Gonjasufi
American rapper
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sumach Valentine[3] (born 1978),[4] better known by his stage name Gonjasufi, is an American vocalist, producer, disc jockey, and yogi.[5]
Gonjasufi | |
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| Background information | |
| Also known as | Sumach Valentine |
| Born | Sumach Ecks |
| Origin | San Diego, California, United States |
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| Years active | 1990s–present |
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| Website | www |
Life and career
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 Ecks 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]
Discography
Studio albums
- A Sufi and a Killer (2010)
- MU.ZZ.LE (2012)
- Callus (2016)
Remix albums
- The Caliph's Tea Party (2010)
- Mandela Effect (2017)
EPs
- The Ninth Inning EP (2011)
- Untitled (2013) (split with Ras G)
Singles
- "Holidays" b/w "Candylane" (2009)
- "Kowboyz&Indians" b/w "My Only Friend" (2010)
- "Kobwebz" b/w "Speaketh" (2010)
- "Nickels and Dimes" (2010)
- "Ninth Inning" (2011)
- "The Blame" (2012)
Guest appearances
- Flying Lotus – "Testament" from Los Angeles (2008)
- The Gaslamp Killer – "I'm in Awe" from Death Gate (2010)
- Humansuit – "Lawnmower Man" from Humansuit (2012)
- The Gaslamp Killer – "Veins" and "Apparitions" from Breakthrough (2012)
- Old English – "The Omen" from Band in Amerikkka (2013)
- Perera Elsewhere – "Giddy" from Everlast (2013)
- Awol One & Gel Roc – "Flight" from The Cloaks (2014)
- Dag Savage – "Bad Trip" from E & J (2014)
- The Bug – "Save Me" from Angels & Devils (2014)
- L'Orange & Mr. Lif – "Strange Technology" from The Life & Death of Scenery (2016)
- The Gaslamp Killer – "Good Morning" from Instrumentalepathy (2016)
- A7pha – "Hater Hate It" from A7pha (2017)
