Blakk Rasta & The Herbalist Band

BLAKK RASTA
Blakk Rasta was born on the Monday of 2nd September 1974, at 19hrs.20mins and weighed 5.5kgs in Tamale in the Northern part of Ghana, West Africa. He was born to devout Ahmadi-Moslem parents.
As a growing youth in the slums of Moshie-Zongo and Aboabo, Blakk Rasta (born ABUBAKAR AHMED), underwent a lot of injustice, favouritism and other social ills.
Education was number one on Blakk Rasta’s mind since his parents were both educationists. He grew up as a learned ghetto youth who was a real role model for other youths in the slums. He topped his class several times. Everyone in the slum saw Blakk Rasta as an extraordinary chap with over-endowed academic talent.
Music was the last thing to Blakk Rasta though he enjoyed listening to very popular slow music. The ghetto chap wrote several plays, directed and acted some of them. He writes novels too and won several writing competitions.

Reggae Encounter
In 1990, Osman Habib Dollar, a ghetto youth told Blakk Rasta about a Nigerian Reggae superstar-Ras Kimono. Blakk Rasta was immediately captured by the lyrical presentation of the singer. He particularly wondered why people should fight black people and Rasta. All this was mentioned in the Ras Kimono music. Blakk Rasta wept over some of the lyrics and started asking about Rastafari and Black people. This research opened Blakk Rasta to several mind-blowing experiences, which led him to embrace Rasta, though still a Moslem.
Blakk Rasta met Ras Kimono in 1993, watched the artiste perform live and, for the extreme love for the artiste, Blakk Rasta formed a conscious youth club called ‘The Ras Theatre Group’ in Tamale, which acted plays, made movies and performed Ras Kimono’s music.
That was when Blakk Rasta started trying to write his own lyrics. The first one he wrote was ‘Keep on Rockin’ / I & I Rastas.

His first album, “Rasta shrine” came out in April 2000. It was a smash hit with singles like ‘Afreeka swit’, and “Keep on Rockin’ / I & I Rastas”
In 2002 July, ‘More Fyah’ was released and the single ‘ Congo Bongo’ was voted as the best reggae song of the year 2003 at the Ghana Music Awards.
Another award was won in 2009 called the National Award for Cultural Excellence (Ghana).
In February 2004, Blakk Rasta visited England where he teamed up with accomplished artistes to produce the hit single ‘ Kunta Kinte’ released in February 2005 on the ‘Ganja Minister’ album (Blakk Rasta’s third album). Ras coz, Moffart, Sista B, Sista Lahnah, Suniel and dancehall great, Macka B all featured on this album.
Blakk Rasta is currently Ghana’s number one Reggae star. His greatest assets are his humility, consciousness and fearlessness.
Beside music, writing and traveling, Blakk Rasta is a reggae DJ. on HITZ 103.7 FM, Accra, and judged as the best Reggae DJ in Ghana.
He is a vegetarian – no meat, fish, eggs, white sugar, flour, salt and anything animal.

Music Style
Blakk Rasta does Reggae music pouring out conscious lyrics about Blackness, Rasta and spiritual love. Sometimes the music has some Jamaican influences and touches. The music is done in English, Jamaican Patois and some African languages. Live instruments are used in recording Blakk Rasta’s Reggae. Harmonies are never compromised. Blakk Rasta loves female harmonies backed by powerful harmonies from the horn family. Roots reggae is the backbone of Blakk Rasta’s music though a few dancehall vibes and toasts come flinging in. Dub poetry is another aspect of his music. People who will not enjoy Blakk Rasta's music are those who hate Black consciousness and social justice.
Blakk Rasta is currently introducing a new reggae sound and innovation known as MOONSPLASH REGGAE which he created innovated after a long period of research.MOONSPLASH is basically, reggae music imbibed with indigenous African instruments and sounds such as the xylophone,talking drum(dondo),kette,flutes,animal sounds,jungle sounds,market sounds etc.It is accompanied with indigenous African dance fusions and styles.MOONSPLASH borrows its name from the rich African full moon which serves both as a guiding light and inspiration to gather and sing,tell stories and dance in indigenous Africa.

Education
Education has always been a priority in Blakk Rasta’s upbringing. He attended the following schools: 1. Ahmadiyya Primary School (Tamale, Ghana) 1979 -1985 2. Zogbeli Junior Secondary School (Tamale, Ghana) 1985 - 1988 3. Tamale Secondary School (Tamale, Ghana) 1988 - 1989 4. T.I. Ahmadiyya Secondary School (Kumasi, Ghana) 1989 – 1995 5. Kwame Nkrumah University of Science & Technology (Kumasi, Ghana) 1997 – 2001
Blakk Rasta holds a Bsc degree in Land Economy, soon to start a course in Law.

Family
Blakk Rasta was born to a teacher/businessman father Samuel Abu Awudu Kumburwah and a teacher mother, Adeline Fuseina Adam in Tamale. He has four siblings, none of who is into music.

International Acclaim/Awards
In 2009 Blakk Rasta's Barack Obama song brought the Ameri