Published: Wednesday - November 26, 2008
Words by La'Juanda Knight
Bambu (Photo: via MySpace)
You can refer to Bambu with various terms: rebel, revolutionist, Filipino, thug, artist. From the outside looking in, those terms might seem fitting. It is, often times, much easier to place a label on someone without truly having an understanding of them. Understanding someone requires you to grasp their story, which then requires you to invest time and interest into that individual. In this day and age -- when everyone is a rapper and has a story to tell -- it becomes difficult to distinguish whose story is actually worth listening to. Is this something that is unique and could possibly help the audience to grow in some way or is it the same brand of cookie cutter music that we have become accustomed to. Does he have the same story as all the others?
One thing you will not receive from any of Bambu's raps is repetitiveness. Coining his own brand of uniqueness in every flow, Bambu speaks strictly from what he knows to be true and has experienced. Spending time in one of L.A.'s toughest gangs, as well as the military, Bambu decided to take rap seriously because he knew he had something valuable to say. "I decided to take rap seriously after I got out of the military. I had access to people and recording time. It was natural for me. I rapped about what was around me, in my neighborhood, international politics. I rap about what I know about. My reality and that happens to be it. I don't just sit and say 'Today I am going to write a political rap.' If I hear something happened in the neighborhood, going to a rally, then that is what inspires me."
He gives his time in the military credit for exposing him to various types of people and their music, ultimately assisting him in creating his intricate style if rap. "When I was in the military, I met a lot of people who exposed me to No Limit, Bad Boy, I saw how they did it in the MidWest." He combined that with the reality of living the gangsta rap lifestyle into his lyrics. "What happens after you shoot somebody? What happens to your family and your life? I won't bullsh** you. I can tell you what's going on through my mind before I go rob a bank, as I am robbing a bank and if something goes wrong and I end up going to jail. I can tell you what put me in the position where I felt I had to do that to feed my family. Some people might say 'Why don't you get a f***ing job?' You need to explain that sh**."
With such honest lyrics in a world filled with delusive stories about making it rain, one might wonder where does Bambu fit into the structure of this fanciful rap world. Bambu has his own definition to his particular brand of rap. "I can be fun. However, I want to talk about stuff that's real. When rappers talk about stuff that is not even necessary to have, then that is too much. However, I know that some political rappers might beat us over the head with numbers and people don't want to listen to it. So, I'm trying to create music that has that and is sonically good to the ears. I am trying to make my music digestible."
As far as his recent album, Exact Change, Bambu says that this is his most adult project to date. "Exact Change is me grown up. I talk about my son a lot. That is a huge transition in my life right now. I talk about my organizing in the community. As far as being progressive people in the world, I try to combine what's going on in the world with what's going on in my life."
"Crooks And Rooks" teaser
For audience members who perhaps prefer more bang in their trunk versus consciousness, Bambu has not forgotten you. He has worked with some of the hottest up-and-coming producers, such as CZA, Nick James and Johnny Five. "Every producer on there, if you haven't heard of them yet, then you will be hearing them soon. I like to pick beats that I feel will stand alone without me. Any beats I pick are definitely head nodders. As far as my album, I'm very proud of 'Seven Months,' 'Crooks and Rooks,' and people go crazy when they hear the beat for 'Like Us.' Those songs are close to me in their own way."
As far as the future, you can expect to hear more from Bambu on the rap scene. "I'm putting a video out for 'Crooks and Rooks' and 'Like Us' soon," said the rapper.
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