Bio
When a small crew of musicians got together in New York to record a
groundbreaking world music album called Bole2Harlem, which layered classical
Ethiopian music with an electric hip-hop hybrid of Brazilian and West African
beats, people took notice. World music fans were wowed by new sound, but the
undeniable standout on the Bole2Harlem album was a nimble, gritty lyricist from
Ethiopia, Maki Siraj. With the same power of an Islamic muezzin calling the
worshipers to prayer, he was sending a wake-up call to all of hip-hop’s faithful
that mixed struggle with humor, hardship with wit. Jon Pareles, pop music critic
for the New York Times, hailed Maki’s “gruff†rapping style and his ability to
“mesh Ethiopian modes and rhythms with crisp hip-hops, adding up to irresistible
party chants.†Mix Magazine, the world’s leading outlet for professional
recording and sound production technology, took note of his “sharp gift for
rhyme and rhythm.†Afropop, Dedicated to African music and the music of the
African Diaspora, took note that “Siraj maintains an inspired performance
throughout the Bole2Harlem Album.†Sound Roots: Notes after reviewing the
Bole2Harlem Album, “Ethiopia’s first family of hip strikes again. This time it’s
GIGI’s little sister Tigist, who joins up with Maki Siraj as the voices of a
multicultural monster that takes East African grooves to a new level.†The
acclaim extended beyond the critics. Hollywood wanted to get a piece of him. The
title track of the Bole2Harlem album was featured prominently on the soundtrack
for Universal Pictures’ comedy Accepted. in the song, Maki uses an intricate
play on the Ethiopian word for “butterfly†when he raps (in Amharic) his now
famous opening lines: “Beer at night, work all day / Like a butterfly, my girl
flew away.â€
And with the crossover success of artistic like Daddy Yankee, Maki Siraj is
living proof that, even though much of the wordplay gets lost in translation,
you can’t mistake a vibe. And his forthcoming album, The Unconquered Lion, is a
Lifetime in the making. What the East African nation of Ethiopia lacks, in
economic prosperity, it more than makes up for in rich cultural traditions.
Amharic, which is the national language and one of the oldest in the world, is
well known for it’s naturally poetic sound and meaning. Qine, which is a type of
spoken word poetry that relies on riddles and witty double meanings, is the
highest art of the Ethiopian language. It is an art form that only the most
gifted poets and musicians can achieve. And it’s something that Maki Siraj can
do in his sleep. Imagine if MC Sollar, Akon, and Wyclef Jean had a child in
Ethiopia. An MC who could spit easily in English, as he could in Amharic,
Portuguese, or Arabic. Imagine a lyrical freak of nature. Imagine this rapper
could do it all with the wit, wordplay, and social consciousness of Talib Kweli.
If you could imagine such an artist, you might be seeing the future of hip-hop
and world music.
As a teenager, he was electrified by the gritty New York sound, which seemed to
speak for the same harsh upbringing he had experienced in Ethiopia. Wu Tang
Clan, Cam’ron, and Black Sheep seemed like the soundtrack to his own life. When
the oppressive communist government finally collapsed in Ethiopia, Siraj took a
trip back that changed his approach to music forever: to mine the rich treasure
trove of Ethiopian music and infuse it into his hip-hop heavy sound. Maturing as
an artist and as a person, he was a sponge to influence. Brazilian, Moroccan,
Jamaican, French, Senegalese, Malian. No flow, no beat escaped his grasp and
they were all absorbed into his lyrics. Maki Siraj is giving life to the
international style of Hip-Hop that he calls “Word Flow.†Like MC Solaar, the
bestselling French hip-hop artist, who immigrated to France from his native
Senegal – and influenced music in that country. It is a future bound up with the
political and social turmoil of an entire continent. From a land that is home to
extreme poverty, but also a rich treasure trove of unique musical production,
comes a new voice. Let’s hope the world is READY!! Mik Awake.
September 10th
Ethiopian Millenieum Concert
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
For more shows please Check out my new website www.makilive.com