Artist fka Yonas Michael fka Y-O of U-N-I.

The California-based Seattle native’s love for music was equally fostered by his maternal grandmother’s soulful vinyl collection and his father’s Eritrean roots. Yonas Michael’s arrival at this space and time in music was all but predestined. His relocation to the Inglewood suburb of Los Angeles as a teen marked a turning point in his young musical trajectory when he became enamored with hip-hop. Yonas paid dues by making his rounds at various talent shows - eventually becoming part of a hip-hop quartet dubbed Rapture Kamp. The group eventually pared down to a duo in 2006 and renamed themselves U-N-I. The group was cultivated in the nascent independent music scene with the likes of fellow Californians and future stars Aftermath/ Interscope recording artist Kendrick Lamar and RCA recording artist Miguel. MTV named the group Best Breakout LA Artist at the 2008 MTV Music Video Awards and granted the group its own take over episode of the weekly hip-hop program Sucka Free. Yonas Michael toured the world and was prominently featured in high profile publications such as XXL, Billboard, URB, Los Angeles Times, Time Out New York, Bet.com and Source Magazine’s Unsigned Hype column.

Following the cues of Outkast and Black Star, Yonas defected from U-N-I to access his incessant individual artistry and pursue a less astringent musical menagerie. Yonas released his highly anticipated project “The Mixtape Before Black Swan Theory” presented by esteemed mixtape DJ Mick (aka Mick Boogie). With his upcoming sophomore album, Yonas is prepared to push the envelope even further with a marvel of a jewel, “Black Swan Theory.” “A Black Swan fits a tight gene bracket and is revolutionary. My music-theory is what surprises my audience and will later be rationalized in hindsight. Look at The Wright Brothers, they are Black Swans. Before airplanes existed they had the idea of what is today’s number one mode of transportation. Obama is a Black Swan, becoming the first African-American President. They say winners never quit and quitters never win, thru all of my obstacles and victories I will lead you with the best music by pushing boundaries. My purpose is not to compete, but to make competition irrelevant.” Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.