OB MIKE REVEALS LITERATURE WAS THE FIRE-STARTER FOR HIS MUSIC
OB Mike, an upcoming Gambian artist, said Literature in English sparked the fire in his music career beginning in junior school a decade ago.
“The Literature in English, which I did in junior school, contributed a fundamental part in my music career and it was my best subject at the time. It also made me develop a penchant for reading and writing lots of poems.”
Drawing inspiration from the struggles his fellow youths face in the streets, Mike is growing into a potential world-beater as his music takes off.
“That {the streets} is the place where I spent most of my time.”
“I started listening to these instrumental beats in my seventh grade in 2010, and some other influential artists. I was so much into music since then and I was a dancer too at the time.”
Capable of both piecing words together and dancing, OB MIKE told Standard Lite that he’s a versatile artist but he gradually is tilting towards this generation’s tastes.
”I do different types of music. I rap, I can sing any type of instrumental beat; I am doing Afro, dancehall and hip-hop, as that’s what this generation jam to more.”
Despite all the hurdles that these emerging artists are faced with, OB Mike has been releasing songs independently. He is not signed under any record label at the moment but financing all his music expenses with little or no help.
For all the emerging artists and those aspiring, the stage is set…and OB Mike is one talent capable of seizing the moment.
Pa Salieu to play London’s Yam Carnival this summer
The likes of Davido, Kehlani and Pa Salieu have all been announced to play the first-ever Yam Carnival, which will make its debut in London this summer.
Billed as “an unmissable celebration of Black culture from around the world,” the carnival will take place on Clapham Common on Saturday August 28.
Other major acts heading to the inaugural Yam Carnival include the likes of Femi Kuti, IAMDDB, Ms Banks, Princess Nokia and Honey Dijon.
Tickets go on sale from Thursday (April 1) at 12PM and you can buy them here.
Davido’s performance at the event will follow on from the release of his 2020 album ‘A Better Time’, which received a four-star review from NME upon release.
“At a time when feel-good moments are at a premium, ‘A Better Time’ makes a convincing case that the problems of the world really might just melt away – even if only momentarily – though a sense of escapism and the enduring powers of art and pop music. Just put yourself in Davido’s hands,” our review stated.
Pa Salieu, meanwhile, discussed his burgeoning fame in a recent interview with NME.
“Every music I listened to as a kid, I’ve always remembered in my head,” he said of his own musical stylings.
“When I started freestyling, I was shit. But, in a short space of time, I got used to learning about my own voice, so this is spiritual to me, saying whatever comes in my head. Whatever comes in my head, I hear shit before I record it.”
Mental health takes centre stage in AMAA short film contest
African Movies Academy Awards AMAA, together with Rootflix and short-film festival are lending voices to the global conversation on mental health, with the theme “Pandemics Lockdowns, my Mental Health.”
The initiative is set to challenge African filmmakers to demystify mental health and depict it more accurately in their films as mental health issues are termed to being epidemic in Africa and young people are very much affected by it.
It is reported that over the past one year, the rate of depression and suicide attempts has been overwhelming and that deemed it necessary to use digital platforms to globalize the conversation.
The contest is set for young and budding creatives, students and filmmakers to participate. The contest is open until the 12th of April and the top 7 films will be selected and shown during “the Eko wellness fair” which is slated for 25th of April 2021 and end in May 1st 2021.
The selected films will be hosted on Rootflix, which is a leading multi-cultural streaming platform and the in-short international film festival.
Mink drops new banger “Yakarr c Yallah”
Mink, another rare gem from Latrikunda Sabiji, has already announced himself to the world and Gambian music lovers.
You remember him, right? Mink dropped ‘Miracle’ and people couldn’t stop talking about it.
Mel ni miracle
Com mer lama nywai
Okay, now you remember him. Well, Mink is back again, and with a bang!
‘Yakarr c Yallah’, a slightly different one though, but even better. Trust me. Mink said this one is meant to motivate and keep people faithful in difficult situations.
In a chat with Standard Lite, Mink said it all started in primary school and as he grew older, he encircled himself with friends who are artists. “Whenever I see them performing on stage, I used to tell myself that If they are doing it why can’t I? It’s no magic.”
‘Yakarr c Yallah’ is produced by Believe in one Record and there is already word around that Mink will soon surprise us with another song.
