"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.comBomani 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.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.