the khamisi project

(ka-mee-see) - traditional Swahili boy's name meaning "born on Thursday"

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Firefly_In this surreal album art, African American warlocks and witches with afros sit in a 396103 (1)

Firefly_In this surreal album art, African American warlocks and witches with afros sit in a 979614

Firefly_A silhouette of an African American wearing vibrant Victorian clothes with an afro, w 135337

Firefly_A silhouette of an African American with an afro and Victorian clothes walks in front 519100 (1)

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Firefly_Retro 1960s-style well worn album art, deep space, distant planets looming in the bac 376622 (2)

Firefly_An African American DJ with an afro plays music on a distant planet, in a galaxy far 647179

Firefly_Retro 1960s-style well worn album art, deep space, distant planets looming in the bac 386108 (1)

Firefly_In this surreal album art, African American warlocks and witches with afros sit in a 824390

Firefly_create a scene set in deep space, use uploaded photo 389490 (1)

Firefly_Detailed silhouette of African American women and men in vibrant Victorian attire wit 997394 (2)

Firefly_Worn, faded, 1960s retro album art featuring silhouettes of African American men and 823619 (2)

Firefly_An African American DJ with an afro plays music on a distant planet, in a galaxy far 729786 (2)

Firefly_Retro 1960s-style well worn album art, deep space, distant planets looming in the bac 84161

okay, so the artwork...

The art direction of The Khamisi Project has a bit of a backstory...

There's a show that I love called "Ancient Aliens", that deals with the primary premise that civilizations from other planets have had decisive influence on human civilization - as well as the planet itself - from structure building and religious beliefs to the evolution of humanity itself.

I strongly believe that there is truth to these claims, which led me to something that the late, great historian Runoko Rashidi posted on his page 4 months before his passing in Egypt,

He posted a meme with a quote from Astrophysicist Dr. Neil DeGrasse Tyson that read, "Just because you can't figure out how ancient civilizations built stuff, doesn't mean they got help from aliens.", to which I replied,

"Everything isn't about erasing Blackness. Though history is rife with theories and revisions rooted in anti-Blackness, let's not discount that there is a very real possibility that more advanced, more intelligent extraterrestrial lifeforms have not only visited this planet, but have strongly influenced (if not started) the trajectory of humanity. And who's to say that these alleged beings weren't Black? That would explain our extraordinary abilities in - well, nearly everything!

We talk about "pride" and being "kings" and "queens" but it's disappointing that we didn't think highly enough of ourselves to even consider this. The fact that our default in terms of this subject was to throw the baby out with the bathwater is disturbing. Oh - and no matter what color they actually were, it still doesn't solve the conundrum of HOW they did then what we still find impossible to do today. my $0.02"

He never answered, but that exchange stuck with me, and - about 4 years later - heavily influenced the artwork behind the musical offerings from The Khamisi Project. Imagine - before the birth of anything we know, in a time before time, were Black masculine and feminine forms practicing science so advanced that we would compulsively call it "magic" or "miracles". Beings so unfathomably advanced and powerful, we would later have no choice but to anthropomorphize what we've seen as "God" and codify what we've witnessed as "religion". This artwork is inspired by the Irúnmọlẹ̀, the Òrìṣà, the daughters of Oosanla, the Maasai, the Zulu, the Dogon, the Hausa, and more ancient tribes as well as Black deities from Yoruba cosmology.

My imagination didn't stop there, though. I went a bit further to imagine that not only could life here on Earth have been predated by insanely advanced beings that closely resemble us, but also that - in billions of other solar systems in billions of other galaxies and dimensions - there are untold numbers of beings very similar to us gazing out towards the same stars right now. Imagine that there are countless alternate realities and dimensions. My artwork illustrates these perspectives, which are no more or less fantastic as any we currently hold in high regard.

Aesthetically, it's reminiscent of classic sci-fi shows such as Star Trek, In Search Of, or Outer Limits. A running theme throughout this artwork is that it is generally black as hell, and often mixed with a liberal dose of blaxploitation. If everyone else gets to believe what they believe in their likeness, I'm gonna believe what I believe in MINE.

I started with the artwork because visuals help me connect with my sound rather than the other way around. With the help of Ai, I have been able to realize these visions and shave countless hours off my graphics production time, which gives me more time to create!

The Khamisi Project is not a person or a group of people - it's a creative aesthetic centered exclusively on ME. It's my highest potential. It's a never ending cycle of birth, death, and rebirth...an individual's deep, courageous dive into the frightening world of true authenticity while in the midst of a sea of unrecyclable social plastic.

It's a new beginning - and something this huge MUST have it's own soundtrack...

- The Khamisi Project

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Firefly_A vibrant and surreal album art set in deep space, capturing a dynamic and retro vibe 131867

Firefly_A vibrant and surreal album art set in deep space, capturing a dynamic and retro vibe 941445

Firefly_A retro 1960s-style album cover with bold, distressed colors and textures dominates t 508579 (1)

Firefly_A retro 1960s-style well-worn album art features a deep space background with a gradi 165373 (1)

Firefly_A retro 1960s-style well-worn album art features a deep space background with faintly 16254 (2)

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Firefly_A retro 1960s-style well-worn album art features a deep space background with faintly 319347

Firefly_A retro 1960s-style album cover with bold, distressed colors and textures dominates t 124792 (1)

Firefly_A retro 1960s-style well-worn album art features a deep space background with faintly 897879

Firefly_A painting of a surreal album art featuring African American warlocks and witches wit 80135

Firefly_A retro album art scene set in deep space, with a vibrant and ethereal atmosphere. Af 631291

Firefly_A vibrant and surreal album art set in deep space, capturing a dynamic and retro vibe 32309

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Firefly_A vibrant and surreal album art set in deep space, capturing a dynamic and retro vibe 464606

Firefly_A retro 1960s-style well-worn album art features a deep space background with faintly 256625 (1)

Firefly_A vibrant and surreal album art set in deep space, capturing a dynamic and retro vibe 946825

Firefly_A retro 1960s-style well-worn album art features a deep space background with faintly 218679

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the music...

The musical direction of The Khamisi Project also has a bit of a backstory...

In the late 80s/early 90's, even though I was a solid Hip-Hop fanatic, I had rapidly turned into a raging "Househead", so - naturally - when I moved to NYC in 2005, I turned my full attention to a music community that was familiar to me - the House community.

After backing myself into this creative corner, then spending the next decade plus spinning my wheels (no pun intended), I chose to take a step back in order to regroup and figure out my "why".

Fast forward to now and, in direct opposition to the well-embedded convention of "playing to the crowd", my musical direction embraces diverse styles, is underwritten by a more expansive brand of Afrofuturism than what many have currently imagined, and often defies convention. My musical aesthetic is making what tf I want, when I want, without rhyme, reason, or rules. My preferred music genre is whatever tf I want it to be that day, and you will either deal or get tf ON.