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Blitz the Ambassador

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Blitz the Ambassador
Blitz the Ambassador in Paris 2014
Blitz the Ambassador in Paris 2014
Background information
Birth nameSamuel Bazawule
Born (1982-04-19) 19 April 1982 (age 42)
Accra, Ghana
GenresHip hop, Hiplife
Occupations
  • Rapper
  • singer
  • songwriter
  • record producer
  • filmmaker
Years active2000–present
LabelsEmbassy MVMT
Websiteblitzbazawule.com

Samuel Bazawule (born 19 April 1982), known by the stage name Blitz the Ambassador, is a Ghanaian hip-hop artist, director, author and visual artist based in Brooklyn, NY.[1][2]

Early life

Samuel Bazawule was born in Accra, Ghana, in April 1982. He is the third of four children and attended the renowned Achimota School. While in school, he amassed awards for his visual art, but later developed an obsession with hip hop music after hearing his older brother play the classic Public Enemy album It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back. Drawing on his love for history and social observation, he began to research and write historically-loaded rhymes for which he became famous in school.[3]

Musical career

After graduation from Achimota School in 2000, Bazawule was first recognized by Ghanaian Ace producer Hammer of The Last Two. Blitz was asked to come to the studio the next day after impressing Hammer with his skills. He recorded a verse on the song "Deeba" and - in the fashion of one of his idols, Nas, gained instant notoriety and received an award for Best New Artist at the 2000 Ghana Music Awards. Soon after, in 2001, he moved to the United States to study at Kent State University in Ohio. It was while studying for his bachelor's degree in Business Administration that he developed his skills as a live artist, performing at several live shows and opening for iconic rappers such as Rakim.[4] as well as recording a self-released album, Soul Rebel (2004),[5] under the moniker Blitz.

Blitz the Ambadassor at PopTech 2011

After graduation, Blitz moved to New York City to pursue his dream. There, Blitz recorded another album, Double Consciousness (2005),[5] and more recently he released Stereotype, a live-instrument-heavy musical exploration, that tests the limits of Hip Hop. The album draws from his diverse musical background. In order to achieve the live sound he was looking for, he formed a band, The Embassy Ensemble, and brushed off his own djembe skills.[6]

After three long years of recording, Blitz took the album to several major labels. Getting the major label run around one too many times, Blitz decided to release it independently. He established a label, Embassy MVMT, and is now connected to The Roots community initiative Okayplayer.[6]

In late 2009, he was chosen as of one Beyond Race magazine's "50 Emerging Artists", resulting in a spot in the publication's #11 issue (with Bodega Girls and J. Cole on the cover), as well as an exclusive Q&A for the magazine's site.[7] In 2015, Blitz received the Vilcek Prize for Creative Promise in Contemporary Music.[8][9]

In 2011, he released "Feelin' High" with the French singer Ben Mazue, and in 2012, he was featured on the album Tetra by the French electronic crew C2C. Blitz has also frequently collaborated with Professor A.L.I. featuring on "Things Fall Apart" along with Raekwon in 2011,[10] on the remix "Things Still Fall Apart" in 2012, and on his song "The Mic Shall Inherit The Earth" off of the "XFactor" album in 2015.[11]

Other work

Bazaule directed The Burial Of Kojo, which became the Golden Globes' first Ghanaian entry, and the first original movie from Ghana to be released on the Netflix streaming platform. Bazawule was the recipient of one of the Guggenheim Fellowships for film due to this film.[12][13][14][15] Bazawule starred in the 2019 Whitney Biennial curated by Rujeko Hockley and Jane Panetta.[16] Bazawule directed segments of Beyoncé's visual album Black Is King.[17] Bazawule wrote his first book, The Scent of Burnt Flowers which was published on June 28, 2022.[18] On March 17, 2022, it was announced that FX would produce a six-episode miniseries based on the book, with Bazawule directing and producing as well as Yahya Abdul-Mateen II starring.[19]

Discography

Studio albums

  • 2009: Stereotype
  • 2011: Native Sun
  • 2014: Afropolitan Dreams
  • 2016: Diasporadical

Soundtrack albums

  • 2019: The Burial of Kojo

EPs

  • 2004: Soul Rebel
  • 2005: Double Consciousness
  • 2009: StereoLive
  • 2013: The Warm Up

Filmography

Feature films

Short films

  • 2011: Native Sun
  • 2016: Diasporadical Trilogia

Television

  • TBA: The Scent of Burnt Flowers[19]

References

  1. ^ "Sam Blitz Bazawule". IMDb. Retrieved 26 December 2018.
  2. ^ Editorial (4 March 2019). "Whitney Biennial". Two Coats of Paint.
  3. ^ "About Blitz The Ambassador". Archived from the original on 8 March 2011. Retrieved 22 February 2010.
  4. ^ "Blitz the Ambassador: A New Face for Hip-Hop's Foreign Policy". Brooklyn Bodega. 24 July 2009. Archived from the original on 25 September 2009. Retrieved 22 February 2010.
  5. ^ a b "Interview: Blitz the Ambassador, 2008". Archived from the original on 16 February 2010. Retrieved 22 February 2010.
  6. ^ a b Obenson, Tambay (31 October 2018). "How 'The Burial of Kojo' Is Giving a Boost to an Unsteady Ghanaian Film Industry". IndieWire. Retrieved 22 March 2019.
  7. ^ "Blitz the Ambassador". Archived from the original on 9 February 2010. Retrieved 23 February 2010.
  8. ^ "Ghanaian born Blitz the Ambassador wins $35,000 at the Vilcek Prizes for Creative Promise". NYDJ Live!!!. 6 February 2013. Retrieved 11 November 2015.
  9. ^ Wakin, Daniel J. (4 February 2013). "A $100,000 Prize for Yo-Yo Ma". ArtsBeat. Retrieved 22 March 2019.
  10. ^ SFBayview.com [1] 20 May 2011 (accessed 21 November 2014)
  11. ^ ProfessorALI.com [2] 23 December 2014 (accessed 23 December 2014)
  12. ^ "'The Burial Of Kojo' Makes History As Ghana's First Golden Globes Entry". Essence. Retrieved 13 February 2020.
  13. ^ "The Burial Of Kojo: Here is what you need to know about Netflix's next original African movie". www.pulse.ng. 19 February 2019. Retrieved 13 February 2020.
  14. ^ "Blitz the Ambassador Named 2020 Guggenheim Fellow". OkayAfrica. 9 April 2020. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
  15. ^ "John Simon Guggenheim Foundation | Blitz Bazawule". Retrieved 8 June 2021.
  16. ^ "Whitney Biennial 2019". whitney.org.
  17. ^ a b Desta, Yohana (29 June 2020). "Beyoncé "Felt Overwhelmed" Making New Visual Album, Black Is King". Vanity Fair. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
  18. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (1 February 2021). "'Black Is King' Filmmaker Blitz Bazawule Sells Debut Novel 'The Scent Of Burnt Flowers' To Ballantine Books". Deadline. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
  19. ^ a b Kroll, Justin (17 March 2022). "FX Lands Rights To Blitz Bazawule's 'Scent Of Burnt Flowers' To Develop As Limited Series With Yahya Abdul-Mateen II Attached To Star". Deadline. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
  20. ^ Ramos, Dino-Ray (15 February 2019). "Ava DuVernay's ARRAY Acquires Surreal Drama 'The Burial Of Kojo'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 19 February 2019.
  21. ^ "Business - NYTimes.com". markets.on.nytimes.com. Retrieved 22 March 2019.
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