Al-Khemetic

Born and raised during the dawning of hip-hop culture, the Long Beach CA. native, Yochanan Al-Khemetic, now residing in Eugene, OR., has been a writer/lyricist and musician skilled on multi instruments since the early 90's. It was during this Golden Era of hip-hop that he joined with school mates to form a live hip-hop ensemble called 'Humble'. "Hip-hop is my first musical affinity. I can recall the times before I started kindergarten when a teenage neighbour would bring out his boom-box every afternoon and bang all the latest releases, which are now classics: Sugar Hill Gang, Zapp, Kurtis Blow, Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five, etc. One of my older sisters and I we're always poppin and breakin, reciting lyrics, fully being groomed by this new emerging culture. Fast-forward to the 90's, I was guided by the lyrics of the GURU of Gangstarr, KRS-ONE, ICE CUBE, ATCQ, De La Soul, X-Clan, to name only a few. I can't imagine my past without the nourishment of this music and culture". ~ Al-Khemetic. After relocating to Oregon in the late 90's, Yochanan immersed himself in herbalism, holistic healing, meditation & Kashmir Shaivism (where he learned devotional chanting), which put him in his first hiatus from music for a few years. After a short exile, he formed a new band called 'Satya Yuga' under the new moniker 'Omkarananda', releasing his first solo album 'Wine of the Mystics' in '03