Amen Ra
West New York, NJ | Established. Jan 01, 2012
Music
Press
Known to have choreographed for many of your favorite artists (Mariah Carey, Jay-Z, Sting, Kelly Rowland and Trey Songz), Bam Bam moves over to the solo side of things as Amen-Ra, as he now expresses his art form as a singer-songwriter, paired with his heavy knowledge of the entertainment industry, along with his dance background.
“Finished” is his first official-single delivery from his new EP F.I.N.A.O. [Failure Is Not An Option], which is a complete radio ready, dance head-nodder. Recently, the artist-newcomer unleashed his new video just to give you a glimpse of what his new-found artistry is all about.
For my first EP, and intro to the world as an artist, it had to be explosive. So, I kept it short and sweet with six songs; all up-tempo, high energy, big production…”Finished,” “I Does This,” “Music Is My Drug,” “We Run This Party,” “On my Own Ish” and “Party Of A Lifetime”.
Amen-Ra also says:
“My style is inspirational; I want you to feel alive, and have fun in the moment because life is too short. I feel like I can give a connection that is mad real. It’s like a connection to everyday life of who we are. I plan to be a whole different type of animal. I want to make this a better world for future generations; I want to inspire and be inspired. I want to enjoy life, and see others enjoy life too.” - Gabriel Williams
You have to physically go to the link, will not let you copy article - Steve Azzara
ip-hop time machine called the ‘I Love the ’90s' tour took concertgoers back to the past on Saturday at BB&T Pavilion. With eight main artists — including headliners Vanilla Ice and Salt-N-Pepa — it was a night of fun, carefree nostalgia.
After an unannounced opening by modern artist Amen Ra, Young MC kicked off the evening with his classic “Bust A Move.” Tone Loc (and his lovable rasp) was up next and Camden got down to “Funky Cold Medina.” Coolio, backed by a live band, came next, doing “Gangsta’s Paradise” and more.
Color Me Badd was the first of many groups to cruise onto the stage. Their harmony power could still be heard on “I Wanna Sex You Up.” The humorous Kid ’n Play then delivered one of the night’s most engaging sets. And I swear: All-4-One still had the vocal goods to melt anyone’s heart on this humid night.
Salt-N-Pepa were the penultimate act. Complete with male dancers and DJ Spinderella, they got the crowd revved up. There was certainly some “Shoop” and discussions about lovemaking in their hour-long set. The crowd thinned out a bit after that, but the majority of the fans stuck around to have their time travel mission completed by Vanilla Ice on a stage decked out with inflatable monster plants and a death figure. And so, the ’90s came to an odd close once again. - Chris Sikich
Discography
Still working on that hot first release.
Photos
Bio
"FAILURE IS NOT AN OPTION!"
"Actually, when I first came up with the concept for this song, it was called 'The Finale,'." Amen-Ra offers, as he begins to breakdown the meaning behind his just unleashed, radio ready head-nodder, "Finished." Pausing briefly, he continues, "The premise was an explosive song that personified the word. My co-writer, Devo D., switched the metaphor and I piggybacked off his idea."
"Finished" comes courtesy of the bona-fide triple threat's [Ra's an established singer-songwriter-choreographer] eagerly awaited, soon-to-be released debut solo EP, F.I.N.A.O. [Failure Is Not An Option]. "For my first EP, and intro to the world as an artist, it had to be explosive. So, I kept it short and sweet with six songs; all up-tempo, high energy, big production..."Finished," "I Does This," "Music Is My Drug," "We Run This Party," "On my Own Ish" and "Party Of A Lifetime"...Says it all," he describes precisely, when queried as to what exactly his mind-state initially was going into this project.
Prior to even his own solo works, the New York City based self-professed ladies man - who is half Trini and professes to love his West Indian roots - had already made quite a splash in the industry, working alongside such music royalty as Mariah Carey, Jay-Z, Sting, Kelly Rowland and Trey Songz, to name some. "Well, it all started out by me being behind the scenes. I made a name for myself as a choreographer and artist developer to some high profile people; word travels, it’s a small industry," he humbly mentions, when speaking of these earlier, albeit stellar, career endeavors.
Amen-Ra, who names - in no particular order - the legendary Michael Jackson [RIP], Prince, J. Cole, Busta Rhymes, Kendrick Lamar, Ne-Yo, LL Cool J, and Salt-n-Pepa as some of his biggest influences, only aspires to follow in those same giant footsteps left by these aforementioned greats.
On the subject of today's R&B trends, would it be fair to say that Amen-Ra is happy with its current state? "Eh...No. There’s no more classic music, it's just seasonal. What’s hot for the moment. No one really pushes the envelope anymore," he answers emphatically, with just a hint of irritation in his usually subdued voice.
"My style is inspirational; I want you to feel alive, and have fun in the moment because life is too short," the muscle bound ex-football standout makes quite clear. Re-iterating, He concludes sounding confident yet not at all conceited, "I feel like I can give a connection that is mad real. It's like a connection to everyday life of who we are. I plan to be a whole different type of animal. I want to make this a better world for future generations; I want to inspire and be inspired. I want to enjoy life, and see others enjoy life too."
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