Rophnan was raised in Addis Abeba, Ethiopia, where he was born. Out of his family’s total of 10, he is the ninth child. The name Rophnan is neither Amharic nor derived from any other language, but his father gave it to him after receiving a revelation while in a state of intense prayer. Rophnan began making tape recordings in his classroom when he was ten years old, singing and playing improvised drums to amuse his friends.
His distinctive musical style combines modern electronic music with instruments from Ethiopia. Rophnan’s debut mixtape, which he released at age 16, introduced him to the Ethiopian club scene. The mixtape was an instant hit, and DJs played it all over the nation in a market with few local producers. The remix of “Bemin Sebeb Litash” by Mahmoud Ahmed received the most attention. The remix demonstrated Rophnan’s talent for transforming classic rhymes and melodies into potent electronic anthems.
Rophnan kept performing as a DJ in Addis Abeba’s nightclubs and venues as he developed his own style, a fusion of contemporary music, distinctive vocals, and Ethiopian cultural elements. In the years that followed, Rophnan gradually became the biggest DJ in the nation while also introducing it to electronic music. He frequently performed three shows per night and had residencies in all the best clubs in Addis Abeba. Rophnan made sure that the only time anyone could hear his tracks was when he played them live. He kept his own music under wraps.
In this way, one of Rophnan’s signature songs, “Get To Work,” a Gurage-based beat, was released and played solely as part of Rophnan’s own DJ sets, making the song well-known among Addis Abeba’s youth without the need for a release. In Ethiopia, the development of electronic music and DJ culture was significantly influenced by Rophnan. He kept headlining more and more occasions, filling the largest venues.
