Cirius B
emerged when two musically talented cousins
from Baltimore, Maryland, Omari "North Star" Forman-
Bey and Maimouna "Lunar
Eclipse" Youssef, collaborated to create their own unique
Hip-Hop style. Nurtured in
a community of versatile artists, the sounds of Jazz and African
rhythms were infused into
their vast repertoire.
Today a full band accompanies the Hip-Hop duo with Ryan Smith on
percussions, James Allen
on the trumpet, Issa Lambson on Saxophone, Joel Holmes on piano
and Mike Matthew on bass.
Lunar Eclipse is a phenomenal vocalist, M.C., musician and film-
maker. She attended New
York Film Academy where she completed her first short film
entitled "Confronting
Colonization." North Star is an extremely gifted lyricist,
trumpet player and dijembe
drummer. Currently, he is a music major at the University of the
Arts in Philadelphia.
Cirius B has performed at a number of exciting venues over the
years. The pair was
featured at the Down Home Folk Festival in Richmond, Virginia
and performed at the premier
of Haile Gerima's critically acclaimed film "Sankofa."
In November 2002,
accomplished actor Danny Glover requested Cirius B to perform
for his inauguration as
Chairman of TransAfrica in Washington, D.C. Invited by New York
City's International Jazz
Educator's Conference, Cirius B had the opportunity to share
their unique talents and
express their ideas on the Jazz movement in the Twenty-first
century.
Cirius B has performed at prestigious historical institutions
such as the Baltimore Museum
of Art and the Smithsonian Institute. Colleges throughout
Maryland, D.C., Virginia and New
York love the youthful vibrancy and originality Cirius B brings
to their universities.
They have been the musical accompaniments to many outstanding
productions at Arena
Playhouse, Center Stage, Turner Auditorium at Johns Hopkins
University and various
nightclub venues.
Cirius B is determined to utilize Hip-Hop to heal our
communities, reconnect generations
and inspire productivity.
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