7 Things To Know About Rising Star Rapper Pa Salieu

Back in 2019, Pa Salieu was shot outside of a pub in his hometown of Coventry in a gang-related incident. He was just 22-years-old when he suffered shots to the head and neck but thankfully made a full recovery. Speaking about the terrifying incident, he explained to BBC that the experience taught him a valuable lesson about life.

"The thing that matters is what you're going to do with it - let it eat you up, or rise above it? Getting shot is the same as getting fired from your job. What are you going to do with it? Rise up, or what? That's life. Everything is a lesson."

Though he was born in Slough, Pa Salieu was sent back to live in The Gambia before moving to Coventry with his family at 8-years-old. The rapper speaks of The Gambia fondly and has shared intentions to help build primary schools and teach functional skills for children in the future. “Even though Gambia has poverty, the way you live is still riches,” he said to NME. “If you’re hungry there, you don’t even need to ask,” he says. “They’ll see and they’ll come and give you food. Everyone shares."

Pa Salieu's childhood in Coventry was far from easy and much of his experiences — from "trapping" to the deaths of close friends — are retold in his music. "I love Coventry, but I made it out of the hood," he said to NME in a recent interview. "I feel like I’ve been cut from the system, but I will go and I will rise up like a phoenix.”

FKA Twigs is one of the major artists tipped to be working on Pa Salieu's future material. The rapper praised the entertainer for being "humble" and her good energy. In his NME interview, he said: “She’s got nothing to gain over me; you feel the energy. I care about people’s energies and what the heart is going through. It could be Jay-Z and if I’m not feeling the energy, it’s a no.”

Gambian musical influences are strong in Pa Salieu's music and it turns out he's had a strong musical presence in his life. "My auntie is a Gambian folk singer," he told Clash Magazine. "She goes around the world, and she always used to come to my house every year. So I used to be around music, just not in it. I’ve always felt intrigued. I love what she does..."

After his best friend was stabbed to death in 2018, Pa Salieu sought refuge in the studio and decided to take his music seriously. "I had to get serious with it after my best friend got killed," he explained to BBC News "Then a few months after, my other best friend got killed."

He added: "I always say, either break down or make it out. There are so many friends that have lost their life, turned into crackheads or [been] in prison for a very long time. Their voices ain't going to be heard like that. I'm going to be the voice of that as much as I can."

"To be honest, my grandparents. Simple, spiritual, kind-hearted," he said to BBC when asked about his role models. That's all that you need in life. You can be the richest or the maddest businessman in the world - you need pure vibes, that's what counts,"