Gonjasufi | |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Sumach Ecks |
| Also known as | Sumach Valentine |
| Origin | San Diego, California, United States |
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| Years active | 1990s–present |
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| Website | www |
Sumach Ecks [3] (born 1978), [4] better known by his stage name Gonjasufi, is an American vocalist, producer, disc jockey, and yogi. [5]
Ecks was born in 1978 to a Mexican mother and an American-Ethiopian father. [3] He spent his formative years in Chula Vista, California. [5]
Ecks got involved early on in the arts, playing Helios the Sun God in the opera Persephone. [6]
In the early 1990s, he began releasing music within the San Diego hip hop scene; notably with the Masters of the Universe crew. [7] [8] Touring under the stage names Sumach Valentine and Randy Johnson, [7] his first band was called Plant Lyphe. [6]
Ecks gained notice from Warp Records in 2008 after an appearance on Californian musician Flying Lotus' album Los Angeles , on which he sings on the track "Testament". [8] His Warp debut album, A Sufi and a Killer , was released March 8, 2010. [9]
Ecks' voice has been described by Pitchfork as "a scraggly, scary, smoked-out croak that creeps like the spiritual offspring of George Clinton and Lead Belly". [8] He attributes his singing style to his day job teaching yoga, where he was forced to learn how to "project from [his] stomach more". [8] His music is largely experimental, fusing urban beats with psychedelic flourishes. [10] [11]
Besides singing and rapping, [12] Ecks also serves as a producer, [13] DJ, [14] and yoga teacher. [5]
On August 19, 2016, Gonjasufi released the album, Callus , which featured contributions from Pearl Thompson. [15]
Dälek is an American experimental hip hop group formed in Newark, New Jersey in 1998. The group's current lineup consists of MC dälek and Mike Manteca.
Shadrach Kabango, better known as Shad or Shad K, is a Canadian rapper and broadcaster. He has released 7 full-length albums and 3 EP's since his debut in 2005. He won a Juno Award for Rap Recording of the Year in 2011 and 5 of his albums have been shortlisted for the Polaris Music Prize, the most short-list nominations of any artist since the prize's creation in 2006. In 2013, CBC Music named Shad the second-greatest Canadian rapper of all time. Shad hosted Q on CBC Radio One from 2015 to 2016 and hosts the International Emmy and Peabody Award-winning documentary series Hip-Hop Evolution on HBO Canada and Netflix.
Aleksander Thomas Manfredi, better known by his stage name Exile, is an American record producer, disc jockey and occasional rapper. Aside from his solo career, he is a member of the musical groups Emanon alongside Aloe Blacc, as well as Blu & Exile.
Ross Matthew Birchard, better known by the stage name Hudson Mohawke, is a Scottish-American producer, composer, and DJ from Glasgow. He is known for his influential work in 21st century hip-hop and electronic music. A founding member of the UK label collective LuckyMe, his fractured, colorful take on hip-hop made him a leading figure in the late-2000s wonky scene. He released his debut album Butter in 2009 on Warp Records. He has followed with the solo albums Lantern (2015) and Cry Sugar (2022), both on Warp.
Sam Baker, better known by his stage name Samiyam, is an American hip hop producer based in Los Angeles, California.
Cosmogramma is the third studio album by American music producer Steven Ellison as Flying Lotus, released by Warp Records on May 3, 2010.
A Sufi and a Killer is the debut studio album by Gonjasufi. It was released by Warp on March 8, 2010. The album was produced by Flying Lotus, The Gaslamp Killer, and Mainframe.
Michael Wayne Atha, better known by his stage name Yelawolf, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer. Born in Gadsden, Alabama, and raised in Antioch, Tennessee, he embarked on his recording career in 2005, releasing four mixtapes to positive local reception. His debut extended play (EP), Trunk Muzik gained Yelawolf mainstream recognition, leading him to sign a recording contract with Interscope Records. He re-worked the EP as his first major label release, Trunk Muzik 0-60 (2010).
Free the Robots is an underground hip hop producer from Los Angeles, California.
William Benjamin Bensussen, better known by his stage name The Gaslamp Killer, is an American alternative hip hop producer and DJ based in Los Angeles, California.
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Breakthrough is the first studio album by American alternative-hip hop producer The Gaslamp Killer. It was released on Brainfeeder on September 17, 2012. The album features guest appearances from Gonjasufi, Daedelus, and Samiyam, among others.
Brainfeeder is an independent record label based in Los Angeles, California, founded by Flying Lotus in 2008, focusing on electronic music and instrumental hip hop. It has signed artists such as Ras G, Samiyam, The Gaslamp Killer, Thundercat, The Underachievers, Lapalux, Daedelus, and Mr. Oizo.
Gregory Shorter Jr., better known by his stage name Ras G, was an American record producer and DJ from Los Angeles, California. He was a co-founder of the record label Poo-Bah Records and was also associated with Brainfeeder. He released 24 albums and mixtapes since his debut in 2008.
R.A.P. Music is the fifth studio album by American rapper Killer Mike. It was released through Williams Street Records on May 15, 2012. The "R.A.P." in the album's title is a backronym for "Rebellious African People". Production was handled by rapper and producer Jaime "El-P" Meline; the album was the first collaboration between Killer Mike and El-P, who would later form the critically acclaimed duo Run the Jewels.
MU.ZZ.LE is the second studio album by Gonjasufi, following his first album, A Sufi and a Killer. The record was released by Warp on 24 January 2012 and produced one single "The Blame". Reviewed by 23 critics on Metacritic, the album received an average score of 69% which means "generally favorable reviews". Meanwhile, the song "Nikels And Dimes" was sampled in the track "Nickels And Dimes" by rapper Jay-Z from his 2013 album Magna Carta Holy Grail.
Callus is the third studio album by Gonjasufi. The album was released by Warp on August 19, 2016. Former Cure guitarist Pearl Thompson is also heavily featured on the album.
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Mandela Effect is the second remix album by American musician Gonjasufi, released by record label Warp in 2017. His collaborators include underground hip-hop group Shabazz Palaces, Daddy G from Massive Attack, and Nigerian percussionist Tony Allen. The album contains 16 tracks—remixes from his previous album Callus as well as several originals and collaborations. The title refers to the phenomenon of false memories which are shared by numerous people, dubbed the "Mandela effect" by some in reference to mistaken memories of the death of Nelson Mandela before he became president of South Africa.
The Caliph's Tea Party is a remix studio album by American musician Gonjasufi. The album was released on 4 October 2010 by Warp label. The album is a complete reworking of his debut album A Sufi And A Killer released earlier the same year.
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