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 | |
| Birth name | Sumach Ecks |
| Also known as | Sumach Valentine |
| Origin | San Diego, California, United States |
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| Years active | 1990s–present |
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| Website | www |
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]
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