Started his musical career as rapper in street corners of downtown Toronto and currently in the Gambia where he runs a movement called ‘La cosa nostra', Smokey or Smoke Doctor is here to revolutionize Gambian Hip-Hop by blending in reggae beats with traditional African instruments
Q.Interesting artist name ‘smokey' or smoke doctor?
A:smokey is the name. Ma men Hakim of the suns of light started calling me smoke doctor and a lot of cats followed.
Q.Have you been doing music before leaving the Gambia for Canada ?
A: naa i started rapping in toronto street corners especially down at the college park in young street down town toronto at the cyphas.
Q.Whilst in Toronto you started a group called 5pointaz and recorded a number of songs. Is the group still active now that you are in the Gambia
A: Ya the five pointaz are still holding it down in my absence. My brethren spaggy just opened a label called black dreams and i got down home so we gonna network through the two companys we just need the the right distribution deal to make everything official.
Q.In the Gambia you have set up a network with Gambian rappers called ‘La cosa nostra'. Can you give us a brief info of the setup and structure of the network?
A: La cosa nostra is me ,killa ace and mad barz from da lyrical cypha,gainde njie from against the grain and ohm noyr and the gambia as a whole because its more than music its a movement and we have built strong family relationships through it. And our main goal is putting Gambia on the hip hop map. Our album ‘Get familiar' is a must have for hip hop heads looking for something fresh.
Q.Your songs(atleast the few I have listened to so far) are mainly about being proud of oneself and of coming from the ‘smiling coast of Africa '(The Gambia ). Very positive indeed?
A: Thanks, but its should be like that, if people know who you are and where you from its easier to bring them to your state of mind,like am Gambian thats why i act and think this way. And i personally believe that the Gambia is the mouth piece of Africa we all good speakers out here.
Q. May 7th is set for the release of your album in the Gambia . Is the album strictly hip-hop?
A:lyrically its ghetto and hip hop but the beats have reggae to african influences like you can hear the kora, fula flute and other african instruments on my beats, but its still hip hop am trying to introduce my own like put an id on it, so you can tell its a down home sound. Got producers from home ,the states , jamaica , south africa and uk its a fair balance.
Q. Your song entitled ‘Ghetto Noir' released on an All African hip-hop compilation under a label called Afrolution is my personal favorite Smokey song. Could you share some of the messages in the song for the benefit of those who haven't listened to it yet?
A: ghetto noir ya thats me holding it down for my ghetto Serekunda and the Gambia as a whole, its like me talking to cats back in the western world like yo this is where am from thaats why our mentalities are different,and if you wanna repatriate you welcome to ghetto noir,its the album title too so its like a guideline to those with ignorant perceptions about africa ,its like an african experience,on a hip hop tip,the video makes it a whole package
Q. How do you see Gambian hip-hop heading?
A: gambian hip hop is on its young and best shape right now,the afrolution compilation was like we just got our feet at the door and now heads is paying attention,am on the kunta kinte mixtape vol3 coming soon and Hakim working on a compilation back in the us,got me and dlc on it so we on the right path .
Thanks for the interview and good luck with the launching of your album.
