
When it comes to the start of Battle Rap in St. Louis, Owe is a pioneer and the face, as he is responsible for growing this prominent culture to where it is today with his Street Status brand that started over 16 years ago. I asked Owe how he got into this industry. “I used to listen to all the CDs and tapes back then. I used to collect all the XXl magazines, Source magazines, and Vibe magazines. I felt in my heart that I wanted to make some type of impact when it came to hip-hop.”

While working with a few St. Louis rap artists, Owe learned marketing without knowing he was doing it. “We had a nice run, it was really like a trial basis. but it taught me the game and that I needed my own brand. I took a piece of paper and wrote so many names on it until Street Status stuck out to me.” After purchasing a Canon GL1 camera from his homeboy, Owe would go on to put out DVDs throughout the city. The streets loved them and Street Status became the talk of the town.
After his battle rap venture with Aye Verb with Word War, Owe stated “When that was over, I still had great relationships with battle rappers. Aye Verb wanted to throw a big event in St. Louis but he needed someone to fund it. I said I will fund it, but it has to be a Street Status battle event. That was the evolution of Street Status battle rap.
Owe says “My greatest challenge has been just trying to get that engagement back to where it was. Back then we believed in us. It was us vs anybody. So I’m doing it in 2023.” On Feb 5th, Owe is doing just that with his event Street Status Presents ‘The Departed’ This event will be held at 3636 Page Blvd. The battle rap event will feature some of St. Louis’s most highly skilled caliber Emcees such as Dex vs Jayrone, RemyD vs Dee Boi, Dubby Dub vs Danny Boi, and much more.