In the late 90s, Amith Boteju’s family escaped the civil war unrest in Sri-Lanka and fled to the US. His life has had a lot of ups and downs since then. Being from a middle-class family and a minority in America, he had to go through a lot of trouble to become the talented musician, entrepreneur, and philanthropist he is today.
While growing up in Los Angeles, California, he was bullied in high school. Learning English was also a huge hurdle since it was not his first language. He was first introduced to the Hip-Hop and Rap culture due to the African-American community. They welcomed him with open hands and treated him like their own. Being a minority in the US, he was able to relate to them and learn about their hardships. He enjoyed their culture and wanted to pursue a career in music. While other Sri-Lankan students were studying to become engineers, doctors, lawyers, etc., he was busy perfecting his rapping techniques. He did not finish his college degree and started to focus on music. Professionally known as AmithWorldWide in the Hip-Hop and Rap industry, he released his debut single, “Money Long”, in 2019. Akon recognized his talent and invited him to perform on his domestic tour. Today, he works with great celebrities like Ne-Yo, Jason Derulo, etc.
Amith also has a fashion line called “Born in Sri-Lanka” as an ode to his roots. He has launched a project to solve the energy crisis in Sri-Lanka with Akon. He is also the Director of business development at Akoin, a cryptocurrency and block-chain ecosystem started by Akon. Akoin aims to connect all the emerging entrepreneurs and millenials throughout the world.
Amith Boteju is a talented and dedicated person who has a large number of skills under his hat. A rapper, songwriter, record producer, and entrepreneur, he has achieved so much at such a young age. But this is just the beginning and still has a long way to go.
