Oliver Tree is Apparently Dead.. Record Labels Are Apparently Not..
Sometimes you see or hear an artist for the first time and you just know they’re going. Where they’re going, nobody knows. Just going. To the top? To superstardom? To Iconism? To symbolism? What is the end game for a professional music artist? Is it fame? fortune? Cultural significance? These are all things pondered on The Tryin Times. Oliver Tree is a music artist that you either absolutely know, understand (sorta?) and love, or you’re absolutely confused and potentially uncomfortable watching. For my wife and I, we were introduced to his music (and everything else associated) way back in 2018, and he became more than just a show at a festival. We connected over his enthusiasm, humor, passion, and most of all, his “what thefuck?ery”
Oliver Tree is now allegedly dead. He and several other producers and creators allegedly died in Brazil this week after two helicopters collided. There are plenty of speculations around this death. I plan to cover a few of those that have made waves around the internet, as well as some observations and speculations I have had throughout my travels as a consumer of American Music. So let’s talk about it.
Reflections on My Introduction & Experience with Oliver Tree
It was 2018, my wife and I were at Camp Bisco at Montage Mountain in Scranton PA. (Yes where Michael Scott once took one hit at an Alicia Keys concert). It was about 98 degrees and the sun had just broken it’s high point, and we were between desired sets so we decided to find a comfortable spot to take a break and take it all in. We reviewed the upcoming set and asked if we knew who “Oliver Tree” was.
What ensued would mark (at least for me) one of the most memorable live music experiences of my lifetime. It wasn’t necessarily how GOOD the music was, but the cacophony of sound, physical comedy, legit beats, nostalgia, and the smell of DMT in the distance would create an experience of which I had never experienced, and have yet to experience again. This to me is the sign of a true artist. Someone truly original. Someone truly unique. Someone who can truly encapsulate the minds of their listeners and help them through whatever they’re going through.
I do feel as though I can “see it” when I see it in an artist. My family made me that way. They know good music, and they know good people. For my (now) wife and I, we knew Oliver Tree was good music, and good people. He rolled out on a razor scooter with JNCO jeans and a bowl cut. As a kid born in 1989, this hit me deep in my childhood veins.
Side note – it could be argued that Oliver Tree is responsible for JNCO/wide leg jeans coming back into the teenage trend pantheon.
The set ended, faster than it started. The festival went on, life went on, and on, and on, and so did Oliver’s career.
First Sign of Label Influence
One of the first things I can remember being odd about his career was that his album seemed to come out twice, in two different ways. First he had an album, then all the sudden the same album came out with more songs on it. There may not even be record of this, but I remember it. The Alien Boy record says it was independent on Google, but there seemed to be some influence over how it was released. I compare this to when Kanye continuously struggled with Apple and labels to release DONDA, while sleeping in Mercedes Benz Stadium.
I do like the weird ones. But I also like the ones who challenge the status quo, and Oliver Tree continued to do that, even after being signed.
His music videos became bigger, better, weirder. His brand continued to evolve, while the true nature of his persona and bowl cut never changed. He was truly him. He wasn’t for everyone, but no one could knock his talent, writing ability, or art. You can go back and check on his music, and I recommend it.
More Signs of Label Influence
As albums evolved, there was evolution to Oliver’s music, with brand consistency holding up, but there became a sense of influence toward younger crowds.
What happens first? Chicken or the egg? Does the artist influence the crowd enough for the label to sign? Or does the label help the artist infuence the crowd? Who’s the real influencer? the artist or the label?
Oliver challenged this. Because he was THAT influential. He was THAT unique. He could not be packaged, and commodified. I myself found a few songs off a few albums to be “soft,” or a little different from the hard, free, be yourself version we were introduced to. Still, Oliver pumped out banger after banger after banger. He never allowed himself, or his message, to be misconstrued by the label to HIS fans.
His Message
Every form of art is and should be, interpretation. My interpretation of his messaging behind his brand and music was this:
Don’t be afraid to be yourself.
Don’t be afraid of looking stupid to make your point.
Don’t be afraid of anything actually.
If people think you’re stupid, they might be not smart enough to understand you, and that’s ok.
Love yourself, and don’t be afraid to love someone honestly and boldly.
When love fails, pick up and move on strongly.
Never be anything other than your true self.
& many more positive lessons, but one lesson seems to have gone from theory to concrete and that is…
Record labels will chew you up and spit you out, and if you don’t follow their lead, might even erase you.
Here are my reactions to hearing he died in a fiery helicopter collision.
Reaction 1
Oliver Tree was a stuntman in addition to other things. When I first heard the news, my wife told me, I assumed it was a stunt accident.
Reaction 2
Oliver Tree was a master swindler. He just convinced me and us that he was retiring not too long ago. Maybe this was just a fake death. But it seemed as though the reporting seemed legit.
Reaction 3
Immediately upon the TMZ stories breaking, and the internet catching wind of his death, videos began surfacing of Oliver recently speaking down upon the experience he had with his record label, Atlantic records, and how he was officially going independent. He spoke about record labels owning 93% of the revenue, not giving him budget for advertising, the labels owning the studios, so they end up paying themselves, and more. He seemed to be going full tilt on the industry and seeking to carve out his own path, as some artists have tried to do in the past.
Some assume he was killed because of his going independent.
But there’s one more rumor swirling.
In the last year, Oliver had been recording his own independent album, while also making a documentary about Antarctica. Some say that his footage, his messaging in the doc, and his potential influence over young people is why he was potentially “killed.”
I am certainly one who is open to “conspiracy theory.” I for one, just feel as though “conspiracy theories” are just, theory, just like anything else. If we don’t have the answer, any answer is possible. Best or worst case scenario. I don’t know if this is all true, all false, all good, or all evil, but I do know that Oliver Tree was (and maybe still is?) an incredible talent.
The bottom line is Oliver is on record saying he didn’t want to make TikTok songs like the label wanted.
He wanted to spread his wings and freely continue his artistic journey through life, finding truth and justice. This is THE TRYIN TIMES WAY.
A true modern renaissance man.
One thing we can leave this tragedy with is the inspiration to be like Oliver. No not cut a bowl cut or shout obscenities into a mic lol. But to be a renaissance man. (or woman)
Google AI defines a renaissance man as this:
A “Renaissance man” is a person with a remarkably broad range of knowledge and deep expertise across multiple, often unrelated fields. The term originated from the European Renaissance, an era that celebrated the limitless potential of human development and lifelong learning.Key CharacteristicsTo be considered a true “Renaissance man,” a person typically embodies the following traits:
Multidisciplinary Expertise: Proficient in several distinct disciplines, such as the arts, sciences, mathematics, philosophy, and athletics.
Lifelong Curiosity: Driven by a constant thirst for learning and often self-taught in many subjects.
Interdisciplinary Thinking: Able to connect concepts from one field to another, sparking creativity and innovation.
He was. He was truly curious. He was truly well rounded. He was truly in pursuit of truth and knowledge.
His music touched almost every modern genre. Rap, hip hop, pop, EDM, dubstep, rock and roll, grunge, country, and it was all well produced and well executed.
His curiosity for the industry, the planet, humanity, and helping those things with his art was unmatched.
His ability to bring in humorous platitudes about so many different cultural phenomena was incredible.
I don’t know where Oliver is, if he is secretly alive, and rumors stil swirl that he never got on that chopper, but if he is dead, I hope he knows that he impacted millions. He inspired. He broke the system. He created a new path. He walked the line. He shifted the modern music video. He created his own genre. He was loved, and is loved, and I anticipate he will be loved more than ever moving forward as all of his content will live on as a cult hero. He is an icon.
