Bambu (rapper)
Jonah Deocampo, better known by his stage name Bambu, is a Filipino-American community activist and rapper from Los Angeles, California. He has been called "one of the most well-respected indie musicians in the US".
The son of a Filipino emigrant mother, Bambu was raised in a working-class Los Angeles neighborhood which was characterized by a "wartime mentality." At the age of 15, he became involved with street gangs. At 16, he was arrested for armed robbery and spent time in Los Angeles' Central Juvenile Hall. Released at 18, Bambu was advised by a judge to join the United States Marine Corps, which he did. He served as a special operations training group instructor and spent time in East Timor, the Middle East, and Okinawa, Japan.
Bambu's Exrcising a Demon is a 5-part series that weaves voices from Filipino-American gang members as a means of documenting early 1980s and 1990s Los Angeles. Article I: A Few Left was released in September 2018, and Article II: Brother Hoods was released in June 2019.
Bambu's music deals with themes of police brutality, racial prejudice and economic inequality. His music often alludes to leftist figures, including Karl Marx, Vladimir Lenin, and Mao Zedong. For example, his 2007 album ...i scream bars for the children... features a song entitled "Chairman Mao."
Bambu was the Secretary General of Kabataang Makabayan USA in Los Angeles.
He is a resident of Oakland, California.
He also has a deal with FlipTop Battle League, showing in their live events, recently at the FlipTop Festival.
During the height of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, Bambu released a 7-song album "Sharpest Tool In The Shed." The album finds Bambu continuing his staunch critique of the status quo, as well as giving words of support to his listeners as they work through the pandemic.