But it’s not just rapping that he uses to express himself. What the hell! My grandfather had a farm in his back garden. I’m telling you, this year I’ve seen more positivity than I have in my whole life. It's a normal city with a lot of blocks, a lot of hoods,” he continues. Pa wears fleece and nylon pullover Paria Farzaneh, nylon trousers. At school, most of the people teaching me thought I was a dickhead. Treading the line between rapping and singing, he has frequently been compared to J Hus, a fellow British artist of Gambian origin. ... Royal Family Responds to Harry and Meghan’s Interview, Piers Morgan Quits. Pa Salieu is the 22-year-old artist who exploded onto the UK rap scene with his single Frontline back in January. I don’t know how to explain it but it was such an experience. It was scary, I felt weird but I knew I wasn’t going to die. It's powerful. Wearing an ever so slightly glossy black tracksuit which carries reflective taped lines down its pants and top, with a feathery black-and-off-white Louis Vuitton scarf draped messily around his neck, he bares no signs of fatigue despite being up until at least 4am, in a different city, the night before. "It's not a village. Some of this social awkwardness can be traced back to school. I’m scary. Our generation ain’t a joke! He would talk about what was happening on the roads so unapologetically. Interview. Then, two weeks later, I’m on stage with a shaved head with GoldLink, playing the O2 (in Birmingham). You’d probably think I’m weird. He always looked at shit outside the box. I know how important culture and unity is. 23 January 2021 (released) 08 February 2021. Pa Salieu is Coventry’s hopeful rap star The 22-year-old Coventry, England native’s music is making noise throughout the U.K. by joining elements of afroswing, rap, and dancehall. Pa Salieu's new mixtape 'Send Them To Coventry' will be released on November 13th. Griff, Pa Salieu and Rina Sawayama nominated for Brits Rising Star. Julian Brimmers speaks with the UK upstart about his run so far, and his unique perspective on pressure, fame and success. I go to the studio (and I’m) writing, writing; I’m so focused. Photo by Will Robson-Scot. You know, this generation is different; we ain’t taking shit, man. One of Pa Salieu’s most notable strengths is his vocal range. It’s a little album, you get an entrance into who I am, there’s a lot of flows because, you see, I have no genre. CLIP 03/09/21. I know people get it, and I know more people will get it. ... Royal Family Responds to Harry and Meghan’s Interview, Piers Morgan Quits. My auntie influenced me. I went to the Black Lives Matter protests – it was mad seeing the unity of everyone, I feel strong on it. Which one were you leaning toward? Born in Slough before moving to the Midlands, the 23-year-old has been making waves through his ability to blend the sounds of British cities with the rhythmic pace of Gambian dancehall and West-African percussion, crafting stories that tell the truth about inner-city living without glorifying their hardships. If a kid’s hungry and he knows where he can get money, he will, you know? Now I have a chance.’ This thing that is happening with me right now, it’s a gateway. You wake up, walk to school, all you see is fiends, come home, all you see is fiends. Features / Interviews . Before him, Pa smiles, it was The Specials. I like anything woke. If you were on the hunt for the new face of afro-futuristic rap, Coventry might not be the first place you’d look. Pa Salieu: I don’t know, you’ll see me like I’m possessed or something! So I helped, taking my brother and sister to school. I don’t feel like I’ve done enough yet, I ain’t nowhere close to building my school, but I have to, I have to do it. “Sometimes I can't speak to people, and I find myself alone. They used to have a monkey at the house, and there was a whole field of mangoes behind our yard. Two, three shows later, I'm doing interviews: "Pa, why do you always bring a drum on stage?" Interview. By Julian Brimmers November 10, 2020. If you’re in the hood, you’re in the hood, wherever you are. I’m not a punchline rapper, you’re going to have to listen to what I’m saying. Taking out his iPhone, he excitedly plays “Betty,” one of two new tracks, which might be his best, most radical-sounding song yet. Treading the line between rapping and singing, he has frequently been compared to J Hus, a fellow British artist of Gambian origin. Here, the artist and activist speaks to her friend and I May Destroy You creator, Michaela Coel, about a new batch of music inspired by a wave of freedom. All of us are here to change things. The hardcore track, produced by Felix Joseph and AOD features a … Last year you were shot. There's