British-Gambian rapper Pa Salieu shares visceral new EP 'Afrikan Rebel'

Pa Salieu has shared his powerful new 3-track EP 'Afrikan Rebel' in full, which sees the London rap star embrace his African roots in a stunning fashion.

Clocking in at ten minutes with three tracks, this brief project sees Salieu link up with three of the continent’s finest talents on the first two tracks – Tay Iwar, Zlatan and Obongjayar who all represent for Nigeria.

Pa Salieu was born in Slough, and spent his formative years in The Gambia, before moving to Coventry at the age of 8. In January 2020 he released his debut single 'Frontline', which was the most played track of 2020 on BBC Radio 1Xtra. The BBC Sound of 2021 winner's sensational debut project Send Them To Coventry landed last year, an outstanding fusion of grime, drill, Afrobeats, and more.

'Afrikan Rebel' continues his creative streak, and it finds Pa Salieu platforming his African heritage.

"Fundamentally 'Afrikan Rebel' is about being proud and loud about where you come from in," Pa Salieu commented. "For me that is Africa. Growing up in the UK especially having spent my early years in Gambia wasn’t always easy being black and especially not Black African with an African accent, but I have always been taught to be proud of who I am and have never shied away from that fact for better or for worse."

"I see the word ‘Rebel’ only in the most positive sense. Those figures through history that have fought against the odds to stand up for what they believe in have always intrigued and inspired me. ‘Rebel’ is a mindset that helps keep me strong and I hope I can encourage others to be vocal about their beliefs and stand up for what they feel is right. My Afrikan Rebel series is a movement which I hope can allow me to connect with others with a similar mindset and gives a platform for me to experiment with influences and inspirations from my culture and others from the great continent of Africa."

Pa started pursuing a music career after his close friend was killed. He recorded his first freestyle at a friend's small home studio setup, where he would regularly visit to write and record music. In October 2019, he was the victim of a shooting in Coventry where he was shot in the head but he survived and made a full recovery. Since 'Frontline' dropped (after Pa wrote it in 20 minutes, no less) - the Gambian-British rapper has signed to Warner Records.

Check out 'Afrikan Rebel' below: