Bam Alexander
Lupe Fiasco - United States
Overview
Singer, Songwriter, Producer, and Musician are the four words that come to mind when describing the talented artist “Bam”. Kennieth Alexander Jr. or “Bam” as the world has come to know him, was born February 17, 1981 in Inglewood, CA. Starting at the very young age of 2, Kennieth was known for running around the house humming tunes and beating on any object in sight, birthing the nickname “Bam”. As his toddler years progressed, everyone around him, including family members, took notice that he was a natural-born musician. At the ripe age of 5, Bam received his first job as the drummer for a nearby Pentecostal church. People of all ages were amazed at the sight of him playing the drums as if he had been playing them for many, many years.
While attending Culver City Junior High, Kennieth was the featured drummer for their advanced high school band. They had the opportunity to showcase their talents on the local Channel 5 Morning News, and it was then that he would embark on a successful career in the music industry. In high school, Bam played for the gospel choir as well as the jazz band. They performed at school events and toured throughout the city. During the summer of 1998, he was invited to perform in Europe with the Crenshaw High School Elite Choir. Along with some childhood friends, he officially formed a group by the name of “1500 or Nothin”. It consisted of seven band members and three background singers. They’ve toured with many artists, including R&B artist Bobby Valentino, a former member of Ludacris’ record label, Disturbing Tha Peace. In 2007, 1500 or Nothin made a television appearance on The Craig Ferguson Show.
After graduating from high school, Bam attended California State University in Los Angeles, CA. Excelling in their Jazz Studies program, he performed with numerous bands and combos. During the summer of 2002, he received a phone call from the notable Ricky Minor Agency, and was asked to play for a promotional tour around the U.S. starring R&B/Hip-Hop artist and writer, Novel.
In August of 2006, Bam was privileged to be the first drummer in history to play live drums on a track produced by well-known producer Just Blaze. This track, titled 'Show Me What You Got', was released in December 2006, and was the first single off of Jay-Z’s comeback album, Kingdom Come. In November of 2006, Bam became a member of the new R&B band Saintz Row. This five-member band consisted of Bam, Cold Hands, The Professor, Kidd Flyy and lead singer Mr. Smith, whom was independently signed. In 2007, Bam released an instructional video on how to play the drums, which was produced by the Hear and Play Music Group. This video can be previewed and purchased at www.hearandplaydrums.com. On Halloween of 2007, Bam had the honor of playing for Atlantic Records Hip-Hop artist, Lupe Fiasco at the House of Blues in Chicago, IL and has been playing drums for Lupe ever since. In December of 2007, Lupe Fiasco released his sophomore album, The Cool, which featured Bam on drums. Bam has been touring all around the world with Lupe, and in the summer of 2008, they traveled overseas to Europe to promote the Stepping Laser Tour, which kicked off in Australia, made its way to Japan, and later the United States. They’ve made several television and award show appearances, including The David Letterman Show, The Jay Leno Show, Jimmy Kimmel Live, The Ellen Show, MTV’s Spring Break, the MTV Movie Awards, and the BET Hip-Hop Awards. Bam has also had the opportunity to appear alongside Lupe Fiasco in several music videos such as Solar Midnite (for the New Moon movie project), I Don’t Wanna Care Right Now, and Around My Way Freedom Ain’t Free, off of Lupe’s 4th album, titled Food and Liquor 2: The Great American Rap Album which was released September 2012.
Bam has achieved a host of accomplishments in 2008, which included working with worldwide artists such as N.E.R.D., Rihanna, and Kanye West on The Glow in the Dark Tour. In March of 2008, Bam played drums at the SXSW (South by Southwest) Festival in Austin, TX for Hip-Hop artist David Banner, as well as recorded tracks with R&B artist Musiq Soulchild. From August through December 2008, Bam was the official drummer for the Coca-Cola College Tour, and in 2009, he was promoted to Lupe Fiasco’s Musical Director. In May of 2010, Bam founded and became CEO of Bammin Productions, Inc. He has signed several new artists, including Totihana Troutman (daughter of the late Roger Troutman of the group Zapp), John Leslie Brown (H.I.G.H. H.O.P.E.S), son of the world renowned motivational speaker, Leslie Brown, Sonya (Son’Jea) Davis, and Lady Johns. In August 2010, Bam accompanied Hip-Hop artist Nas for the Japanese Festival Tour.
Bam is an endorser of the world-renowned ProMark Drumsticks (D’Addario & Company), and has his very own Bam Alexander Signature drumsticks. He has completed several showcase CDs to market his talents around the world and has recently recorded with R&B artist Faith Evans, and Hip-Hop artists Busta Rhymes and Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, in which he will be featured on their upcoming CD releases. Bam is currently working with Mary J. Blige’s artist, Dave Young, Atlantic Records Hip-Hop artist T. I., Def Jam Hip-Hop artist Big Wax, and continues to rock the stage with Lupe Fiasco.
Kennieth “Bam” Alexander Jr.’s musical goal is to venture in every aspect of the music industry and his career thus far is just a milestone of what’s to come!