one of two ways you could have felt afterwards: that you're invincible, or that we're all incredibly close to death. You posted a picture of yourself with FKA twigs, have you guys been working together? What opportunities were we getting? I loved Tupac. The eldest Pa was a beacon for the family, a man who “everyone looked up to” and provided for his siblings. How did you adapt to life back in the UK? There's 100,000 people out there who feel the same way I feel, you get me? Which, to most people, is a pretty crazy story. It's my generation. People are dying around me when I'm trying to make the names live on and I die? There was a phase where I was researching into his life a lot. An ambulance took me to the hospital and I remember seeing my dad cry. With each successive song and verse, he’s finding his own voice. That changed everything. In England, one punitive response to perceived bad behavior is to exclude young students from school. I’m dark, my African accent is strong but it was even stronger back then. MTV PUSH UK & IRE 2021. Taken from the autumn/winter 2020 issue of Dazed. Trust me, I'm not dying. We didn't go to the shop to buy chicken — we had chickens in our compound. Things really took off with “Frontline”, a gritty and urgent tale of “block life” set against twisting and colliding beats, which became Radio 1Xtra’s most-played song of 2020 to date and amassed more than three million views on YouTube. An ambient paranoia courses through Pa's small, diverse set of songs, sharing something murky and slyly vicious in common with The Specials’ most essential hits. Pa Salieu: I got a criminal record young for carrying a blade. I was very proud of who I was, that’s what Gambia did to me. I've been getting so many sounds [from her]. Pa Salieu: I had this Romanian friend, he was an international student and he had this studio setup where you could record music. My dad worked in factories most his life and my mum does cleaning and that; they both worked so hard, and that immigrant parent workaholic mindset, it transcends, it rubs off on your kid, it’s sick. I’d only seen beaches when I was in Gambia. In those times it wasn’t ‘cool’ to be African – well, it was always cool to me. Pa Salieu speaks to Eve Jackson about growing up on the frontline, how his African heritage and time in The Gambia helped him stay on the right … It was one of the best stage entrances in U.K. rap this year. So, that whole month, I had been listening to those tunes going to school. Where did it connect with your head?At the back; twenty pellets, a shotgun. People haven’t even heard of Coventry, but to someone coming from the ends, where I’m coming from, I want them to feel comfortable, I want them to know that it’s in reach, it’s your time! Then, on September 1st 2018, my friend AP got killed. Now that’s what’s happening here too. I always fought back. Now renowned for his versatile, genre-splicing songs, Pa Salieu is carving his own lane in the UK music scene. The vibes are different, and I don't know how to explain. Charmingly vulnerable and coy in conversation, Pa has a lot to be happy about right now, even in the face of some scarcely believable set-backs. He called it ‘hood representative’. Music is one of the keys to that and I think it’s going to be a big key in uniting Africa, I’m telling you. Griff, Pa Salieu and Rina Sawayama have been nominated for the Brits rising star award, which recognises pop's ones-to-watch for the coming year. My grandfather built a madrasa (Islamic college); me and my cousin were the first ones to go and now there’s about 600 students. In Gambia, it was a farm. Pa Salieu: I’ve been in full work mode. From there, his tracks only got weirder and darker, with “Bang Out” sampling the silky and ghostly jams of UK jungle favourite, Japan’s “Ghosts”. Pa Salieu made his US TV debut on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, performing his song Frontline.. What type of music did you grow up listening to? CLIP 03/09/21. The family named 23-year-old Pa Salieu after his late uncle, his father’s eldest brother who was a police officer in Gambia and was killed in a motorbike accident while on duty. Money is money. His growling and booming delivery has made his 2020 singles run, from “Betty” to … She does folk music, innit. It is a fear, that’s why the word ‘Black’ is censored in the title. I bet your mum is proud of you – what a few years... Pa Salieu: She is. For reasons musical and physical, he’s also earned comparisons with fellow “Gambian bruda” J Hus. It's not like 50 years ago, but the government are more crud than anything. One of the most exciting names in UK rap right now, Coventry’s Pa Salieu is taking the country by storm ... MTV PUSH