I Am Us

“It is better to be who you normally are…not who you orally are”

“The evolution of Hip-Hop music is infinite. True rap connoisseurs have thrived upon preserving originality in music and Yonas takes no exception. In just a short period of time Yonas has managed to become one of the most promising up-and-coming MC’s to rise out of the Empire State as he now prepares for global takeover.

Carefully cultivating a rapidly expanding fan base and already having landed notable music reviews with AllHipHop.com, 2DopeBoyz, New York Magazine, BallerStatus.com, Hip Hop DX, NahRight, Rap Fanatic Magazine, Brooklyn Vegan, and many other popular media outlets, Yonas shows no sign of slowing down. In January 2009, Yonas’s celebratory anthem “Banga” won a Billboard Songwriting Award for best Hip-Hop / Rap song as he released his debut album The New Golden Era to iTunes Worldwide.”

Check him out @ yonasmusic.com

Dr. No’s Ethiopium is the fourth album by hip hop rapper and producer Oh No. The solely instrumental album was released by Stones Throw Records in 2009, and is described as an “album inspired-by and sampled-from rare 60s and 70s Ethiopian funk, jazz, folk, soul and psychedelic rock.”  The track “The Funk” was used in a Mountain Dew commercial.

Listen to the samples here!

“Ethiopian by blood American by origin his parents named their 2nd child Michael Tesfae Yoseph.The art, the life, the gift and curse is what inspires him. It’s what makes him a leader in a world of followers. He said it best, to do what has never been done, requires a fearless disregard to ones limits and inevitable opposition. What do u say to a person who till this day risks everything to live out the vision he believes Is his true destiny.”

facebook.com/suntoucha

Michael “MIKE-E” Ellison is a Hip-hop and spoken word recording artist, actor, and philanthropist. MIKE-E was born in Ethiopia, where he supports orphan outreach and healthcare programs, while maintaining nationwide recognition with one of the country’s most popular hits “Ethiopia (Everything Will Be Alright).”

afroflow.com

]]> http://www.addislinx.com/2010/09/16/mike-e-stamina/feed/ 0 http://www.addislinx.com/2010/09/08/madcon-beggin/ http://www.addislinx.com/2010/09/08/madcon-beggin/#comments Thu, 09 Sep 2010 00:35:25 +0000 addis http://www.addislinx.com/?p=831

Madcon (short for Mad Conspiracy), made up of Tshawe Baqwa (Kapricon) and Yosef Wolde-Mariam (Critical) is a Norwegian hip hop duo. Critical was born in Norway, with parents from Ethiopia and Eritrea while Kapricorn was born in Germany from South African parents but grew up in Tveita in eastern Oslo.

madcon.no

“After that I moved to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. While going to school over there I picked up rapping as a hobby. I used to write rhymes and battle kids for fun. My attitude and temper got me kicked out of school in Ethiopia and I went to a Military school in upstate NY. That is where I continued to rhyme and eventually I grew into my passion.”

dizkreet.com

“It has been said that Ethiopian-born, singer/songwriter Wayna possesses a voice that is as sweet and pure as it is honest and passionate. This young talent’s love for music started as a child, when she starred in theater productions like “Annie,” and “Damn Yankees” and toured with a children’s musical review company. Wayna went on to hone her vocal talents as a young adult by absorbing the works of her favorite artists, including Minnie Riperton, Billie Holiday, Stevie Wonder, and Donny Hathaway.”

Wayna.net

“With one voice and one guitar, Jörg and Munit create an amazingly warm and energetic atmosphere, telling stories with their music and painting pictures about love, life and memories in Amharic, English and sometimes with no words at all”

jorgandmunit.com

“Ethiopia await, all Prince and Princess!”—so chants famed reggae artist Buju Banton on his album ‘Til Shiloh, but what Buju didn’t know was that the wait would soon be over; Ethiopia birthed an artist–a true embodiment of the Reggae movement’s romantic longing for Ethiopia. Her name: SHEBA Sahlemariam.

reverbnation.com/shebasahlemariam

“Burntface is a movement… A movement which speaks to those we feel are largely unspoken to. Burntface is not a voice in the darkness; it is what happens when the darkness itself starts to speak. Burntface is a process that begins with the realization of our collective struggle and finds its power in an inconspicuous wink to the millions of people who comprehend that we humans have far more similarities than differences.”

myspace.com/burntface

Kenna Zemedkun, was born in Addis Ababa. His family migrated to Virginia Beach, Virginia, where he first fell deep in love with American music, specifically U2′s Joshua Tree, an album that would forever shape his sonic aesthetic. For many years he struggled to find himself, working odd jobs and attending college.  Until in his late teens he returned to his first love: music.

myspace.com/kenna

Ayoe Angelica is a Danish-Ethiopian singer. Her debut album is titled “I’m Amazed” (2008/2009). In co-operation with producer and composer Mads B. B. Krog, Ayoe delivers an unheard and exciting combination of soulful vocals, acoustic elements and crunchy electronics, complemented with a touch of lo-fi jazz.

More @ ayoeangelica.dk

Meklit Hadero is an Ethiopian-born singer, musician, and Resident Artist at the Red  Poppy Art House in San Francisco. Drawing inspiration from Jazz instrumentalists, American songwriters, and Ethiopian vocalists, Meklit’s music is at home in multiplicity. Lyrically focused, with a honey voice alternately delicate and vast, she quite literally dances the music alive. 

meklithadero.com

He’s DOPE. You can preview and buy his album here. More from his blog.