Curt Cohiba (Rashidi Yamir) is the son of a DJ from the south side of Chicago (Father) and an IBM programmer from Cabrini Green (Mother.) Rashidi Yamir was born in March of 1991, the pinnacle of hip-hop and the era of Michael Jordan. Thus, Curt fell in love with the philosophy of music and basketball. He started his early 20’s as an MC and a basketball coach, which led to him becoming a full time counselor. Curt studied Film and almost anything having to do with a message at Loyola University Chicago where he received a Bachelors degree in Communication.
Curt founded L.O.T.T.O. Entertainment (Learn Only To Teach Others) in 2010 during his sophomore year of college. He started the brand Learn Only To Teach Others to build an intangible bridge from college to low-income communities and to also provide a platform for people to master a craft and then teach it in the future. Curt is adamant about this philosophy: “We learn from every situation every day.” He also believes humans learn the most through things that entertain them.
Rashidi Ya works with philanthropists and community activist around the Chicago-land area. In the midst of mentoring, running his organization, facilitating group therapy and performing with his live band, Curt writes unorthodox controversial lyrics that express the frustrations of some of his colleagues as the voice of how they truly feel about being a young professional in America.