Emay (rapper)

Mubarik Gyenne-Adams (preferred name Mubarik Gyenne-Bayere) was born in Montreal, Quebec on December 18, 1991, the son of a couple who had immigrated to Canada from Ghana. He and his four sisters were raised in the tradition of Islam by his single mother. The family regularly moved between shelters throughout Ontario, living in Brampton briefly before settling in Hamilton.^[2][3][4]

The stage name Emay comes from Mubarik Adams's initials written as a phonogram.^[5] Emay began his musical career in 2008 releasing mixtapes and collaborations.^[3] In 2012, Emay released his debut album entitled Adam.^[6][7] His first extended play, entitled Into It, was released later that year.^[8][9] In 2014 he released his second extended play, which was entitled Sinner, Song-writer.^[10][11] In 2017, Emay released his first music video for the track "Bakkah: The History of Humankind".^[12][13] The song includes samples of Bizzy Bone and Leonard Cohen’s "Famous Blue Raincoat".^[14] Emay released his sophomore album entitled Ilah in 2017.^[15][16] "Israfil 'Angels Trumpet'" was the first track from the album to be released as a single.^[17]