🚨WE LOST EYOB MEKONNEN 13 YEARS AGO TODAY 💔 📌August 18, 2013 (ነሀሴ12/2005) was the day Ethiopian music lost one of the most talented and beloved artists, Eyob Mekonnen. 📌Born in Jijiga in 1975 to an officer in the Ethiopian Army, growing up against the backdrop of war deeply played the biggest role of Eyob's lifelong commitment to anti-war themes, unity, and social consciousness. He took his inspiration from Bob Marley as well as Oromo music icons like Ali Birra, he helped shape a distinctly Ethiopian sound by blending reggae and roots music with Amharic lyrics and traditional influences. 📌Eyob's musical journey began with Zion Band before his solo breakthrough with Ende Kal in 2007. At a time when digital synthesizers dominated the scene, Eyob was a central figure in reviving full live band arrangements in Addis Ababa. Crafted over four years alongside collaborators like Haile Roots and Gossaye Tesfaye, Ende Kal was a slow burn masterpiece that gradually transformed modern Ethiopian music. 📌Songs like “Nekchalehu,” “Negen Layew,” “Man Ende Kal,” “Yekuankua Felasefa,” “Yene Konjo with Zeritu Kebede” and “Wekil Nesh” as well as his hit collaboration on Haile Roots' “Yalalewin” carried the warmth and awareness that made his music feel bigger than the genre itself. He also spearheaded his Finding Peace campaign and took his music internationally, performing across Canada and Europe. 📌At just 37, his life and career were cut short after suffering an ischemic stroke stemming from atrial fibrillation on August 13, 2013. When news spread of his condition at Hayat Hospital, fans and Yisakal Entertainment launched the grassroots "Let Us Pray for Eyob Mekonnen" movement, raising funds to transfer him to Nairobi for emergency treatment. Tragically, he passed away on August 18, 2013. 📌His second album, Erotalehu featuring tracks like “Semahuachew,” “Tekekel Nesh Anchi,” and “Man Yawekal” was posthumously released in 2017 by Yisakal Entertainment. Even though it has been 13 years, Eyob is still here in the songs, in the memories, and in the generation of Ethiopian artists and listeners who continue to carry his music forward. EYOB MEKONNEN || እዮብ መኮንን 🕊️🇪🇹 #Netelazema #EyobMekonnen #EthiopianMusic #Endekal #Erotalehu - @netelazemaet