Bamboo (lyricist)
Encyclopedia
Simon Kimani, more popularly known as Bamboo, is an emcee who represents Kenya
and currently lives in New York City
. He was raised in Inglewood, California
by parents of East African descent, and at the age of 17, his parents sent him to Nairobi
, Kenya to eschew the potentially dangerous life they feared he might have if he stayed in Inglewood. Bamboo transferred the success he was beginning to have in California to Nairobi, acquiring a record deal and producing his first album, Nairoberry, with his group K-South
in 2001. He formed the record label Project 254 in Nairobi with Kenyan emcees Tim Waindi and Attitude. Bamboo is also a member of the record label The Grass Company, and he states that he intends to re-record a previously released album "exactly the way [they] did it in Kenya but now with state-of-the-art equipment" in Atlanta, Georgia
.
Bamboo was featured in the film Hip Hop Colony as one of the premiere rappers from Kenya, and in a clip featuring himself and emcees Big Mike and Attitude rapping over live guitar chords, Bamboo's style combines American and Kenyan content while being delivered in a markedly American accent and flow. When asked about the majority of his songs being in English, Bamboo stated, "Rapping in English is the only way to infiltrate the US rap game and get respect because without that respect no one will even bother with you."
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
and currently lives in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. He was raised in Inglewood, California
Inglewood, California
Inglewood is a city in southwestern Los Angeles County, California, southwest of downtown Los Angeles. It was incorporated on February 14, 1908. Its population stood at 109,673 as of the 2010 Census...
by parents of East African descent, and at the age of 17, his parents sent him to Nairobi
Nairobi
Nairobi is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The city and its surrounding area also forms the Nairobi County. The name "Nairobi" comes from the Maasai phrase Enkare Nyirobi, which translates to "the place of cool waters". However, it is popularly known as the "Green City in the Sun" and is...
, Kenya to eschew the potentially dangerous life they feared he might have if he stayed in Inglewood. Bamboo transferred the success he was beginning to have in California to Nairobi, acquiring a record deal and producing his first album, Nairoberry, with his group K-South
K-South
K-South is a hip hop production company who are among the pioneers of hip hop in Kenya. The group composed of two members, Bamboo KC and Doobeez , now Abbas. K-South was founded in 1995. Their name is an abbreviation of Kariobangi South, an estate in Nairobi where they were based...
in 2001. He formed the record label Project 254 in Nairobi with Kenyan emcees Tim Waindi and Attitude. Bamboo is also a member of the record label The Grass Company, and he states that he intends to re-record a previously released album "exactly the way [they] did it in Kenya but now with state-of-the-art equipment" in Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
.
Bamboo was featured in the film Hip Hop Colony as one of the premiere rappers from Kenya, and in a clip featuring himself and emcees Big Mike and Attitude rapping over live guitar chords, Bamboo's style combines American and Kenyan content while being delivered in a markedly American accent and flow. When asked about the majority of his songs being in English, Bamboo stated, "Rapping in English is the only way to infiltrate the US rap game and get respect because without that respect no one will even bother with you."
External links
- http://www.africanloft.com/bamboo-kenyan-hip-hop-artist-on-africanloft/