Artist: Surafel Assaminew
Forte: Hip-hop
Band: “Burnt Faces”
More 411 at: www.abesha.com

Music, absolutely. Music can touch you  in so many ways even when you don’t understand the words. Music brings people together for great causes like the one organized for the victims of World Trade Center attack. Nothing in this world can express love the way music does.

Music because it touches everybody. Yarada amariNa because everyone speaks with a unique vocabulary.

Not really. I fell in love with music at an early age.

Well, in college, I was on a quest to find the perfect laid-back chill c.d. In the process, I ended up buying and listening to everything from Samba to Salsa to Jazz to House to Hip Hop. I liked them all….

If there’s any Ethiopian musician who understands the word “purgatory” I will serve two life times in a Federal prison.

See, you guys need to put translations on the side for those who are not as well versed in Ethi verbiage.

I say it’s fifty-fifty. As far as I know we [Burnt Faces] are one of the few Ethiopians who are trying to make it in hip-hop, so we are always conscious of the things we say in our lyrics because we don’t want the good image of Ethiopian music to be tarnished with some negative vibe. That means no cursing in our songs or talking about things that are unrighteous. Ethiopian musician have always kept it decent even when they talk dirty. Our music influence being Ethiopian by the way we try to put an Ethiopian flavor in the beats we make and lyrics we write. Even though most of our songs are strictly hip-hop, we inject either a little Amharic or just sample an Ethiopian beat.

Being Ethiopian/African/Human helps set the tone of why I do music.  

The music helps me reevaluate and compare my culture to those of others. In the process, I learn more about myself and my heritage.

Hmmmmm. Which Tzita song and by which artist? As far as I know, all the Ethiopian musicians have their own version of Tzita.

No I didn’t know that. I stay away from chewing or smoking anything the gives me a vibe alien to what I get on the norm.  

But if you play any of my songs backwards, you’re definitely going to crave for berberE flavored -chocolate-fruit-roll ups.

Who the hell is Bach? This is the second time I opened the dictionary to answer a question.

First, I’m guessing magnum opus means is his best piece. Second, if it does, couldn’t ya have just said his best piece. Third, his best piece would be called Ye Bach Andegnya Orchestra.

No. Why waste time? All I do is rhyme

I think we respect music and the arts but we don’t try to make musicians celebrities which is very good. Unlike our American counterparts, we don’t idolize people who are in the entertainment business. Tilahun Gessesse recently said that back when he started singing, they used to pour water on him because musicians at the time were least respected. We have come a long way, but we need to keep on keeping it real that artist are no different from ordinary citizens.

From my experience, I believe we Ethiopians like art and music when we see it, but do not appreciate the importance of supporting it, buying it, and growing it. Whoever owns your art, in essence, owns the living remains of your history and your story.

What artists do with their work is to capture the present or an idea, so that it can be communicated to others through-out the times.

In other words, if you see a broke artist on the street or back home in Ethiopia, do what you gotta do to help and encourage them.

I’m not lonely that much and I am most happy when I get things accomplished.

Deep…… Never lonely with got God.

I have learned to respect all music and artist, therefore, I can’t say this an example of bad music. I have been dissed before so I know what it’s like to be on the other side.

No real bad music, just bad hearing and understanding of it.

“The Mis-Education of Laurn Hill”.

My Stereo: OFFTRACk, Discover

My Car: Gilles Peterson, Incredible

We have power over music. We choose what we want to listen to. Unless, of course, you live in Afghanistan and you have to listen to music chosen by the Taliban. (I don’t even know if they listen to music over there).

When you hear a loud Bob Marley intro with the bass line and the drum come in, you might as well throw in the towel.

Bob Marley’s  “Confrontation”. I love it. ”In the eyes of the fool the deaf is wise/ In the eyes of the wise the fool is size” Bob was a prophet and his music will live forever.

Well, on most days Ndombolo (Soukous). On Sundays, I’ve started listening to Gospel. Its really good music.

Vote for George Bush Jr.

Eat lunch.

