Sumach Ecks was born in San Diego to a Hispanic mother and an Ethiopian father. He has been musically active since the 1990s, when he rapped with Masters of the Universe and self-released some solo albums under the name Sumach. In 2008 he made his first two notable appearances on record: rapping a verse on "Anything Is Possible" (on the album Johnson&Jonson by Blu and Mainframe) and singing on "Testament" (on the album Los Angeles by Flying Lotus). The latter garnered Ecks a great deal of attention, and led to him being signed to Warp Records and releasing A Sufi and a Killer under the moniker "Gonjasufi" in 2010.
Since signing to Warp, Ecks has also released three more records: The Caliph's Tea Party in 2010, The 9th Inning EP in 2011 and MU.ZZ.LE in 2012.
Duet
Gonjasufi Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Baby, don't you undermine me.
You can refine me, you have perfect timing.
You remind me of someone I've met before.
Please underline me and let your wetness show.
Let's do it do it. Let's duet
and make it grimy, the way that the truth is.
You remind me of someone I have let go.
Baby you're shiny, sweetheart you have that glow.
Let's keep it fluid, make me some music.
Baby I'm winding; lady you have that soul.
In the song "Duet", Gonjasufi seems to be addressing a lover who he feels a deep connection with. He starts by asking where she found him, possibly indicating that he sees her as a source of light in his life. He urges her not to undermine him and instead refine him, as he believes they have perfect timing. He goes on to say that she reminds him of someone he met before who he had let go of, but also emphasizes her shine and glow.
The chorus of the song, "Let's do it do it. Let's duet and make it grimy, the way that the truth is. To the dotted line, you will never sign me." suggests that they should come together and create something that reflects the raw and unfiltered truth of their connection. Gonjasufi seems to be implying throughout the song that he has found something special with this person, with lines like "let's keep it fluid, make me some music" and "baby I'm winding; lady, you have that soul." Overall, the lyrics paint a picture of two people who have found each other and have a deep understanding of each other's essence.
Line by Line Meaning
Where did you find me?
Asking where the other person discovered him and entered his life.
Baby, don't you undermine me.
Letting his partner know that he doesn't want to be undervalued or belittled.
You can refine me, you have perfect timing.
Giving the other person the credit for helping him grow and progress. Recognizing their positive influence and impact.
You remind me of someone I've met before.
Feeling a sense of familiarity with the other person, like they have had contact with them previously.
Please underline me and let your wetness show.
Asking for the other person to highlight him, make him feel important, and be completely comfortable with their intimacy.
Let's do it do it. Let's duet
Suggesting the idea of completely uniting and collaborating together.
and make it grimy, the way that the truth is.
Adding a sense of rawness and authenticity to their union.
To the dotted line, you will never sign me.
Telling the other person that he's different and can not be possessed or controlled.
You remind me of someone I have let go.
Recognizing similarities with someone from the past that he had to let go of for one reason or another.
Baby you're shiny, sweetheart you have that glow.
Nurturing the other person's self-esteem and recognising their inner and outer beauty.
Let's keep it fluid, make me some music.
Suggesting that their relationship should be natural and spontaneous, and should bring about inspiration and creativity.
Baby I'm winding; lady you have that soul.
Describing how he operates in life, being relaxed and flowing while recognizing the other person's essential goodness and depth.
Contributed by Colin F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@joelwoods7149
Cool hearing this on Barry last night. Brought back memories.
@itsok6640
yeah I had no idea it was a sample , such a good show holy shit that ending lmao
@joelwoods7149
@@itsok6640 I can't believe this album is 12 years old now. Fuckin hell.
@itsok6640
@@joelwoods7149 I randomly decided to buy it at a local CD record store after listening to it at one of those stands ... Yeah I feel old
@joelwoods7149
@@itsok6640 I was ready for the record because I had heard Gonjasufi on Flying Lotus records and I paid mucho attention to whom Warp records signed back in the day. I got some singles early as downloads from Itunes. Kowboyz and Indians and Cobwebz I beleive. Oh and the FlyLo produced Ancestors. The Gaslamp Killer is a great producer and he had false allegations brought against him a few years ago a la Johnny Depp. Poor guy. I'm glad his career got back on track.
@81wildbore
@@itsok6640 Gonja didn't sample the song, he basically lifted it 100%, there's an instrumental version of Spirit's "The Other Song" soo all Gonjasufi did was lay lyrics over the instrumental. I just watched the Barry episode and looked up the song cos I liked it having mostly forgotten that I'd heard this version. Barry didn't use Gonjasufi.
@indonesianbassbooster5167
Just chill music for a relaxing night. Unfortunately this got removed from Spotify.
@petermwhitley
Yeah, I was sad to see it taken out of a few playlists I had. I wonder if it had anything to do with the licensing for the Spirit song.
@turiyaandramakrishna
ok you might want to know this but i just found the sample its called the other song by spirit and its pretty good too!!! 1960s/70s psych rock greatness
@-__-_-.-
I'm currently listening to this on Spotify in the UK