Eme Awa is the bandleader of Union Street and lead singer of Chopteeth. Chopteeth is a 14-piece Afrofunk orchestra exploring the common groove between the funkiest, most hip-shakin’ West African and American popular music on the planet. The core of the Chopteeth sound is Afrobeat: a big-band funk invented by Fela Kuti in 1970’s Nigeria.
Afrobeat is a spicy stew of Yoruba tribal music and West African pop. Chopteeth then mixes in classic Ghanaian funk, Senegalese rumba, Jamaican ska, and stirs it with choice selections from the James Brown catalog for an intoxicating infusion of righteous grooves. The massive result is a swirl of energetic melodies and call-and-response choruses, driven by interlocking drums and percussion, punctuated by a dynamic six-piece horn section. Funky organ and melodic guitars lay down a sensuous groove.
Chopteeth is based in Washington, DC and was recently honored with two Wammie Award nominations by their peers in the Washington Area Music Association. The nominations, for Best New Artist and Best World Music Group, led to a performance at the Wammies Awards Show in February 2005 at the new Strathmore Music Center in Bethesda, MD.
Eme's live performance ability has made him more than worthy of sharing the stage with national artists such as Jeffrey Osborne, Nester Torres, Angela Bofill, and Najee, to name a few.
Eme is the son of the late Professor Eme Awa, who was chairman of the defunct National Electoral Commission (NEC).
Music
Chopteeth
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