Sammus
| Sammus | |
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Sammus performing at The Haunt in Ithaca, NY, 2015
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Enongo Lumumba-Kasongo |
| Born | March 20, 1986 |
| Origin |
Ithaca, New York, United States |
| Genres | Hip hop, Nerdcore |
| Occupation(s) | Rapper, songwriter, record producer, teacher |
| Years active | 2010–present |
| Labels | Nu-Black Music Group, Don Giovanni Records |
| Associated acts | Mega Ran, Shubzilla, The NPC Collective, Open Mike Eagle, Chance Fisher |
| Website | sammusmusic |
Enongo Lumumba-Kasongo (born March 20, 1986), known as Sammus, often stylized as SΔMMUS, is an American underground rapper, former teacher, PhD student and record producer.
Enongo Lumumba-Kasongo was born in Rhinebeck, NY to an Ivorian mother and Congolese father. (Patrice Lumumba, former Prime Minister of Congo, was her great uncle.) Her parents, both professors, moved her family to Ithaca, NY at an early age, her mother teaching at Cornell University and her father at Wells College.
She began producing music in highschool under the name DJ Eno, first using the PlayStation program MTV Music Generator, and the digital audio workstation Reason to create beats. When she was trying to pick a new name for herself, a friend recommended the name Samus, after the main character of the Metroid series of games, since both are women in male dominated genres.
Sammus holds a bachelor's degree from Cornell University. She then worked full-time as teacher, in Houston, Texas for Teach for America. Sammus then returned to Cornell in Fall 2011 to pursue a PhD in Science and Technology Studies.
Sammus' influences started with her older brother Disashi (currently a member of Gym Class Heroes), who exposed her both to video games and alternative rock bands like Weezer and Nirvana. In addition, Sammus has stated that she has been heavily influenced by Kanye West, particularly his debut album The College Dropout:
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