BAGS
The first American-born Eritrean in his
family, which included 6 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 career in the entertainment business, which caused another
kind of war.
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
battle rapper amongst Atlanta’s underground hip-hop scene.
Bags has shared stages with Young Dro,
Nipsey Hussle and Trinidad James, as well as performed at the annual music and
interactive festival SXSW in Austin, TX, which gave him the critical respect he
wanted and deserved.
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.
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,
GA is committed to spreading his brand of hip-hop gospel all over the world.