Bosko Kante
Grammy-Winning Music Producer · World-Renowned Talkbox Artist · Tech Founder & Inventor
With over 11 million records sold bearing his credits, Bosko Kante is a highly sought-after music producer, mechanical engineer, and one of the world's top talkbox artists. His signature sound has enhanced the careers of superstar artists such as Dua Lipa, Kanye West, Drake, Tupac, E-40, J. Cole, and Big Boi.
Recent Highlights
Bosko continues to cement his legacy in the entertainment industry. He wrote and performed the talkbox parts on Dua Lipa's Grammy-winning album, including the smash hit “Levitating,” which stands as the #11 biggest streaming song of all time. His dynamic live performances have been on full display, notably performing on NPR's iconic Tiny Desk with Bay Area legend E-40. Bosko also makes a featured appearance on the highly anticipated new De La Soul album, proving his talkbox mastery remains as relevant and in-demand as ever.
Origin Story
Born in Accra, Ghana, and raised in Portland, Oregon, Bosko's journey is as unique as his sound. As his high school's valedictorian, he earned a full academic scholarship to study Mechanical Engineering at the University of Southern California, where he also walked on to the #4 ranked Division I basketball team. While still in college, he landed his first major break producing the theme song for the hit network TV show In Living Color (feat. Jamie Foxx, Jim Carey, & Jennifer Lopez).
This led to a string of successes—a remix for E-40's hit “Sprinkle Me,” talkbox performances on Kanye West's The College Dropout (which won a Grammy for Best Rap Album), a Grammy nomination for Big Boi's “Shutterbugg,” and a feature on J. Cole's 2x Platinum single “Work Out.” Further appearances followed with Kelly Rowland & Big Boi, Flo Rida, and Janelle Monae.
Reinventing the Talkbox
Bosko's career took a pivotal turn when he was forced to lip-sync his talkbox part instead of performing live with Kanye West at the American Music Awards. Frustrated by the physical limitations of traditional talkbox equipment, he used his engineering background to reinvent the instrument. In 2014, he co-founded the music tech company ElectroSpit and invented the patented ESX-1—a mobile, tubeless talkbox. The ESX-1 launched via a wildly successful Kickstarter campaign funded in under 48 hours, won 1st Place & People's Choice at the prestigious Georgia Tech Guthman Musical Instrument Competition, and has been used by icons like David Guetta and Bosko's own idol, Stevie Wonder, who used it for the 50th Anniversary theme song of Sesame Street.
Giving Back — HiiiWAV
Even as he continues to grow ElectroSpit and perform on global stages, Bosko is deeply committed to giving back. He is the founder of HiiiWAV, an award-winning nonprofit Black music incubator in Oakland, California. HiiiWAV's accelerator programs have raised over $5 million to support artists in the Bay Area, and in 2023, HiiiWAV launched the first AI incubator for creatives—continuing to push the boundaries of technology and creativity, all in support of artists and creators. Through HiiiWAV, Bosko helps the next generation of musicians create their own tech-forward businesses—leveraging AI and AR—so they no longer have to depend solely on gigs and streaming to thrive.
Short Bio
Bosko Kante is a music producer, inventor, and mechanical engineer who has written and performed talkbox on Grammy-winning albums by Dua Lipa and Kanye West, including the #11 biggest streaming song of all time, “Levitating.” Recently, he performed on NPR's Tiny Desk with E-40 and is featured on the new De La Soul album. When he was forced to lip-sync his talkbox part instead of performing live on the American Music Awards with Kanye West, he decided to reinvent the instrument. He co-founded music tech company ElectroSpit Inc. and invented the Guthman Award-winning ESX-1 talkbox, used by David Guetta and Stevie Wonder. Bosko has produced and performed on songs with Drake, Bruno Mars, and Big Boi, and gives back by helping musicians create their own music tech businesses that leverage AI and AR at the award-winning nonprofit Black music incubator “HiiiWAV” he founded in Oakland, California.