Ecks got involved early on in the arts, playing Helios the Sun God in the opera Persephone.[6]
In the early 1990s, he began releasing music within the San Diego hip hop scene; notably with the Masters of the Universe crew.[7][8] Touring under the stage names Sumach Ecks and Randy Johnson,[7] his first band was called Plant Lyphe.[6]
Ecks gained notice from Warp Records in 2008 after an appearance on Californian musician Flying Lotus' album Los Angeles, on which he sings on the track "Testament".[8] His Warp debut album, A Sufi and a Killer, was released March 8, 2010.[9]
Ecks' voice has been described by Pitchfork as "a scraggly, scary, smoked-out croak that creeps like the spiritual offspring of George Clinton and Lead Belly".[8] He attributes his singing style to his day job teaching yoga, where he was forced to learn how to "project from [his] stomach more".[8] His music is largely experimental, fusing urban beats with psychedelic flourishes.[10][11]
Besides singing and rapping,[12] Ecks also serves as a producer,[13] DJ,[14] and yoga teacher.[5]
On August 19, 2016, Gonjasufi released the album, Callus, which featured contributions from Pearl Thompson.[15]
