-American women rappers 21st-century American women rappers 21st-century American LGBT people 21st-century American writers LGBT hip hop musicians 21st-century African-American musicians Songwriters from Massachusetts Rappers from Boston African-American feminists 21st-century African-American writers 21st-century American women writers 21st-century African-American women writers American feminist writers Feminist theorists African-American LGBT people Living people 1991 births