Ozzy and Black Sabbath were my first concert.

I was 13 years old at the Civic Center in St. Paul, Minnesota. I saved my money, got tickets with my friends, and still had enough left to buy a concert shirt.

I still have that shirt.

My mother dropped me off at the show and waited for me when it was over. That might sound simple, but that memory means a lot to me. She let me have that moment. She let me step into something loud, wild, electric, and unforgettable.

That stays with you.

For a lot of people, Ozzy is darkness, chaos, rock and roll, wild stories, and that voice you recognize the second you hear it. But for me, Ozzy is also connected to being a kid at my first real concert, feeling that energy for the first time, and realizing how powerful live music can be.

A lot of Hip-Hop heads understand Ozzy, Black Sabbath, and rock bands more than people might think. Different sound, same rebellion. Same attitude. Same refusal to be boxed in. Hip-Hop bucks the system. Rock bucked the system too.

That is why this piece connects with me beyond just the image. It is about music that does not ask permission. Music that shakes the room. Music that makes people uncomfortable because it refuses to be quiet.

This painting is a tribute to that first concert, that first feeling, my mother letting me have that moment, and an artist who helped me understand that music can shake your whole world open.

— SAVO

View Artwork