Who is Siimba?

Siimba Selassiie, formerly known as Siimba Lives Long, is an Ethiopian rapper based in Brooklyn. Although the artist was born in New York, he has spent time living in a range of places, from Ethiopia to Washington D.C. to New Jersey. His debut music video, "Cocaine Bimbie," which released in the fall of 2015, generated a well-deserved buzz, with the video featuring a cameo from an actual white tiger and bars delivered over smooth, jazz-heavy production.

For this project I collaborated with Jack McKain, an LA based photographer. We both wanted to keep the cover simple and elegant, and have the photo speak for itself. With that in mind the main focus was set on typography which was inspired by Ethiopian characters.