Flitting between Ethiopia, South Africa, Washington D.C., New Jersey, and New York City growing up – Siimbiie Lakew is as well-versed and worldly as his childhood. Having opened for the likes of Rae Sremmurd, Ty Dolla $ign, and Cam’ron, Lakew has been rubbing shoulders with his chart-topping counterparts for a minute now. Deciding to take a step back from music, Lakew returns with pure fire in the form of new song and music video “BIIMBIIE$ RETURN”.

Atmospheric, moody, and triumphant – Lakew’s new track is an ode to Black people across the entire diaspora, offering up a call to unite. Employing the production chops of duo Brasstracks, who’ve also lent their prowess to Chance the Rapper and Anderson .Paak – it’s without a doubt a must-hear. Lakew self-defines, not as a ‘conscious rapper’, but rather just a human, seeking his own liberation; we’re always here for artists using their craft to speak up for the things they believe in. Respect.

Released ahead of his upcoming EP “EVERYBODY LOVE$ BIIMBIIE”, Lakew’s evolution as an artist will be laid bare for all to hear. With the project’s first energy-filled single “TRU$T THE PROCE$$” being snapped up almost immediately in its NFT form, it sold out quicker than you could say “vibe”. Set to be a hot release, the artist’s upcoming EP is set to add fuel to the fire.

Fortunately for us, we had the opportunity to sit down with Lakew and take a peek into his mind. Spanning from the first bars he ever wrote, and his time away, to his plans for the future – we’ve got it all covered.

Head below to read our interview with Siimbiie Lakew…

Hey Siimbiie Lakew! Where are we speaking to you from?

Hey, what’s going on? I am currently in Brooklyn NY.

What did you have for breakfast this morning?

I didn’t even eat breakfast this morning! I did eat was this sandwich they gave me at the bodega for free. I just had a conversation with the owner and he has a lot of Ethiopian friends and apparently someone’s card got declined so they couldn’t take it so he just gave me the sandwich, hamdullah lol.

How did you come to the realization that music is your destiny? Or did you always know?

I really just always knew. When people say “what would you do if music didn’t work out?” I’m like… “what you mean?” It had to work out.

Do you remember the first bars you ever wrote?

LOL I do but I’m too embarrassed to recite them.

You were raised between Ethiopia, South Africa, New Jersey and New York City – do you feel like your upbringing has had an influence on your artistry?

Big time. I think the most valuable thing I have is my perspective. Growing up in Ethiopia I saw a lot of shit that gave me a lot of gratitude and pride as well. My art is just different forms of expression that’s influenced from all these places. The good, the bad, all of it.

Congratulations on your new single “BIIMBIIE$ RETURN”! Can you talk us through your artistic process for the track?

Yeah I actually recorded the song a while ago and we’ve been performing it for a while and it’s always got an incredible response. It’s really just to stand as a very simple proclamation of triumph. Like “niggas been through ups and downs but today we’re champions” type shit.

You went on a two-year hiatus. What did you learn while you were away?

Over the past few years I’ve done a lot of work helping rebuild black communities. My homies and I were super active when the George Floyd shit happened in communities of Minnesota. Since then me and Allan Kingdom still talk everyday about ways to be impactful, but it doesn’t always have to be in peoples face. I’d rather just take more action now. I learned that’s usually better. I also learned a lot about myself, a few of my best friends died for different reasons so I was going through it. I am doing a lot of shrooms so that helped me learn a lot about my feelings and how to face them. Also made a lot of mistakes and I’d say the biggest thing I learned from that is accountability and acceptance are extremely important. I take 100% responsibility for all my mistakes and accept the things I can’t change. Life is really beautiful at the end of the day. Everything is a blessing hamdullah.

You collaborate with Coastyn on the track’s production. How do you approach working with other artists?

I just like to talk to people and play them shit. Listen to what they got, and start things off simple. Less is usually more in my opinion.

Are there any artists that you haven’t worked with yet, that you’d like to?

Sade.

And finally, what’s next for you? This time next year, what would you like to have accomplished?

I partnered with Grand Archana, it’s a new label and we’re putting out an EP called EVERYBODY LOVE$ BIIMBIIE. As far as this time next year I’m not sure but in 3 years I wanna have the opportunity to accept or turn down the Super Bowl lol.

To listen to Siimbiie Lakew’s new single “BIIMBIIE$ RETURN”, head below…