KUKU

Hailed by a fan as "the African Music Medicine Man," this Yoruba, DC-based troubadour has been touring extensively since the release of his debut recording “Love Sessions.” His enchanting sound has landed him on the stages of Chicago’s Old Town School of Folk Music series-AfroFolk Live; New York’s SOB’s; Georgia Music Festival; Philadelphia’s World Café; and the Temple Bar in Los Angeles to name a few. In October 2007, South African guitar maestro Mongezi Ntaka (former and original guitarist for the late Lucky Dube band) joined KUKU as he launched “The Absence of Cool” at his third Kennedy Center appearance. The album concept asks listeners to stop enslaving themselves to the concept of “cool,” – with cool being the absence of emotion – and instead join him on a musical journey to the raw emotions deep in their souls. Happily independent, KUKU enjoys the artistic freedom that most major labels often deprive, but his biggest challenge is still getting his music heard by millions of eclectic listeners across the world without a machine. What he lacks with the backing of a machine, he makes up for as a tireless worker with a good heart. And with the digital age in full-effect, his music is reaching far more places than he has yet to visit. KUKU recently played at Washington DC’s correctional facilities. He calls this is the highlight of his existence. The story continues .