Meet Eritrean Rapper 'Bags'

Kibrom Endirias aka 'Bags'

BAGS

The first American-born Eritrean in his family, which included 5 older siblings, Kibrom Endirias has always been different. The elder Endirias moved the household from their war-torn East African country to Indiana before finally settling in the Atlanta suburb of Decatur, GA when Kibrom was a month old to start a ministry. As the son of a preacher, Kibrom grew up in a deeply spiritual family and spent a lot of time in church listening to sermons and occasionally singing in the choir.

At the age of 14, he began penning novels, poems and raps while in high school adopting the moniker Money Bags for the cash he received from classmates that paid for his rhymes. During his teenage years, Kibrom dealt with temptations that were contrary to his strict religious upbringing and as he grew older he began to rebel against the life prescribed to him by his parents. A line was drawn. Money Bags was unwilling to abandon his musical ambitions, while his family refused to compromise their religious roots. The path they had charted for their son didn’t include a profession in the entertainment business, which caused another kind of war. “I’ve been torn my whole life,” explains Bags. “I’m appreciative of the sacrifices my parents have made but I had to choose my own destiny and the life I wanted to live.  Music is my passion and my purpose and if anything I learned from my family how to fight for what I believe in.”

Disheartened but not deterred, Money Bags morphed into just Bags and turned to music as a creative outlet to channel his personal frustration. The more he chronicled his life to beats he helped structure around his vocals, the more confident he grew in his abilities as both a writer and performing artist. His unpredictable fluid delivery and dexterous long-form narratives earned him a reputation as an undefeatable rapper amongst Atlanta’s underground hip-hop scene. And given him a solid fan base in the process. “I’ve done open mics, showcases, talent shows and won everything. There’s not a contest or competition in the city that I haven’t performed at and killed.”

Bags has shared stages with Young Dro, Nipsey Hussle and Trinidad James, as well as performed multiple times at the annual music and interactive festival SXSW in Austin, TX, which gave him the critical respect he wanted and deserved.  His visibility as an all-encompassing entertainer also gave him a platform to diversify his skill set, having ghost written for several r&b and pop acts. “This industry has perfected my hustle. If I couldn’t find someone to sing my hooks, I sang them.  If I needed a video done, I shot it.  I’m multifaceted in every way.”

While secular music was forbidden in the Endirias home, Bags was able to discover artists and rap legends such as Bob Marley, Eminem, Biggie, Jay Z, Outkast and Kanye by listening to his older brothers music in the car.  It’s easy to detect their influence on his passion, drive and hunger to be amongst that pantheon of great talent. “I never want to lose focus on why I started doing music. Nobody can get too big for music; there’s not a check big enough for me to say the quality of the music doesn’t matter anymore.”

Bags introduced his brash southern dialect on a pair of projects he dropped with little fanfare to hone his mixtape circuit skills before releasing Bags Fly Free on Dat Piff hosted by Hoodrich DJ Pretty Boy Tank. The buzz he created on the well-received tape helped to take his rap career to the next level. Currently signed to DDB Entertainment, the street-savvy African rapper with American finesse is gearing up for another major release with the single “Geeker” leading the way.  The track is perfect example of his unique flow and personality; a mid-tempo bass-heavy beat with Bags riding the rhythm with equal parts bravado, humor and innovative lyrics. Secure with where he is as a man and an artist, the East African rapper from East Atlanta is committed to spreading his brand of hip-hop gospel all over the world. “Music is all I do.  I put so much into every aspect of my career that if I’m not doing music I feel like something is wrong.”

To listen to his single "Geeker", visit here: www.soundcloud.com/bags1365 

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