Born in LA in the mid 90’s, his parents were listening to artists like Tupac Shakur, Snoop Dogg, and Dr. Dre, so much of rapper B.A.M.A.’s young life was full of great hip-hop influences. Spending much of his youth with headphones in his ears, he developed a passion for the genre and started to actually make music at the age of 17. After simply having fun writing material for a few years, he began to make music more seriously when he was 21 years old.
Growing up in Charlestown, IN for most of his life, “a predominantly white community, so [he has] always felt like an outcast and kept to [himself] a lot.” Moving from LA at the age of 4, he felt a sense of comfort while having music blasting in his ears, and soon he began to study the genre. Pulling inspiration from Outkast, Kanye West, 50 Cent, and Lil Wayne, just to name a few, he definitely brings old-school influences into his music.
On the song Photo, he raps over a funky bass line and a beat that almost reminds the listener of a Dr. Dre inspired instrumental. Produced by Coach Cam and DJ JVan, B.A.M.A. “[rolls] up Wiz Khalifa and [he passes] it all around,” while at the same time spitting verse after verse. Hitting listeners with great raps and a catchy singing voice, the song is available on all streaming platforms now. A very fun track, he raps:
“Want some wavy tracks, man I got em by the boatload
Sad Hispanic boy, yeah the ladies drive me loco”
Continuing to rap about the work he puts into the genre, women, and the occasional drug reference, he really puts together a great track that definitely bodes well for his mixtape that is in the works titled Bestowing A Man’s Art, which is also what his moniker B.A.M.A. stands for.
I asked him about how he makes and records music and he told me a little bit about his process. “I get writers block a lot, but when [he starts] writing, it usually just comes naturally when I listen to a beat over and over.” Writing about everything from his own real life, he makes “nothing fabricated, just my heart and soul.” Coming off very vulnerable in the booth in the most sincere way, he truly conveys his innermost thoughts and emotions on a song, which is what makes his art and music so pure and so real.
“I rap about my own real life experience and it tells a story about me.” In order to bare one’s soul on a track, honesty and complete story telling are so crucial. Combining the two in perfect harmony, B.A.M.A. weaves tracks together like a rap veteran and can flow endlessly over a beat without missing a note. The song Polo Hat, which can be found on SoundCloud, is a great example of what he can do in the booth as he bodies the entire verse in one take. His skills are for real when it comes to rapping, definitely keep his name in the back of your head as he is surely here to make a splash in the industry.
Now living in Louisville while continuing to get his name out there, he has been releasing new material constantly. Putting out single after single, B.A.M.A. never keeps his fans low on his new music. Compiling those singles into a playlist on SoundCloud, be sure to check out While You Wait for the Tape++++. Featuring classics like Ascent, Over Looked, and Polo Hat, he has clearly been working on perfecting his craft.
Gaining experience and skill with each new single he drops, he has been grinding to make his mixtape drop perfect. In a state of constant improvement, B.A.M.A. has put together a very solid platform and I can tell that he is always striving for better. Keep an eye out for this very talented musician as he builds up to release his tape sometime this year. Repping Louisville, he is putting on for a very talented wave coming out of the Midwest recently.
Best of luck to you, B.A.M.A. – I look forward to working with you in the future and seeing where your career takes you!