Bomani Armah | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Darel Hancock |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | University of Maryland, College Park |
| Genre | Poetry |
Bomani Armah (previously known as Darel Hancock), also known as D'mite, or Not a Rapper, is an American vocalist best known for the 2007 single "Read a Book."
Armah grew up in Mitchellville, Maryland. He dropped out of the University of Maryland, College Park to become a musician. He is divorced and is the father of twins. [1] He is also a member of Iota Phi Theta fraternity.
In 2005, Bomani was introduced to the world with the debut of the Mello-D and the Rados music video "Cool Witchu" on BET. By October 2006, The Washington Post regarded him as "one of the more entertaining voices in a local spoken word scene that's overflowing with talent." They also noted that he was "grabb[ing] hearts and minds" with "Read a Book", a spoof of crunk songs that was "scary because it's a bit difficult to tell that it's satire". [2]
In January 2007, Armah took part in Martin Luther King Day observances at the Washington National Cathedral, with Sister Helen Prejean and the Urban Nation H.I.P.-H.O.P. Choir. [3] [4]
Armah became famous with the MySpace-released 2007 single "Read A Book." The song admonishes listeners to "read a muh'fuckin book", "raise yo kids", wear deodorant, buy some land, and brush their "God damned teeth", among other things, including advising "your body needs water, so drink that shit", in a satire of crunk-style songs which advocate a more "gangsta" lifestyle, set to a loop of an excerpt from Beethoven's Symphony No.5. A clean version also exists, where the profanity is edited out. Success of the single grew when it was used as the topic of a short animated film which aired on Black Entertainment Television's The 5ive . Animated by Six Point Harness Studios, the video features stylized cartoon stereotypes who are directed (often by force) to carry out the advice presented in the lyrics of "Read a Book" by a crunk rapper. [5] In June 2007 the song was included on Dan Greenpeace and DJ Yoda's Unthugged Vol. 2 with an introduction from Armah introducing himself as D'Mite.
In the fall of 2007, Armah released a song about the Jena Six case in Louisiana. He also performed at the CMJ Music Marathon, where a Village Voice blogger panned him as a "technically strong rapper with zero stage presence and only slightly more personality." [6]
Armah returned to the National Cathedral in January 2008, to lead its Martin Luther King Day event. [7]
In March 2008, The Washington Post published his commentary calling on Barack Obama to show his "white side." [8] [9]