From: Biniam Tekle (biniamt@dehai.org)
Date: Wed Jul 15 2009 - 12:18:44 EDT
http://aandrdepartment.com/tag/henok-achido/ International Player
Posted on 25 February 2009
<http://aandrdepartment.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/coat.jpg>Long gone
are the days when hip-hop was strictly regarded as a domestic experience.
The cultural art form that originated at 1520 Sedgwick Avenue in the Bronx
is now a global phenomenon, swaying numerous people from various countries
throughout the world. One particular individual affected by the widespread
expansion of hip-hop is the Stockholm, Sweden rapper Henok “Achido”
Meharena.
Born in Eritrea, East Africa (he moved with his family to Sweden around the
age of 4-years old), the 26-year old emcee, who’s rap moniker is a
combination of his birth name (Henok) and the name of a relative who is a
known warrior in his homeland (Achido)— which also means acid in his native
language—was introduced to rap music by an uncle who grew up listening to
‘80’s hip-hop music, especially the seminal rap group N.W.A. Henok Achido
soon found himself seduced by the powerful aura of the music and its
creators, stating: “This was the mid-‘80’s and hip-hop was still very new
and fresh to the general public, and it still had its mystique and instantly
had its influence on me. I wanted to be just like them cause they carried
themselves with such swagger.”
In May of 2007, Henok enhanced his international profile after he
dropped *That
F—king Guy: The EP* online. “The release of my EP opened a lot of doors for
me,” he says. “My approach was to start a buzz, create a name and a market
for myself which I did. I got fans all over the world now.” Anchored by the
soulful production of Sakis, who Henok refers to as his Just Blaze, and
bolstered by Henok’s cocky rhymes and acrobatic flows, as heard on songs
like “That F—king Guy,” “Rockstar Rollin’,” and “Million Dollar Baby,” *That
F—king Guy: The EP *immediately commands the attention of any fan of
hip-hop.
Constantly working to further his goal of becoming a household name, Henok
Achido just released his ambitious debut album *Almaz Charming Child.* Led
by the Astma & Rocwell produced single “Pusher,” which features Sophia
Somajo, *Almaz Charming Child* is a musical odyssey of Henok’s personal
perspectives on a host of topics, including: family (“Almaz Charming
Child”), romance (“Heartbreak Hotel”), struggle (“High on Life [When The
Drugs Don’t Work]”), and hip-hop (“Mirror Performance”).
If all you had was Henok Achido’s music and no bio to provide you with
background information as to what region of the world he comes from, it’s
quite possible that you would think of him as the next up-and-coming rapper
from the States worth taking notice of. Like most other top-notch emcees,
Henok possesses that all-so important characteristic called “confidence”
that propels his art from ordinary to engaging. “My motto in life is to be
better than yourself … cause you’re the only one that can make you better,”
says self-assured rapper.
http://aandrdepartment.com/tag/henok-achido/
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