Awate
AWATE is a visionary rapper from Eritrea weaving together psychedelic melodies and sharp, witty lyrics. Born in Saudi Arabia and raised in Camden where he was a Resident Artist at The Roundhouse, AWATE gained the respect of artists such as Yasiin Bey (Mos Def), Lowkey and Pharoahe Monch as one of London’s finest writers.
With Turkish Dcypha’s infectious, funk-based production, AWATE’s critically acclaimed ‘Shine Ancient’ EP and ‘Happiness’ LP have been praised and featured on BBC Radio 1, 1Xtra and 6Music as well as Noisey, Spotify and The Guardian and garnered a nomination for ‘Best Urban Act’ at the 2018 Unsigned Music Awards. Happiness was recently described by Trench Mag as a “British rap masterpiece”.
Having a reputation for energetic and emotive performances, supporting Black Star, Ghetts and Shabazz Palaces 2018 saw this London griot’s first headline tour with shows in the UK, Spain, the USA and Brazil.
Photo by Okwaeze Otusi.