Bomani Armah

File:Dmite.jpg

Bomani "D'mite" Armah

Bomani Armah, also known as D'mite, is a self-identified "poet with a hip-hop style, not a rapper," best known for the 2007 single "Read a Book."

Life

Born as Darel Hancock in Washington, D.C. in 1978, Bomani Armah was raised primarily in Mitchelville, Maryland. A former student of the University of Maryland, Armah majored in English with a focus on poetry, and is now an artist and musician gaining recognition worldwide from his work on projects that aired on BET and have spread over the Internet. In addition to artistic pursuits, Armah is also an educator, having worked for 3 years as a youth counsellor at Martha's Teen Program, and has lent his talents to various other non-profit organizations.

Armah guested on Mello-D & The Rados' hit 2006 single "Cool Witchu" before releasing his first EP, The Hustle/Shake it Off later that year. . He has scored independent films such as "Multitudes of Mercies," an original film which aired on BET's Wrap-It-Up. Armah built a fanbase via exposure on BET and on the Internet, having released singles such as "Read a Book" through his Myspace page and his personal website. His first full length album, "Ear Banger", is set to release in 2007.

"Read A Book"

Armah achieved popularity via the MySpace-released 2007 single "Read A Book." The song admonishes listeners to read books, use deodorant, and brush their teeth, in a satire of crunk-style songs which advocate a more "gangsta" lifestyle, set to a loop of an excerpt from Beethoven's Symphony No.5. Success of the single grew when it was used as the topic of a short animated film which aired on BET's The 5ive. Animated by Six Point Harness Studios, the video features stylized cartoon stereotypes who are directed (often by force) to carry out the advice presented in the lyrics of "Read a Book" by a crunk rapper.

External links

• Bomani Armah's official website
• Park Triangle Productions Armah's multimedia studio
• Six Point Harness Studios