Oompa

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

Early life

Childhood Oompa was put into foster care 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.

In high school, Oompa's sister, Nicky, died from lupus. Oompa returned to Bucknell later on, changed her major from mathematics, and earned an undergraduate degree in English and Education.

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." and was one of 12 artists selected to be a part of Pepsi Music Lab Academy class of 22–23'. In 2023, Oompa performed at the Boston Celtics half-time performance at TD Garden, 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 for the Women's World Cup.

Oompa has won four Boston Music Awards. She has performed with Jill Scott, 2-Chainz, Marc Rebillet, Palehound, and Brandi Carlile. The album was listed as one of Allston Pudding's favorite albums of the year and DigBoston's Top 30 Local Albums of the year in 2016.

In 2019, Oompa released the album, "Cleo", named for Queen Latifah'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 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 and the poetic finesse of Noname". The Three-Sixty Mag called "Unbothered", "an album brimming with gems". Okayplayer 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 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." City of Cambridge's Local Cultural Council Grants, 2022 Live Artist of the Year, Boston Music Awards, 2022 The Boston Foundation Brother Thomas Fellow, 2019 Unsigned Artist of the Year, Boston Music Awards, 2018 Women of the World Poetry Slam Champion, 2017

+SinglesTitleYearSource"Think Too Much"2023 "OUTTA PATIENCE"2021 "LEBRON"2021 "Go"2021 "Closer"2020 "By You"2019 "Feel Like Cole"2019 "Your Girl"2016 +Music videosTitleYearSource"Think Too Much"2023 "LEBRON"2021 "Go"2021 "Closer"2020 "Feel Like Cole"2019