UK & IRE 2021 Exclusive Interview Spotlights. In 1981, Coventry band The Specials’ seminal hit, a perfect storm of creepy ska and political invective, struck a chord with the British public. And yet somehow, Pa Salieu – the Coventry rapper taking UK rap into a mutant future – is having the time of his life. I had this idea that I told my manager about: I'm a Gambian boy, and I'm thinking of getting a drum from back home and, every show, I come on-stage, place it down, do my performance, take it away. I won’t talk. This article previously appeared on Audiomack World.. Coventry-raised Pa Salieu cannot be ignored. I hear some dancehall and American rap for sure. I don't think God works like that. What aspects of being woke do you mean? Take me back to Hillfields – how did it all start for you? She’s a good woman, man. I didn’t take any of it; I stood my ground. I felt like the school was taking me for a dickhead, and so I’d sit in the exclusion room listening to tunes on my cousin’s MP3 player. “Shook” but unflinching, Salieu trusted Calver’s confidence in him and played an unreleased track to a crowd who, for the most part, didn’t yet know his name. was murdered. I’m proud of everyone I’m working with. The FADER: Tell me a little bit about your other early musical interests. “Shook” but unflinching, Salieu trusted Calver’s confidence in him and played an unreleased track to … How would you describe her sound? I believe in the blessings of a mother. That’s ‘Frontline’, you know what I’m saying? This is part of the story; it just has to be. For example, ‘Frontline’ is about my area in Coventry, but there are frontlines all around the world – London, New York, anywhere. What did you find interesting about him?He spoke with his chest. During our interview, he frequently pauses to make sure I’m hearing him, asks my name to make sure he’s hearing me. You’d probably think I’m weird” – Pa Salieu. I’ve worked in warehouses for Hermes and Amazon; I can hack any kind of work but I only lasted two weeks; it was crazy. Sharing both a Gambian heritage and a polyamorous attitude to genre, Salieu has been likened by many to J-Hus, a comparison that doesn’t faze either artist. His breakthrough hit ‘Frontline’ , which dropped right at the start of the year, is an ode to Hillsfield - the residential suburb in Coventry where Pa was raised - but its “mazza on the frontline” message also speaks to those living in inner-city estates. I was a proper grandbaby, you know? “Same hardships you'd see here [in London] or anywhere else.”. There’s more than just a UK scene; it’s London, Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham – seeing (Manchester rapper) Aitch, that makes my heart go... It’s mad. You saw how racist this country is, I feel like we’re very stubborn now and nothing’s going to pass us like that, you know? I am never working in no warehouse again. “Coventry is just hood,” Pa exclaims. I remember so much from when I was there, even though I was just a kid. I remember so much from when I was there, even though I was just a kid. “Pa is a clear example of how, no matter what strategy you have, if the music is strong enough, it can cut through,” she said in a phone interview. Is there any collaboration down the line? “I’m happy! Pa Salieu: Yeah. I'm trying to explain my story, but be woke with it. There are so many great people in our generation, and I don't see color. Pa is holed up — at least temporarily — in a London apartment for a few months now, having relocated to the capital for reasons of convenience. All I know is what I saw. Pa Salieu has been shortlisted for the BRIT Awards’ 2021 Rising Star prize, which recognises the future stars of UK pop. But I will start with what I've seen. In what ways has Gambian culture influenced you? This is exactly what I'm trying to do as well: woke with it. Born in Slough, Salieu moved to The Gambia to live with his grandparents for five years, before returning to the UK to join his mum and younger brother and sister in Hillfields, a deprived area of Coventry (his brother, Tee, joined him for this shoot). Class of 2021: Pa Salieu. I got straight back up. I want to build schools back home in Gambia. I never went out of the (area), like I said; I never even went to the seaside. You’d go round the corner and there was a street full of prostitutes. She doesn’t know how to say no, just like my grandma. She’s just sick. In January Hus tweeted, “I messaged Pa Salieu & told him not to watch what ppl are saying, to keep pushing & to be a Militérian.” To which Pa replied, “bro, I was born a Militérian.” But you only need to take one listen to “Block Boy”, the new single from his debut mixtape, Send Them to Coventry, to know that Salieu