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Atiim Chenzira, also known as Black Bomani or Blackulah is a threat rapper, singer and poet known for his eclectic and cons

evolving artistry.

Atiim began writing songs at the young age of 12 and performing b

However, in 1987 a single Whoudini lyric added fuel to the re. The

which read, You can look it up, again and again, but the dictionary d

have the meaning of friends,helped Atiim develop a new respe

the powerful educational value of lyrics.

By Junior High Atiim was an active member of seprogressive groups. He joined Ganstas By Hea

Berkeley based group dedicated to expressin

alternative to street violence through powerful ly

and trained with the Live Lyricist Society whe

improved his freestyle performance, writing skill

public speaking. Atiim also joined forces wit

brother, best friend and cousins to form a fami

group named 5NDime where he wrote

choruses and developed song concepts.

group, who released an album in 2005 callClassic, performed at showcases in Los An

and recorded at Skyline Studios and P

Studios in Oakland.

Eventually Atiim took a step ba

become more uent in p

expression. He emb

childhood inuences like The

Poets, Bill Withers and S

Wonder who spoke of revoloppression, friendship and

Artists like these shaped the

Atiim began to view love itself. How

love was a touchy subject. After growing up listen

gangsta rap and being inuenced by artists like

Short and other Oakland rappers, Atiim was asham

speak out loud about love. Instead, he wrote lyric

poetry.

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entually Atiims personal love life allowed him to break free from the misogynistic gangsta rap

style he was used to. He fell in love with a peer in Southern California and with her support

ccessfully released his debut album In Pursuit of Happiness on his self-started label Ridah Ridah

tertainment. The album is a passionate, funky and fun collection showcasing Atiims rapping

d lyricist skills.

2004 Atiim began to explore a more vulnerable side wile coping with the death of his father,

d a divorce. He began accepting opportunities as a vocalist challenging himself to begin

ting with a passion that he is uent in today. He accepted a role as support vocalist for the

nd Bekkas Frogland Orchestra and became lead vocalist for a six piece band called Shotwell

After the thrill of performing live with a six piece band Atiim successfully gathered a group of

usicians and formed a band called SupaFrendz (later Bomani Music) in 2005. The band toured

e local bay area and eventually began recording at Expression College of Arts in Emeryville

.

er continuing to tour with several bands Atiim realized he needed a stronger nancial struc-

e and enrolled in graduate school to study marriage and family therapy. Although he pulled

e plug on managing major projects, he remained active in the art community. He became

itten with a vocalist named Divasonic and eventually wrote material on 3 of her solo projectsile inspiring her to explore performing with a live band. The two became creative partners and

ured the Pacic West Coast from Bellingham and Seattle to San Francisco and Tijuana from

06 to 2010.

hile in graduate school Atiim was introduced to Xandra

pra ofCon Brio (2009). He began performing with

e group and eventually appeared on their sopho-

ore album The Bay is Burning.

er graduating and working hard in the non-prot worldim disappeared to North California where he bought

ee new beautiful guitars and began teaching himself

ords. After writing 3 songs and enjoying the country-

e Atiim decided to re-emerge in the city in 2012. Upon

homecoming he was approached by Divasonic drum-

er and guitarist Thomas Perry who was interested

starting a group! Atiim jumped on the opportunity

d successfully gathered a group of artists to form

e band FatheR BrotheR Son (FRBRS aka Funk R&B,

ck, Soul). Currently the band is ready to record anum and begin performing live. Until the Atiim is hard

work producing his most eclectic project yet called

pectz Of Me, a collaboration pulling together some of

e Bay Areas best kept secrets.

Written byBio Basement