Both. Ethiopian musicians have always tried to go with the times. Artist like Alemayehu Eshete and others have had beats that were similar to funk music. One of Mahamud Ahmed’s songs(EreBeketema) was a twist song and Ethiopians of all ages do the twist when the song is played. Aster Aweke probably was the first to fuse Amharic with reggae in her songs (Eshuru) back in the day. Likewise, the artist of today like Chachi, Take Five, and the legendary Aster have tried to fuse their music with some of today’s hottest music. The only problem I have with some of these artists is when they sing like they don’t know the Amharic language. Trying to speak Amharic with an accent just doesn’t sound right.

Fusing Ethiopian music with other musical styles is good, if done with respect to the integrity of both genres. For example, you can’t jump into a Serg song, and bust a freestyle if the structure of the song doesn’t support it. Now, if the Serg song had a drum beat that made heads nod, then maybe there is a space for lyric or two about the Bal and Mist.

The problem today is art has taken a back seat to business. A lot of great work is being compromised just to satisfy the appetite of businessmen who are not interested in the art but the business. Torture the people behind the music and not the artist.

Keep the torture, but definitely communicate what you think is wrong with yourself or your surroundings. Plus, communicate how you think it can be fixed.

Yes. Unfortunately, nowadays everybody and his mother’s got a synthesizer. It’s very rare that you see a band backing a singer. Whether it’s in a restaurant or wedding, it has become a two-man show.

The advent of the synthesizer has done a lot for one-man bands and people like myself who’s borsa cannot afford the many instruments needed to make music. So for us its cool. But as whole, it has taken away from bands jamming and playing their instruments to the capacity. Synthesizers work best when every other instrument (especially the bass and drum) are working full blast.

Sewintenwa by Muluqen  (he was the dopest. Still is)

Maaan, ya Seleda folks have no shame at all huh. BeTam interesting.

I will have Phil Collins on drums, Carlos Santa on lead guitar, Prince on bass, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis on Synthesizer, Whitney, Janet, Mariah as back up singers, Michael Jackson as a dancer, and, finally,  Tilahun Gessesse as lead singer

I would choose some of the old school Big bands we had in Ethiopia back in the 40’s/50’s, throw in a Masinqo, Washint, a Krar player, and Pete Rock or DJ Premier.

Yeah except Tilahun. That’s why I added Michael to the band.

Yep.

Nah. It’s more like “Let’s go back to my place and rake some leaves.”

I try not to do gigs at Martini bars for that specific reason.

I don’t know about other artist, but I know that hip-hop artist are not wimps. In fact, far from being a wimp. You’re talking about people who have served some serious time in some state prisons. 

I don’t. Anybody willing to express himself or herself and share it with other people gets nuff respect.

Robert Nesta Marley.

Soul: Sam Cooke, Marvin.

Amharic: Muhammed.

Rap: The whole class of rappers that came out between ’88 and ’93.

DnB: LTJ Bukem

Jazz: Still researching, but there’s a lot.

Eric B and Rakim’s Paid in Full

Thought long and hard, but all my cd’s have some sort of meaning of why I bought them.

Good idea

Sounds good to me.

I don’t like the idea of all these Ethiopian musicians trying to sing Guragina. I am sorry but most of them don’t do a good job. Let Guragaes sing Guragina. As far as Madonna is concerned, she is a legend she can sing whatever song she likes

If you can sing or rap it well, I’m down to listen, across ethnic groups and races.  

What’s Rai?

Being a musician has its ups and downs but the rewards are greater than its pitfalls. 

Na, I don’t really think of being a musician (like a title), I just dig making music.

It’s something you try to keep away from children and pregnant women. The best thing to do is try not to get in it.  

Well, from my research and discussions with experienced folks, I’ve been told about the complexity of the music industry. But what needs to be remembered is that it is a business like all other businesses.

Yeah the gods must not have been listening to music the past twenty years. That’s why so many dope musicians haven’t been discovered. Well let’s sacrifice a couple of souls and maybe then they will turn their ears to music

Maaan, Seleda is no joke with these questions. The undiscovered musicians who do it for love will still be happy at the end of the day. So I have no issues.

I never had one. I have always been of the hizzy (just kidding!).

Once, I couldn’t hear the beat while performing. Thus, my timing was way off. The audience was cool, so it wasn’t all that bad.