PRESS RELEASE

King Wawa and The Oneness Kingdom Band (OKB) are bringing the RESPECT MOVEMENT to the Bay Area and the world community. His newest release, ”Respect Movement ”, due out this Summer, 2005, is the seed of the RESPECT MOVEMENT. It is the spiritual soundtrack to deliver the healing power of love and humanhood to all. The essence of this music is to bring enlightenment to the soul, the heart, the body, and the mind with the unique purpose to take us to a sea of Higher Understanding and communication, not only with ourselves, but with the Universe, from which we receive all life.

 From its earliest beginnings on the Continent of Africa, the music in King Wawa's spirit has been passed on through generations and generations of his ancestors and has been transported to where his family has continued to express and pass on the musical tradition. It has been a life mission of King Wawa to bring ancestral music to the world's people, and by his music, to preserve the vibrancy and vitality of all indigenous cultures.

As leader of The Oneness Kingdom Band since 1994, King Wawa has performed at many well-known clubs, festivals, and events and has toured California , the Carribean, Europe and the northwestern United States . King Wawa is not only an accomplished singer, percussionist, guitarist, and songwriter—he is passionate about spreading a message of spiritual enlightenment and well-being to all people. Singing songs of peace, love, social justice and politics, King Wawa uses his music as a vehicle to raise awareness of the world's economic and political hardships. He does this with joy, authority, and authenticity while bringing together listeners of all backgrounds and nationalities.

As King Wawa continued his musical pursuits in New York City, he was moved by artists such as Aretha Franklin, Patti La Belle, The Isley Brothers, James Brown, and Jimi Hendrix, but the singer-songwriter is especially inspired by the world beat musicians Fela Kuti, Salif Keita, Miriam Makeba, and Bob Marley. Coupe Cloue and Boukman Eksperyans have made a significant impact on King Wawa's sensibilities as well, but “it was really a band called Jazz Des Jeunes that opened my mind and revived my spirit when I was a kid growing up.”

The Oneness Kingdom is an original band skillfully flavored with a distinctive variety of music destined to transport the listener to a different world. Their music includes the rhythmic, soulful sounds of the Caribbean, Latin America, and Africa . The sound is tropically unique with a magic pulsation agreeable to the heart and powered to make you dance.

Following the success of their first album “Oneness” released in 1998, King Wawa and The Oneness Kingdom Band plan to debut their sophomore project, “Respect Movement” this Fall. “OKB is all about respect, working together and being yourself” chimes the soulful singer. “It's the name of the movement.”