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Atiim Chenzira

Driven by dreams of becoming a rapper, Atiim began to perform at the age of 14.
But for Atiim, music was the main thing. Influenced by groups like
De-La Soul, Atiim became drawn to the East Coast style of music and
began to incorporate hip-hop into his style. Expanding his horizons
Both musically and politically, Atiim began writing lyrics that
Addressed important issues.

Now known by his rap name "Boudji", Atiim had become quite comfortable
performing on stage. He performed briefly with the group "The 4th
Kind", then assembled some family members to form "5N'Dime". Atiim's
stage name changed once again as he became known as "Black Bomani",
which means Black Warrior. Inspired by the challenge of fusing East and
West Coast sound styles, Atiim wrote lyrics, choruses and song concepts
for the group. "5N'Dime" performed at showcases in Los Angeles and
recorded at Skyline Studios and Pajama Studios in Oakland. However, the group just
couldn't seem to release the record they dreamed of. Songs were
recorded and re-recorded many times in the pursuit of the perfect demo.
Being composed of family members would prove to be 5N'Dime's challenge,
as they were riddled with conflict.

Atiim grew tired of waiting on a group consensus to get 5N'Dime's
tracks released and decided to work concurrently on his solo career. In 1997 Atiim
recorded numerous poetry/spoken word sessions and laid down hip-hop tracks with
God-brother Kodabo aka Kobann (member of 5N’Dime) at Roof Top Studios in San Leandro, California. In the same year, Atiim began working with producer "D-Jones". Their
chemistry was phenomenal and this new fire fueled the music.
By 2001 D-Jones and Atiim decided to produce and release their music
Independently. The pair founded Ridah Ridah Records & Publishing and
began work on Atiim's first album. Entitled "In Pursuit of Happiness",
this musical debut displays the full range of Atiim's rapping, writing
and lyrical skills. Mixed at Skyline Studios and Mastered at Pajama Studios in Oakland,
" In Pursuit of Happiness" is a passionate work that's funky, fun and formidable.
It was completed in May of 2003 but ran out of funding to go any further.

To say the least, Atiim suffered a divorce one month later and his father became ill with Cancer in August of that year too. In October he then decided to put his solo project on hold and move back to Berkeley, Ca. to take care of his father and deal with his divorce. In April of 2004 Atiim’s father passed on, but he promised his father he’d continue to ‘pursue his happiness’, music. During that year Ridah Ridah Records and Publishing (R3NP) collaborated with 5N’Dime to produce a group album with the debut title “The Classic”. It’s scheduled for release independently in February 2005.
In the same year Atiim met Bekka Fink and was given an opportunity to join her band as a vocalist. Bekka invited him to collaborate with writing lyrics, expressing his spoken word and pushed him to express himself through yet another medium, song. The turbulence in his life served to strengthen his commitment to music. Atiim is currently co-founder and organizer of an E-Zine named “A Thousand WordZ” (website under construction, www.AThousandWordZ.net). The Zines mission and goal is the unification of the artist community. It's just another step in what is certain to be a long and successful career for this gifted young artist.
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