Portrait of Bomani Armah
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Bomani Armah

Animation / Video / Film, Literary, Multidisciplinary, Multidisciplinary Art, Multimedia, Music / Sound, Performance, Performance Art, Poetry, Visual / Media

"Music is the Language of Spirits."
"I'm not a rapper, I'm a poet with a Hip Hop style."
"Rapping is the Art and Engineering of Language divided by Math."
"Honor the Ancestors. Prepare the Descendants. Love Right Now."

About the Artist

Bomani Armah is a Hip Hop artist, writer, educator, and family man. Born in Washington D.C. and raised in Prince George's County, Maryland, Bomani's goal is to "Honor the Ancestors, Prepare the Descendants and Love Right Now." Bomani has released four Hip Hop albums, including "Bomani Armah is the Watermelon Man." He is best known for his 2007 viral crunk hit "Read a Book," which aired on BET's 106th & Park. Bomani is a Kennedy Center for the Arts CETA teaching artist, the founder of the Frederick Douglass Writing Club for young writers, and the founder of the annual Watermelon Day festival at Sankofa Video & Books Cafe. You can find him on weekday mornings on his podcast "The Morning Announcements with Bomani Armah." Bomani is not a rapper but a poet with a Hip Hop style. Please find more information about him at notarapper.com  

Bomani Armah website Notarapper.com Bomani Armah website Baba Got BARS

Artist's Statement

Bomani travels the country as both "Baba Bomani" and "The Watermelon Man". He spends his days edutaining, using his Hip Hop educational albums, “Baba Got BARS” and “Baba Bomani’s Beatbox Basement”. He spends the evenings and nights spreading RBG energy as the Watermelon Man, and performing from his “Bomani Armah is the Watermelon Man'' album that he describes as a safe space for Black people. What Bomani is most proud of is hosting the Watermelon Day at Sankofa (a celebration of summer, summer's favorite fruit, and everything red, black and green) for 15 years.

Featured Work

Videos

  • Libation live at Busboys and Poets

    See more information about Libation live at Busboys and Poets
    Opening track from “Bomani Armah is the Watermelon Man”. I take a moment at the beginning of each performance to acknowledge the contributions and honor the spirit of my ancestors who paved a way for me.
    Medium: Hip Hop Music
    Year: 2024

  • Engineering Design Process

    See more information about Engineering Design Process
    Music video for the Baba Bomani single EDP (Engineering Desing Process) recorded at Wilson Baker Academy.

    ASK the right questions, IMAGINE how to solve them,/
    PLAN out each and every move/
    CREATE a solution to the problem/
    See what works and then IMPROVE/
    Medium: Hip Hop Music
    Year: 2017

  • Rhetoric just like Frederick

    See more information about Rhetoric just like Frederick
    This track is about Frederick Douglass and the three ways he wrote: biographies, journalism and speech writing. Learn more about Frederick Douglass and the Writing Process by joining the Frederick Douglas Writing Club.
    lyrics
    Medium: Hip Hop Music
    Year: 2017

Music/Audio

Booking

Booking Price: $500-$1,000

Arts 4 Learning Maryland
Avalon Theater

Arts in Education

Audiences Types: Grades Pre-K – 2, Grades 3-5, Middle School (6-8 grade), High School (9-12 grade), Creative Aging (Older Adults), People Experiencing Incarceration/Re-entry, People with Disabilities (includes people w/ cognitive, social/emotional, and/or physical disabilities), Educators

BARS: The Writing Process Assembly
Program Description: Students learn the importance of literacy by following the life and career of Frederick Douglass through multimedia presentation.

BARS: ABC’s of Hip Hop Assembly Teacher Guide
Program Description: Rhythm, rhyme and repetition are the three R’s of education used toto explain basic reading and math concepts.

The Frederick Douglass Writing Club Assembly
Program Description: Students learn the importance of literacy by following the life and career of Frederick Douglass through multimedia presentation.