(ማስታወቂያ)
Like many other nationals from around the world, Ethiopians manage to get American citizenship and live there permanently. Some become Americans through immigration and others through birth. No matter how much they differ on how they obtain citizenship or their background as Ethiopians, working hard to survive in the US is a common thing all Ethiopians agree on. One of the many sectors Ethiopians participates in massively is the entertainment industry. And we can say they are pretty successful at it. . . Let’s look at some famous Americans of Ethiopian descent, in the entertainment industry.
A son of two Ethiopian immigrants, Adam Aminé Daniel, known by his stage name Aminé is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. He first got the spotlight on him for his debut single “Caroline”, which was 11th on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. He has released two albums so far, the first was released on July 28, 2017, with the title “Good for you”, and the second one titled “Limbo” on August 7, 2020.
Aminé whose father was a teacher and a part-time translator and whose mother was a post office worker was born on April 18, 1994. He was born and raised in the Northeast Portland neighborhood of Woodlawn. Even though he joined Portland state university to study marketing, he dropped out to pursue his music career.
Arif Bilal Shahid, mainly known by the stage name Felonious Munk, is an Ethiopian-American comedian, writer, actor, playwright, and social commentator. He was born on August 4, 1972. He is also known as Hassan on the ABC show For Life. He has worked as a frequent contributor on the British TV show, The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore, and is the creator of a YouTube series Stop It B, a series that eventually gained attention in the political world for Munk's socio-political commentary. He quit his job as a finance director for a new car dealership to become a comedian. That has proven to be a great decision considering how successful he became in his profession as an entertainer.
Born in Addis Ababa and raised in Wahington D.C., Fershgenet Melaku better known as Lola Monroe, and previously known as Angel Melaku, is an American rapper, model, and actress. Her talent was observed when she began writing poems at the age of 12. The Wendy Williams biopic Queen of Media was the film on which she made her acting debut. Later, she also acted in crazy like a fox. She began modeling and appearing in music videos for various artists such as Kanye West and Trey Songz. Since the release of her first mixtape in June 2009, titled Boss Bitch's World, she has released multiple mixtapes and was nominated for Best Female Hip Hop Artist at the BET (Black Entertainment Television) Awards of 2011. On December 25, 2012, Monroe announced that she and rapper King Los were expecting their first child together. She gave birth to a boy named Brixton Royal Coleman on March 12, 2013.
Gabriel Teodros was born in 1981 to an Ethiopian mother and Scottish, Irish, and Native American descent father. He was raised in Beacon Hill, Seattle, Washington. A member of the groups Abyssinian Creole and CopperWire, Gabriel began his musical career around 1999 when he returned to Seattle and began working with a live band called 500 Years. Gabriel spent his high school years in Las Vegas, Nevada. He was a former break-dancer, graffiti writer and closet-emcee. In 2001, Gabriel released his first solo album titled Sun to a Recycled Soul. In 2005, Abyssinian Creole, a music group he created by collaborating with his friend rapper Khingz, released its debut album, "Sexy Beast". In December 2009, Teodros released GT's "Ethiopium: A Jitter Generation Mixtape". This release shined a light on the realities of Ethiopia, touched on America’s own imperfections & stressed the importance of exploring one's own intelligence and spirituality. It was made completely using instrumentals from American rapper Oh No's "Ethiopium", which was made completely using old-school and rare samples of Ethiopian music. Gabriel has released multiple albums in his career as a musician and currently DJs on KEXP 90.3 FM in Seattle, WA.
Sumach Ecks better known by his stage name Gonjasufi, is an American vocalist, producer, disc jockey, and yogi. Gonjasufi whose birth place is San Diego, was born on 1978 to a Mexican mother and an Ethiopian-American father. He is a vocalist, producer, disc jockey, and yogi. His debut album was released on March 8, 2010, with the title "A Sufi and a Killer". In 2012 he released his 2nd album titled "MU.ZZ.LE". And on August 19, 2016, his third album "Callus" was released.
