Oompa

Lakiyra “Oompa” Williams represents the underprivileged—the queer kids, the black kids, the orphaned kids—who grew up like the Roxbury native. Looking up to ’90s rappers like Queen Latifah and Eve, Oompa developed artistic chops on the slam poetry circuit, becoming a 2016 National Poetry Slam finalist, and now delivers tunes about positivity in the face of adversity as well as the intersections of multiple identities. Oompa has been featured by Huffington Post, NPR Boston and, this summer, in The Improper as one of 10 local acts on the rise. Since receiving a nod from the Boston Music Awards as a New Artist of 2017, Oompa has been working on a follow-up to full-length debut November 3rd. Feel the love at Great Scott on Dec. 13. / Natalie Gale