is operating on a totally different plane – a million miles from the trivia, and the trappings, of radio rotation rap. Although I’m struggling to put my finger on what exactly it is I like about his project just gives off a certain vibe that I fw I’ve been shot at. Interview. This article previously appeared on Audiomack World.. Coventry-raised Pa Salieu cannot be ignored. I remember one time my grandma took me on the ferry from Banjul, the capital city, and we ended up in this small village called Fas Chaho. The Coventry rapper, alongside fellow nominees Griff and Rina Sawayama, was selected by a panel of industry experts including songwriters, press and online music editors, producers and radio & TV heads of music for the award. Pa Salieu, a rapper and grime artist from Hillfields, Coventry (Image: Will Robson-Scott) He was subsequently interviewed on BBC Coventry and Warwickshire’s breakfast show … 2020 had barely begun when — almost overnight — he became one of the hottest names in U.K. rap after his bright-but-tense smash “Frontline” went viral. I have this outlet; I get to build something. Pa Salieu: I had this Romanian friend, he was an international student and he had this studio setup where you could record music. December 6, 2020 12:00pm. I walked downstairs and told one of my boys, ‘I think I’ve been shot... am I bleeding?’ I turn around, he’s seeing blood everywhere, he takes me to the toilet, my friends get some blue hand towels, they’re trying to put them on my head, and I’m like, no, fuck this, I’m not dying in a toilet. I am a representative of my hood, of any hood. Pa Salieu is on the cover of Mixmag issue 349 – read his cover feature below. Did you pick up on other cultural things: music, art, food? Order your copy now. Pa Salieu is hungry.The British-Gambian rapper is at his first NME cover shoot in London, and it’s running a tad late. Fresh on the music scene, rapper Pa Salieu has been recognised as one of the UK's most promising new talents. The doors closed, the lift went up and one second later these two women come out of the other lift right next to me, looking for the kid. Woke. So when people at school dissed me about being African, I wasn’t gonna let it go. “It's up to people like me, to be honest, to bring Coventry back.”. What were you like at school in Coventry? I’m African, I’m proud, this is me, this is who you’re going to get. Pa Salieu, in particular, has never felt so strongly about telling stories of what it means to be second-generation Gambian, born in the UK into violence and poverty. His first song to break was 2019’s “Dem A Lie,” an unsparing rap song with skittering drums and g-funk whistles. The eldest Pa was a beacon for the family, a man who “everyone looked up to” and provided for his siblings. After his grandmother died in 2016, he sunk into depression, and writing poetry became a way of coping with her loss. I grew up around white people, I grew up around Black people, Indian, Kurdish, Afghan, Pakistani, you know? It had a studio so it was a chance to do music. People seeing it. Where “My Family” depicts the grit of Hillfields, “Betty”, his other smash track, is richly melodic; club-ready and dancehall-tinged. I understand why I have certain traits, they’re from her. I remember my 18th birthday. Did you help on the farm?Nah. We get to learn more about Pa Salieu’s heritage and what life was like in Coventry when he was at school: “The Gambian-British rapper has many reasons to be happy, despite everything. She’s a good woman. Pa Salieu's new mixtape 'Send Them To Coventry' will be released on November 13th. On “Ghost Town,” the band mourned the tragic post-industrial demise of their native city, which in their telling was becoming “a ghost town” where “bands won’t play no more.” The song, despite its gloomy, unambiguous political messaging, spent three weeks at number one on the U.K. charts. Don't worry, I'll explain it in my mixtape. She's in Gambia now, and I've been telling my cousin, “Yo, make sure you're recording her!” She's sick. I remember being very interested in 2Pac's story — very interested. It was my outlet. Vybz Kartel, Tupac... Music was a release for me. I'm pissed. I don’t think I do.”