Timbuktu

Biography

Jason Michael Bosak Diakité (born 11 January 1975 in Lund), better known by his stage name Timbuktu, is a Swedish rapper and singer, songwriter and television host. He took his stage name from the city of Timbuktu in Mali, a country where his father, Madubuko Diakité, has roots.

Early life

Timbuktu is the son of Madubuko Diakité, a U.S. born Swedish human rights lawyer and academic. He grew up in Lund and is a native speaker of both English and Swedish, as his parents are from the United States.

Career

Timbuktu started his career in the mid-1990s as part of the rap group Excel before going solo as Timbuktu. The inspiration for the pseudonym comes from the city of Timbuktu in Mali, where his father's family originally comes from.
Jason “Timbuktu” Diakité is one of Sweden’s most well-known and respected hip-hop artists. He released his first music in 1996 and has since released 10 solo albums and numerous singles of which the vast majority have reached Gold or Platinum status. His accolades also include eight Swedish Grammy awards, and four P3 Guld (Swedish radio) awards. Timbuktu’s highly acclaimed most recent album, "Du Gamla Du Nya×Du gamla du nya20 August 2021 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracks1Tydligt3:592Hundra år till3:363Koltrasten2:454Bars från ett b‐barn2:495Comme ci, comme ça2:536Dagdröm3:337Dumba nengue3:588Våga våga3:049Inga palmer4:4510Viva3:4611Måla rosa3:2712Du gamla du nya3:24", came out in 2021. On it he collaborated with Chords, Patrick Collén and Mapei, among others. On the back of this, Timbuktu released a new single with Sabina Ddumba called “Bygga Nytt” and collaborated with Mapei and Pontus Winnberg to create the children's song collection "Lullabies". In 2023 Timbuktu was the first Swedish artist to appear as a guest on the Norwegian version of "Så Mycket Bättre", called "Hver Gang Vi Møtes" after being one of very few artists to do the Swedish edition twice. Alongside his good friend, chef Marcus Samuelsson, Timbuktu also created the podcast "This Moment", featuring guests like Al Gore, Margot Wallström and Alice Bah Kuhnke.
In 2016 Jason released his first book, the critically acclaimed “En Droppe Midnatt” ("A Drop of Midnight"). It has sold more than 130,000 copies in Sweden and it entered the sales charts in both Sweden and Norway. A subsequent edition came out in English through Amazon Publishing. In "A Drop of Midnight" Jason tracks his family's history from the slave plantations in South Carolina to the welfare state Sweden. It's a gripping tale of ancestry, identity, resistance, racism and a longing to belong. In the fall of 2017 "En Droppe Midnatt" was turned into a hugely successful stage performance that played to full houses in both Sweden and Norway. On June 6th, 2022 the American version, “A Drop of Midnight”, opened at Harlem Stage in New York and played for six consecutive evenings. Then, on January 17, 2024, they showcased "A Drop of Midnight" in New York in conjunction with APAP, the largest conference in the USA for theater producers.
Timbuktu has continued to evolve as a writer, and his book about meat sauce, written with Joel Åhlin and Harald Wachtmeister, gained a lot of attention. He also continued to explore children's literature with Matilda Westerman and collaborated with Michael Bekele to create the audio drama "Härifrån", which won a Guldöra in 2023. In April 2024, the first TV series in which Jason has a major acting role, "Allt och Eva" (Warner Bros/Viaplay), will be released.
Timbuktu has hosted several shows on national Swedish radio like the music aid (radio and television show) Musikhjälpen from its start in 2008 until 2012, he received a Nordic language award and performed for audiences all over the world, from various corners of Africa to Svalbard, from the legendary the Apollo Theatre in NYC to the Roxy Theatre in LA, at the Polar Music Prize and at the Nobel Peace Prize. In 2023, Jason was appointed an honorary doctor by Lund University for his innovative authorship and versatile artistic work, capturing and reflecting on essential aspects of humanistic thought and research.

Other engagements

Timbuktu is active as a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations Association of Sweden and previously served on the board of the Spoon Order Foundation. His autobiography, "En droppe midnatt" (A Drop of Midnight), was released in October 2016. The book traces his family history from slavery in the United States to the Swedish welfare state. In the autumn of 2017, it was adapted for the stage by director Farnaz Arbabi, with a subsequent Swedish tour in 2018.

Albums

As part of Excel

1999: Bright Lights, Big City
Solo

Live albums

Singles

As part of Excel

Solo (as Timbuktu)

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