Ja Beats on the Dream city Records

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With Mamour M. Mbenga Muhammed Lamin Suso, a.k.a.  Ja Beats, is a Gambian national who hails Muhammed Lamin Susofrom Bakau in the Kanifing Municipality. He comes from a family of traditional musicians.  He is a Hip-Hop artiste, producer and founder of the Dream City Records in 2005. Foroyaa Arts and Music visited the producer of Ja beats at his residence in B Block in Kanifing Estate on Saturday, 2 August, 2014 and had a chat with him on many issues relating to his life and work in particular, and music, in general. “I released my first single entitled ‘Stand A Chance’ in 2005 with the late producer of Bull Doff studio, the late Modou Jallow, alias M.J. The Dream city is working on so many projects both with national and international artistes and sooner or later the Dream city mixed tape will be out in the market. Dream city is not only a studio for music production, it also comprises various artistes. I am working with Bubacarr Suso, alias Ryder, who is my biological brother, and he is representing Dream city entertainment,” explained Ja Beats. Ja Beats said he started music at the age of nine. He said he has talents in the field of music production and sound engineering. The Hip Hop artiste said his group was officially invited by the veteran host artiste called ‘10,000 Problems’ to participate in the “RAPANDAR” which was the 9th Edition of the International Hip Hop Festival in Saint Louise, Senegal from the 20 April to 3 May 2014. Muhammed Lamin Susso has lived in Morroco and Senegal with his family when his mother was working there. Ja Beats said his first song ‘Tattoo’ was produced in 2008 and that it was a chart buster in the Gamcel sponsored competition for Gambian artistes. The “Tattoo” song, he said, was produced with contributions from various Gambian artistes such as Snow Easy, Rug and T. Small Suso. He said later in 2009, he decided to work with the Block Entertainment Studio as its sound Engineer as he has produced a lot of works for them. In 2011, Ja Beats was signed by This Is Africa money (TIA), a record label based in the Gambia and founded by Phillipe V. Wobi. “I’m busy working on so many projects. Presently, I’m working on a mixed tape project with Royal Messenger, a reggae musician based in the Gambia, and also signed by the TIA money,” he said. He said the TIA record label is an entertainment and a record platform created for African artistes and is currently operating in the Gambia, Sierra Leone and Cameroon and that it is planning to expand to other countries in the continent. “The TIA team and its proprietor Phillipe V. Wobi, a former Slip N. Slide platinum producer and a Cameroonian who was living in USA, has more than 15 years of experience in music in Africa. He has now settled in the Gambia,” said Ja Beats. Ja Beats said he wants to work and utilize his innovativeness and readiness to adopt and use international formulae for Gambian music with the objective of making it to be one of the best in Africa. He said he will be working with TIA to make use of its 450,000 contacts in Africa as contained in its database. He described TIA money as a powerful and effective channel to promote music production and other stage events as well as upcoming artistes in Africa. “TIA is an international booking agency that produces and promotes the best of ingredients in music as they know the culture of Africa and its content,” Ja beats said. He said he would also take the opportunity to announce that Dream city Records is working on a rhythm (medley) called ‘Royal Summer riddim’, which is being implemented in collaboration with ‘One Force World’ and it involves both Gambian and international artistes. He said it will soon be out in the market. Ja Beats called on the Gambian artistes and producers to work very hard and to remain professional in their music production and promotion. Also sharing his thoughts and experience in music with Foroyaa Arts and Music was the sibling of Ja Beats, Bubacar Suso. “My stage name is Ryder. I have lived in both Dakar (Senegal) and Libya for a period of time. I’m an artiste who is presently studying computer science in one of the Gambia’s tertiary institutions. I started doing music three years ago and was inspired by my brother, Muhammed L. Suso, alias Ja Beats. I recorded my first single entitled ‘One Minute’ in 11 July 2014 which was produced by V. Wobi, mixed and mastered by Ja Beats, while the second single ‘Bad Girl’ was released in 2011. I’m working with my brother as a team and we are planning to produce the best music production. The two of us were together at the 2014 international hip-hop festival (RAPANDAR) in St Louise, Senegal,  and we were representing the Gambia there. We have promised to bring changes to the Gambia’s music climate,” he said. The Dreamcity studio can be reached at Tel: 3582610 or Email [email protected]/facebook; Dream City Music Official.]]>