. It's crazy, man. Effortlessly blending African melodies with the raw siren-laced London soundscape, it sent Twitter into a tizz with many commenting on the track’s resemblance to early J hus. Here? Pa Salieu: I got sent there so my mum could be the breadwinner for her parents – till the day my grandma died, mum would always be sending money back. But by skating over Pa Salieu, you’d be doing the scene a solid disservice. It was for my defence; I’m from the hood but they don’t understand that. Buzzing Gambian-British rapper, Pa Salieu shares the music video for his new single 'Bang Out.' Even on bite-sized speakers, its combination of abrasive performance and towering drums feels monumental. I'm trying to have an impact, to have a good influence. Shoutout to Pa Salieu, just got into him before his new project dropped and I’d say it’s one of my favourites of the year so far. I can’t put my mum through that. Watch The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon highlight 'Pa Salieu: Frontline' on NBC.com. Did coming that close to death alter your outlook on life? By Julian Brimmers November 10, 2020. I'm not violent but I do have to explain the violence that I've seen; everything inflicted on me. Once he died, music started to pick up for me. The only positive thing I used to see was my mum and my sister. Able to switch from deep, almost demonic tones to a smooth, more melodic style, he also invokes Jamaican vocalists like Vybz Kartel and Tommy Lee Sparta. A list of fundraisers you can support right now. I like to be on my own too, to do my own thing and just get to work. Class Of 2021: Buzzard Buzzard Buzzard. She’s just been giving and giving my whole life, and no one ever gave back to her. Shortly thereafter, a still-grieving Pa was hauled by a friend to a studio run by a guy named Jam, who would give Pa free studio time, helping him make music during lively sessions. Taken from the Autumn 2020 issue. I just tap in when I’m there. And the young British-Gambian rapper has arrived with a mythological backstory: trauma, decamping to a family farm in his ancestral homeland, a frighteningly close-to-call near-death experience. I've been stereotyped a lot because of my skin tone. My grandma liked to go off sometimes and be isolated; she’d go on these religious pilgrimages – you know when you just cut? This admission comes as no surprise. By Colin Gannon I’m so proud of all this stuff going on. There, Pa met his manager, and things have fallen into place ever since. This is about unity. I’ve been pinned down for most of my life, so I’m not going to let it happen with something I enjoy, with something that I can control. Though sleekly dressed, he’s no poser. Pa Salieu Gaye (born 1 July 1997) is a British rapper from Coventry.In January 2020 he released his debut single "Frontline", which was the most played track of 2020 on BBC 1Xtra.He has since featured on songs with South London's SL for "Hit the Block", Meekz, M1llionz and Teeway for "Year of The Real" and joined Backroad Gee and Ambush for the remix to "Party Popper". Mum was a cleaner, she was a hard worker and out a lot of the time. Its focus on tales of life growing up in Coventry. Trust me. Following a late-night in Birmingham where he performed at a club night, the 22-year-old’s mind is on his home city, which is still recovering from a prolonged aerial attack by the German Luftwaffe in 1940, as well as economy-annihilating car factory closures in later decades. ‘Hood representative’ always stuck with me. I started freestyling and I just loved it. When my grandmother died, that’s when I thought, fuck that, the ends is not drawing me out. Pa Salieu: I knew I wasn’t going to die. Newsdesk . Pa Salieu: Yeah! AP had started this clothing line Money Moves. I can’t get a proper job, so I have to put one hundred into what I do. I went to Ikea and got into a lift; there were these two white women and a kid who saw me coming in. Pa Salieu. The only part I loved about it is the culture. I know Urdu words, Afghan words, I know Somali words. We shared the same vision, you know? “See me, being like this, not being able to speak to people. AP was one of the only people to really motivate me. Misconceptions about cities like Coventry, propagated by Londoners and denizens of larger English cities, are rife. Abused by kids for his dark complexion, he'd often retaliate, ending up in trouble with his teachers. The favourite, innit. Last July at Lovebox, Tiffany Calver brought Pa Salieu out, last minute, to perform live for the first time. That’s why I want to give back. I did not listen to music like that. Mum is always shocked when she reads the stories in my interviews. The family named 23-year-old Pa Salieu after his late uncle, his father’s eldest brother who was a police officer in Gambia and was killed in a motorbike accident while on duty. There were huts and donkeys everywhere; Gambia is just a different feeling, you know? With a criminal record, a normal nine-to-five went out the window for me. But why? The hood is a draw-out for kids. The rapper was born in Slough, before he moved to live with his relatives in Gambia for six years when he was young and later returned to the UK and settling in Coventry when he was eight. When