The Talibe of Hip hop who graduated to double as the 5 Star General and the The Rap Justice

 

His love for Hip hop is unquestionable that most people often regard him as the “Five Star General” of The Gambian music industry. Batch Samba Ngum widely known as “Sir X”, is the PRO of a youth empowerment organization ( YENET) and a Hip hopper who grew up in the biggest cosmopolitan town of Bundung in the Kanifing Municipality. He fell in love with the art as a cultural movement when he was just in his seventh grade. In a couple of years later, the passion compelled him to start rocking shows for fun during weekends and hanging around record stores. In the early days of his 'coming up' days, he recorded his demo on a tape cassette for his listening pleasure and of his friends, not knowing he would one day be in the position of a 'Talibe' of Hip hop doubling as the 'Rap Justice' and the 'Five Star General' of rap music.

In 2005, he dropped a single produced by the late M.J (R.I.P) Titled “Warrior’s Breathe” which served as the melting point for his wordplay game as rapper/emcee and of course sending a strong signal to the die-hard soldiers of Hip hop; to continue the tradition of being the mouth piece of the community. Prior to his single, the general has been working with a Bundung based underground rap group called “Nubian Soljaz” where they worked on many songs prior to his first single in 2005 feeding the addiction of the Hip hop enthusiasts. He writes his own songs and loves to advocate social conscious issues and burning issues through Hip hop culture and thus conveying his feelings, thoughts and emotions through the art of rapping.

As a 'rap Justice' and a 'Five-Star General', he has participated in different projects like the DK-BJL compilation, Nun Ak Yen compilation (Senegal) Dream Your Future Drama soundtrack/album, Buga Dem (illegal migration anthem) Jambarr (U-17 song) and also been widely featured on couple of Gambian Hip hop acts most especially Poetic X, , Hot B, Omid Wisdom, Killa Ace and Grandiz Kroo among others. He belong to a community base Hip hop movement known as “BC Movement” where he spend most his time recruiting young talents.

Royal Messenjah and Baba Blood to raise the Gambian flag in Senegal

The duo left for the neighboring Senegal to attend the annual event organized by ‘Hot Sauce’ in Sokone, Senegal. Royal Messenjah and Baba Blood are one of the country’s most crafted and brilliant reggae heads. The “I cry” and “Gambian musico nyato dorong” hit makers are will be on a two week musical mission to put the Gambia on the entertainment map in various shows to be held in Kaolack and other places in Senegal, and thus to ease their plight to export their works across the border. According to Messenjah ‘we are going to use this opportunity to promote our up coming albums in Senegal and do some collaborations and networking with other artists and musicians there to bring about everlasting relationship between the two countries’ He said.

Royal Messenjah is widely respected in Senegal and this is the fifth time he have been going to grace the annual event with fellow Gambian artists as a grand patron of the music movement which was named after ‘Hot Sauce’ a reggae artists movement in the Gambia.

Royal Messenjah is recently doing final touches on his debut album due to come out soon with Baba Blood producing most of the songs and giving vocal assistance like a brother’s keeper. In two weeks time, the two young reggae heads will come back to the Gambia to put the remaining “explosive works in progress” together.