ExtremeRavens Posted July 31 Posted July 31 There’s a popular internet meme that might help explain Odafe Oweh’s offseason. It’s LeBron James shirtless in a pool. His hand sits comfortably atop his forehead. He’s blinded by the summer sun, flashing the most infectious, toothy smile. The NBA superstar’s caption reads: “Smiling through it all! Can’t believe this is my life.” Oweh had more than a few moments away from football this offseason that made him feel that way. Like rubbing shoulders with A-list celebrities all garnished in designer wear, stepping up to a microphone at a professional recording studio or mentoring kids in Lagos, Nigeria, where his parents immigrated from. The Ravens’ pass rusher holds two truths, tangoing through the explanation of an arduous yet gratifying past six months. Oweh trudged off the field of Baltimore’s discouraging playoff loss in snowy Orchard Park, New York, feeling unfulfilled. Like he hadn’t done enough. It fueled an insatiable hunger that Oweh translated into 20 pounds of bulking to prepare for this fall. Simultaneously, the 26-year-old completed the most productive season of his four-year career: his first double-digit sack season, an achievement considered the barometer of excellence at the position. So for perhaps the first time in his career, Oweh, a true renaissance man, enjoyed himself. “I pride myself on, if I don’t have the season that’s at least good enough in my eyes — obviously, I wanted to do better — but I hit a mark that I never hit before,” Oweh told The Baltimore Sun. “I felt like it gave me the room to still work but also enjoy the fruits of my labor and tap into things that I like to do.” In May, Oweh, who considers himself well dressed with high-end grungy style, was thrust into the deep end of the fashion world: The Met Gala. “I got tapped into that whole world for the first time,” Oweh said. He prides himself on picking pregame outfits every Sunday. It “helps your spirit,” he said. New York City Fashion Week was totally different. On that same trip, Oweh’s friend invited him into a recording studio. It was just for fun — at first. He got an inside look at how the pros do it before being handed a headset and microphone to mess around with freestyling and singing. Oweh said that he tried to tap into his favorite artists, Drake and Future, while a sound engineer walked him through the process. Freestyling was tough. Rapping while managing his breathing patterns was tougher, and gave Oweh a newfound appreciation for the pros. His big gig came later in Arizona alongside the artist, Lu, otherwise known as Oweh’s former Penn State teammate and NFL linebacker Jesse Luketa. The two of them were in a studio together, flanked by a handful of other established artists. “The guy made the beat and wanted to see what we could do,” Oweh said. His debut feature on the song, “DND,” was born out of a prompt about weighing your time between a girl you like and professional aspirations. This summer might have scaled new frontiers. But Oweh — or his pen name, DAFÉ — has long prioritized creative outlets. This offseason, Odafe Oweh was able to reconnect with interests that he’s held at bay most of his career, such as fashion. (Karl Merton Ferron/Staff) If he’s wearing an all-black outfit to the stadium, it’s an expression meant to be convey, “I’m trying to kill somebody.” When Oweh underwent thumb surgery after the 2023 season, he used his good hand to draw that famous picture of Kobe Bryant shooting free throws in pajamas with his wrist heavily wrapped. “At that point, I was a little hurt,” Oweh said. “I was still locked in on my goals, so that’s how I expressed that.” This offseason — catching The Miami Open tennis tournament (while he was there training), enjoying life as a fan during his brother’s March Madness run, an invitation to The Met Gala and putting his vocal chords to the test — was a testament to the season he had. All of Oweh’s off-the-field interests took center stage. It was his renaissance summer. “That’s the crazy part, I’ve been telling people,” Oweh said with a laugh. “People are like, ‘You not no renaissance man.’ I’m like, ‘I do everything that is the definition of a renaissance man.’” By definition, it’s someone with many talents and interests. Football consumes a majority of Oweh’s life. It’s the center of his world. This offseason, he was able to stretch beyond. He was able to reconnect with interests that he’s held at bay most of his career. To pour into his creative side. On a side project with The Players’ Tribune, Oweh gave himself all four spots on the tunnel fit Mt. Rushmore. And when asked for two people he could have dinner with, dead or alive, Oweh picked James and famed designer Virgil Abloh — a nod to the intersection of his life in sports and creativity. The other “can’t believe this is my life” moment of Oweh’s summer was his football camp in Nigeria. Until two years ago, he had never visited his West African roots. Oweh’s parents, Henry and Tania, instilled an importance in giving back to the community. So he spent this trip sharing quality time with his family and Lagos luminaries. Then pouring back into the game of football hosting a camp alongside Nigerian teammates, Nnamdi Madubuike and David Ojabo. “When I was in Nigeria helping kids, they were asking me questions and looking up to me,” Oweh said. “This was something I dreamed about. I would find myself in the middle of that, just step back and be like, ‘Wow, you did it.’” Oweh wasn’t satisfied with how 2024 ended. But his breakout year gave way to a lively summer. He still can’t believe this is his life. Have a news tip? Contact Sam Cohn at scohn@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/samdcohn. View the full article Quote
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