you woke up, did it feel like a miracle had happened? She reached out to me and I fucked with her energy straight away. The song — like much of his music — takes cues from afroswing, dancehall, and American rap. “What I’ve Seen is That a Scar Will Stay:” An Interview with Pa Salieu. OK, I get it. The Gambian-British rapper has many reasons to be happy, despite everything. For example, when it's time to eat in Gambia, we call the neighbors, fam — from everywhere. The farm was literally in the back garden...well, it wasn't actually a back garden. So when I got the chance to come to London to do music, to leave the strip and meet someone or get a link to go to the studio, I knew I had to really go for it. I was close to death, but I felt everything. So many people I went to primary school with turned into crackheads or died because of the roads. He’s one of those vocal artists whose speaking voice belies their performance range: the guy who snarls on “Frontline” about whipping white like Django is somewhere else. I used to climb the mango trees all the time; these are experiences that you can’t have here. You’re not going to take the piss out of me. “(In the studio) you’ll see me like I’m possessed or something! Julian Brimmers speaks with the UK upstart about his run so far, and his unique perspective on pressure, fame and success. If you wait for me, you'll see how this guy has matured in the music. Hair Nathaniel Bury, make-up Kristina Ralph Andrews at Future Rep, additional cast Tee Demba, set design Fin Sullivan, photographic assistant Darren Karl-Smith, styling assistants Archie Grant, Guy Miller, Andra-Amelia Buhai, movement director Abdourahman Njie, DOP Jake Gabbay, production Rebecca Williams, post-production Purple Martin, animal handler Ryheem Gordon, special thanks The Columbia Hotel, Pa wears nylon puffer vest Dsquared2, cotton vest Hanes, aluminium jawbone Shaun Leane for Alexander McQueen SS98, silver pendant necklace Alighieri, silver ring, Striking photos of the women who defined 90s hip hop, From Missy Elliott to Erykah Badu and Lauryn Hill, we commemorate the women who defined the roots of the genre with photographer Eric Johnson, Tee Demba wears all clothes Saul Nash. Coventry is not like London; there’s less opportunity. The years in Gambia were the most important years [in my life], up until I was 8 or 9. But it’s never touched, you know? I don't feel like I'm invincible but, no way, I'm not dying. Taken from the Autumn 2020 issue. The first interview I want to bring in is from DAZED. One of Pa Salieu’s most notable strengths is his vocal range. In the last 12 months, he has become one of the most hyped new musicians in the country, with everyone from FKA twigs to Virgil Abloh tapping his talent. Pa Salieu: I grew up listening to my auntie in the car. I won’t talk. Pa Salieu: I was just feeling energies, I deep everything in it: ‘Skin tone black, the lifestyle Black, but they fear the fact.’ You know what I’m saying? I started freestyling and I just loved it. I just found it relatable. I’d go to the toilet and there would be racist shit written all over the walls. Though this cut was featured on HBO show Ballers, it was actually 2020's alarm-system-siren-screaming “Frontline” — recorded two years prior — that blew his name up, highlighting his knack for melody and unpredictable, elliptical rapping. That was my grandmother. Salieu’s lyrics don’t sugarcoat his experiences of hardship and violence growing up (several bullets remain lodged in his skull today after he was shot at last year), and yet, there are slickly playful moments that permeate the darkness. Interview. School failed me. How’s life? Lyrically, your song ‘B***k’ is both a celebration of culture and a critique of racism. My grandma lived in a town called Bundung and my dad’s parents lived in Serekunda, one of the big cities. Words: Robert Kazandjian Fashion: Sabrina Soormally Photography: Vicky Grout Join us on the ad-free creative social network Vero, as we get under the skin of global cultural happenings.Follow Clash Magazine as we skip merrily between clubs, concerts, interviews and photo shoots. A year later, tragedy struck again; his close friend A.P. AP had started this clothing line Money Moves. Pa Salieu: I was a cheeky kid. I see it. Did it drive you to write music?That's what I'm talking about: the violence thing. I’ve lived in a place where nobody gives you dirty looks because everybody looks like you. Hillfields was the ends. Rapper Pa Salieu has won BBC Music's Sound of 2021 - identifying him as Britain's most exciting musical talent thanks to his adventurous, ... Read the full interview with Pa Salieu below.
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