ITS ALL GOOD ITS ALRIGHT
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After high school, Tazman (Tijan Jabang) felt relieved enough to embrace his destiny which was earlier on professed to him as solely dependent on the thick stream of music. He initiated a progressive idea of a four-man crew with spices and flavours touching genres like R&B, rap (traditional and foreign), dancehall and raga. As nature would have it, Tazman's domiciling area called Pipeline was at the same time habouring three other high school graduates who were as well soaked in some kind of musical flames. They were just released from the stiff restrictions of learning and were really itching to explode sweetly into the ears of music fans. Tazman who's already had the bite of group singing while in a crew called House Vibes', reached out to attract Mohammed Kah (Mo-Hawk), Joseph Senghore (Seabreeze) and Samuel George (DJ Graduate). While Tazman stirs his exclusive raga and dancehall style, Mo-Hawk comes indepthly original with rap in Wollof language (Gambia's local lingual franca), Seabreeze leaves hearts quivering with his sentimental R&B and DJ Graduate flows on to pep up the raga and dancehall spice.
This quartet has through the time become the surprise blessing of Gambian music scene. The crew has successfully blended their flair on the mic, reached the desire of becoming one of Africa 's hottest hiphop quest of the time. It took the boys one month to pick the most apt tag. When they suddenly found out that the ills and frailties of the society were becoming overwhelming and addictive to the youths of now they felt the best option was to take a run. The quartet finally named themselves FUGITIVZ'. The tag simply means that the boys are packing their body and soul and taking a speedy run out of all societal ills.
In May 1997, they officially introduced themselves as Da Fugitivz', the anointed hiphop quartet chosen to lead the way for Gambian music prowl. With several demos, Da Fugitivz enrolled to participate in the first ever Gambian DJ Clash competition. They won the competition with outstanding points and remarks. The echo of the group's brilliance enveloped the blooming rap/R&B sect of Gambian music industry. The crew then dropped a debut single and named it Ndongo Dara'. The song shook the scene, pulling down the curtain to a new dawn in Gambia 's music history. The stereotyped mbalax and salsa influenced style played by elderly performers was elbowed to the side. Ndongo Dara', wearing the original hiphop characteristics, preached about kids who go about the streets begging when they should be in school learning. After acquiring the encomium and ovation they rightly deserved, the boys dropped two other singles; Lingai Jai' (where they lyrically fought drugs) and Indilmasa Love' (a straight beckon on love). These three singles took over the heads of youthful music fans and even stretched further to arrest the sizeable attention of parents who were too willing to contribute whatever support they can afford.
In late 1998, the quartet released a full-length debut effort. It was just a bomb of a debut, and the boys rightly named it FU 4 LIFE'. It took the group three months to finish the album; working night and day at Sunu Flavours Studio in Dakar , Senegal . The time and hard work were just enough to reach their desired perfection. The ten-tracker first outing spelt out their unrelenting creed of being fugitives for life. They vowed to keep running away from the growing ills, faults and misdemeanour of the big and small societies. That's just the expansion of the compact title; Fu 4 Life'.
The album quickly pierced the regional market and became the actual hiphop identity of Senegambian music scene. It had the precise dose of sentimental R&B feeling, the original rap that swiftly defines the crew's heritage, and a fusion of a well-stirred dancehall flavours. The project was really an enriched hiphop pack. While attaching some other flavours to achieve their desired oomph, the boys left the genre's trait to joyfully flourish. The brilliance of that debut earned the quartet a success that surpassed national and regional recognition. Nine months after the release of Fu 4 Life', Da Fugitivz was invited to take part in a musical festival in Germany . The quartet was at the August 1999 Pop Com Musical Festival held in Germany . There they performed alongside universally established hiphop names. It was an exposure that mattered a lot in their career. Da Fugitivz extraordinary performance in the festival attracted more offers. The group was featured in an exclusive
Africa Raps compilation produced by Jay Rudledge for a German label called Trikon. The compilation was a selection of best hiphop/rap groups from Gambia , Mali and Senegal . Fugitivz featured a song called Kepp Kui Bang', which means whoever refuses.
In early 2000 the quartet left the shores again to tour America . Through a period of six months they performed in various festivals and shows in places such as New York , North Carolina and Atlanta . In 2001 Da Fugitivz got a deal with a Paris-based label called Atoll Music, a subsidiary of Sony Music. It was a two-year contract. During the period, the group released a second project and called it ESCAPED'. A twelve track album, the improved effort spawns hits like Who Dem', Express Yourself', Be Mine' and Sha La La Laa'. The boys toured England and Scotland promoting the new effort.
At the end of the contract with Atoll Music, Da Fugitivz decided to spread their skills and thrill to the Scandinavia . The quartet has just signed a three-year contract with Swedished-based Double-Dog Records. The deal spans through two albums. The group's marketing and distribution is now under Bonnier Amigo, this includes publishing. This time the boys say they are looking at presenting tighter songs, more impressions, and then video clips that will not only reflect the songs they play but also portray, to some extent, their origin, their very own homeland. For the first album in the new contract, Da Fugitivz will do some sort of collaborations as extras to their own pack. The new power single "It's All Good, It's Alright" will soon be released into the home market and then soon after the international market. The quartet will be releasing their third album (first in the new contract) in a couple of months. Visit Da Fugitivz's official site for more information on the group.