Most Ethiopians know her for her role as Stephanie Holden in the movie Bay Watch. Born on December 1, 1985, in Harlem, Ilfenesh Hadera is an Ethiopian-American actress. Daughter of an Ethiopian immigrant father and American mother, Ilfenesh attended The Harlem School of the Arts, followed by the Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School. She made her acting debut in a 2010 released film titled 1/20. Since 2010 she had acted in the following films - 2010 1/20 - 2011 Da Brick – TV movie - 2013 Oldboy - 2015 Chi-Raq - 2017 Baywatch
Kelela Mizanekristos is an Ethiopian-American singer and songwriter born in June, 1983. Born in Washington, D.C. she was an only child of her parents. "Cut 4 me" was her mixtape with which she made her debut in the music industry in 2013, and her first studio album titled "Take Me Apart" was released in 2017.
Kenna Zemedkun, also known as Kenna, is an Ethiopian-American artist, philanthropist, and technology innovator who was born in Ethiopia. At the 2009 Grammy Awards, his song "Say Goodbye to Love" was up for Best Urban/Alternative Performance. In addition to being the creator and producer of the clean water campaign Summit on the Summit, Kenna worked with Justin Timberlake to reimagine the social network Myspace before Time Inc. acquired it. Kenna was born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and spent the first three years of his life living with his grandfather. When Kenna was three years old, he was reunited with his parents in Cincinnati, Ohio. His parents had fled persecution and went to England and then America. Later, he was raised in Virginia Beach, where he went to school alongside Chad Hugo and Pharrell Williams, two of his future longtime collaborators. After getting a CD of U2's album “The Joshua Tree”, Kenna started to show an interest in music. Kenna was motivated by the album to learn the piano while researching artists like The Cure and Duran Duran and artists like Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye. He was featured in Malcolm Gladwell's book, Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking.
Nnegest Likké is an American film director, screenwriter, and producer. She was born in Oakland, California. She is half African-American and half Ethiopian and grew up in the San Francisco - Oakland Bay Area. Likké went to Skyline High School in Oakland. She went on to Clark Atlanta University (CAU) after graduating, where she studied cinema and received a BA in Mass Communications. Her film achievements include Best Diaspora Film at the 2016 African Movie Academy Awards (AMAA) for her directed film "Ben and Ara ". Her 2019 international romance drama, everything but a Man, earned the Pan African Film Festival's Audience Choice Award. Nnegest is one of the first black women to create and direct a film for a major Hollywood studio. Her filmography includes the Fox Searchlight romance comedy "Phat Girlz," the multi-award-winning indie love drama “Ben & Ara”, and "Everything But A Man."
Wayna (real name - Woyneab Miraf Wondwossen) is a singer and songwriter who was born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and raised in the Washington, D.C. suburbs. She began her career as a writer for the Clinton White House before releasing three solo albums, achieving three Billboard-charting singles, and a Grammy nomination. She is now on tour with the musical legend Stevie Wonder as a vocalist. Wayna's debut album, "Moments of Clarity", Book 1, was published in November 2004 by Quiet Power Productions and C-Side Entertainment, her own production company. The album was produced by renowned Ethiopian producers and arrangers Abegaz Shiota and Thomas Gobena, as well as DC-based hip hop and R&B producers James McKinney, Kev Brown, DJ RoddyRod, and Grammy nominee Kokayi. The project was widely celebrated by alternative soul listeners and tastemakers. Wayna is married to Kyle Stephen, a Trinidadian man she met as a college student. Their wedding was featured in an episode of the hit Discovery Channel series "The Wedding Story." Wayna gave birth to their first daughter, Beza Edna Stephen, on May 12, 2010, and their second daughter, Zema Yeshi Stephen, on March 27, 2014. They currently reside in Bowie, Maryland.
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