Grammy Nominee and DC Area Artists Release Ethiopian Hip Hop CD

Oct. 13, 2009 - PRLog -- AddisTunes.com (www.AddisTunes.com) – the world’s fist site dedicated to Ethiopian movie and music downloads – today announced the official digital release of the Kafa Beanz’s debut CD, “Andromeda: Chronicles of Blackopia Vo. 1.”  The Kafa Beanz is a collective of highly accomplished Ethiopian soul and hip hop artists, including Grammy-nominated Wayna, hip hop pioneers Burntface and Gabriel Teodros, lyrical virtuosos BSheba and AP, plus more.

The Kafa Beanz is a collective of solo artists who blend their Ethiopian culture and music with hip hop, soul, and alternative musical textures. The name “Kafa Beanz” is a play on words.  If one looks at a map of Ethiopia, there is the Kafa region where coffee is known to originate. Coffee was “discovered” by the Portuguese in Ethiopia in the middle ages.  Coffee is the primary export of Ethiopia to this day and considered the country’s most valuable export. This group of young artists, primarily of Ethiopian origin, wanted to express that the true value of Ethiopia is in the people, thus the name Kafa Beanz.  

The Kafa Beanz formed in 2007 when a group of accomplished Ethiopian-American musicians, producers and vocalist who have been longtime fans of each other’s respective work decided to join forces. Their first project as a collective is entitled “Andromeda: The Chronicles of Blackopia  Vol. 1.”  The project’s title pays homage to Princess Andromeda who, according to Greek Mythology, was the daughter of Cassiopeia and Cepheus, the king of Ethiopia.

According to AddisTunes.com’s executive vice president, Betty Girma, “’We’re ecstatic to work with such talented artists and to provide legal music downloads of the Kafa Beanz – a group whose creative genius is emblematic of the richness of Ethiopian culture.  Andromeda is one of the most inspiring releases of the year.  The lyrical prowess of Burntface, Wayna, B Sheba, Gabriel Teodros, and AP is straight jaw-dropping.  No nonsense, violence, nor hip-hop honeys here.  Just great underground hip hop.”

Teddy Fikre, a prominent activist in Washington DC's Ethiopian-Americanc ommunity, commented, “With the virus of materialism and commercialism infecting hip hop, it is refreshing to have a positive sound of [the Kafa Beanz] voice and a message that reflects issues beyond drugs, violence, and self-genocide.  Much props, this is a must own for anyone who loves TRUE hip hop."

“Andromeda: Chronicles of Blackopia Vol. 1” can be downloaded at:

www.AddisTunes.com/Kafa_Beanz for $0.90 per song (mp3).

FREE MUSIC DOWNLOADS are available!

To obtain a FREE low-fidelity copy of “Andromeda,” send an e-mail to:

Kafa_Beanz@AddisTunes.com

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About AddisTunes.com: The world’s fist site dedicated to legally authorized downloads of music and movies from Ethiopia and beyond, with a mission of giving African artists online distribution of their work.