Following the successful release of his hit single Bul Falleh Nyee, Gee (real name: Gibou Bala-Gaye) has become The Gambia’s leading rapper. His poetic delivery and commitment to his career has enabled him to capture the attention of rap enthusiasts nationwide.

Eager to know more about the 25-year-old rap, What’s On-Gambia contacted him for an exclusive interview. Enjoy…

What’s On-Gambia: Thank you for your time and our first question is, what do you think of What’s On-Gambia?

Gee: My pleasure! Umm let’s see.. .after reading an article about me being a very arrogant rapper and also the other one lmao….I really like you guys (sarcastic) .. Other than that you guys are doing a great job by keeping the public posted about our local celebs.

How did your family feel about your decision to become a rapper?

I didn’t really tell them anything, they found out themselves through newspapers and the TV. Plus, people also told them and they were cool with it. They gave me all the support needed to pursue it as a career.

There’s so much hype going on about your songs like, Bul Falleh Nye and Dama Kor Nub. Can you give us insight into how you came up with these two songs?

I’ll start with Bul Falleh Nyee. Jali and I always said we were going to do something big together. Whiles working on my album, Hakim (producer) called me up to hear a beat and I loved the beat because it was something different from the usual sound out here. It started as a solo song; I did my bit and was listening to it and then I felt something was missing, that’s when I thought about Jali. I called him and explained the concept of the song. He was ready for it and we entered studio.

Dam Kor Nub was the last track I recorded before my album was sent for duplication. I told Hakim that I needed something with kora on it and that I had Sura in mind. He was interested and told me that he was working with Sura and had instrumentals were Sura played the kora. He invited me to come over and hear a couple of beats.

When I reached his house, he was on the way to the supermarket. I jumped into his car and we started skipping through a CD of instruments. I immediately felt in love with one of them and guess what? We bumped into Sura at the supermarket’s parking lot. He heard me listening to the beat and was like, “Bro, I’m jumping on this.”

I love experimenting with sounds to create something different and I wanted to make the album so Gambian.. use all the local instruments possible to create something different from the usual Gambian rap.

Does your music have a main theme or do you touch on various topics?

 When I’m working on an album I usually try to create a theme.. so I follow it and make sure I don’t go out of the box. With mixtapes it’s just a platform to display talent so I touch on different topics and any type of instrumental I feel like jumping on.

What is it about you that make you different from other musicians in your field?

I feel other rappers limit themselves to what they can do, scared to explore. I started a sub-genre here, Rap-Mbalax. I made it comfortable to rap on instrumentals that are similar to our cultural music.

What is your ultimate goal in your music career?

My ultimate goal is to become that musician from Gambia the rest of the world respects, put Gambia on the map. Sell records, set records, play at the biggest platforms the world has to offer. Take Gambian music where it’s never been.

Did you ever consider another direction for a career?

Yea, as much as I’m an artist imma business man as well. I’m one of the products I sell (laughs), music is just one of the things I do.

Are there any struggles you face as the leading rapper in the country?

Definitely yes! Everybody's aiming at Gee, diss tracks here and there. Being on top has its cost; it comes with a lot of enemies, automatically. Not all artists can stand me. I can be a little bigheaded with my writing (laughs). I worked very hard to get where I’m at.. a total of 200 tracks and counting.. years of work.

You like criticizing your fellow musicians, for example telling ST that his Njunku  video was unfit for TV. Do you ever wish you could take a step back and stop the provocation?

I don’t know where you got that from. I remember commenting on ST's video that it was hot.. but I heard abusive language on one of the verses. H could have a censored version suitable for TV.

I don’t provoke, if you hear me say something or did something I always have a reason to justify it.

You seem to have an attitude of nothing can harm you. So Gee, are you invincible?

(Laughs) No one is invincible, I just believe in myself too much. Got a very strong and loyal circle that believe in me and we are all ready to go that extra mile for each other by any means necessary. I don’t need to go in details. Everybody knows how I roll and whom I roll with. #Family

What is your first memory of being inspired by Gambian music?

Honestly, I wasn’t really inspired by Gambian music. I grew up listening to different types of Hip hop around the world and felt the music I was hearing here could be a lot better. Hip hop always takes the form of its environment which a lot of people don’t still understand. Bringing that New York vibe in Africa wouldn’t work. People listen to what they can relate to from lyrics to the sound.

You and T-Smallz are good mates now.  What was the significance of finally putting the beef to bed?

It was getting out of hand. I heard people fought because of us and a whole bunch of other stories. The Minister of Youths & Sports called us both for a meeting in his office to settle the matter. He advised us to put the pride aside and told us it’s not about us anymore we've got people that look up to us and would do anything we do.. let’s do what’s right and lead by being good example.

Tell us about your current projects or activities.

I've started a mixtape titled Can’t Get Enough Of That Feeling, a promotional CD to keep my album going. The thing is, I’m working on big collabs with international artists and definitely want those tracks on a project I can sell and not a mixtape... lets see how it goes.

TeamGee Clothing, my very own clothing line is on the way - T-shirts and snapbacks (hats) for a start.

Have you ever wanted to flirt with a fan?

(Laughs) it’s tempting with all the attention I’m getting, but fans remain fans.

So you never got a date request?

Yes I do and a lot I must say but I try to keep it professional. I hang out with female fans when I’m out partying.. give them the chance to know more about their artist

According to rumors you are now back with your ex-wife.  Any comment?

Yea we back and I can only stop there.

Congrats, but are you not afraid of losing some of your female fans?

I’m not losing any!

Who are some of your favorite Gambian musicians and why?

Manding Morry I must say. I just see him as myself, we kinda think alike and the potential he has is not going to waste.  Rappers like Cyco, Ooz and New Era they keep me going and being in studios with them sharpens my writing skills. ENC and Benjamin on the reggae side. For singers, it’s Jali Madi and Sura. Jali's voice no one can resist and Sura with his kora is like passing Messi a football.

What are your pleasure interests?

Besides studio, I play a little bit of soccer and basketball with friends.  Chill, make future plans and party.

Where can we buy your music?

Right now it’s on iTunes…hardcopies sold out. An order would be arriving soon and I’d keep my fans posted on my social media accounts.

Thanks for your time and good luck!

How come I wasn’t asked any question about TeamGEE ?

Is it an all-girl fan club?

TeamGee got more female member than guys. They represent to da fullest and make sure my presence is felt where ever they at. We got a lot planned together but with time Gambia will witness.