Tigist Shibabaw

This article is about a person whose name includes a patronymic. The article properly refers to the person by her given name, Tigist, and not as Shibabaw.

Tigist Shibabaw (1980 – January 2008) was an Ethiopian singer and one of the original members of the Harlem-based hip hop fusion band Bole2Harlem.^[1] She was born in Chagni, Ethiopia, like her sister, the singer Gigi.

Tigist Shibabaw
Background information
Birth name	Tigist Shibabaw
Born	1980
Origin	Chagni, Ethiopia
Died	January 2008 (aged 27–28) Bahar Dar, Ethiopia
Genres	Ethiopian music hip hop
Occupation	Singer
Instrument	Vocals
Years active	2000–2008
Labels	Palm Pictures

Early life

Tigist was born and raised in Chagni, a small town in northwestern Ethiopia. She was one of ten siblings, born into a family of coffee farmers who relied on the local river for their harvest.^{[2][non-primary source needed]}

Career

Tigist immigrated to the United States in 2000 to pursue a career in music, joining her older sister Gigi, who was already a musician. Their father had initially forbidden Gigi from becoming an entertainer.^[2]

Tigist performed with her sister Gigi on Gigi's debut album; she then became a lead vocalist for Bole2Harlem. The group's co-founder and producer David Schommer described her voice and singing as "a vital part of Bole2Harlem's sound."^[3]

Death

Tigist died at the age of twenty-eight in Bahar Dar, Ethiopia, where she is said to have traveled on a pilgrimage shortly after she finished recording with Bole2Harlem circa January 2008. Details regarding the circumstances surrounding her death never emerged, including the exact date of her death;^[1][4] She was buried among family in Chagni, the town where she was born.^[5]

Discography

Artist	Album	Label	Year
Gigi	Gigi[5][6]	Palm Pictures	2001
Jah Wobble and Bill Laswell	Radioaxiom (A Dub Transmission)[5][7]	Palm Pictures	2001
Abyssinia Infinite	Zion Roots[5][8]	Network Medien	2003
Mandeng Eletrik	Man:De.Ng Eletrik[5][9]	Mulatta	2004
Various artists	African Dreams[10]	Ellipsis Arts	2004
Gigi	Gold And Wax[5][11]	Palm Pictures	2006
Bole 2 Harlem	Volume 1 [5][12]	Sounds of the Mushroom	2006
Various artists	Un Automne 2007[13]	Les Inrockuptibles	2007