Produced by Jlive Music and now available in all digital platforms worldwide, ‘The Gentle Man’ album features some of the nation’s most eminent artistes – T. Smallz, Jizzle and Hussain Dada.
In an exclusive with The Point, the young dynamic artiste relayed the inspiration behind the masterpiece. He explained that the album came into being with his discovery of the important role his father played in the musical odyssey of a substantial number of artistes locally and internationally. From that point, he said, he had to embark on more thorough research to unveil his connection with music.
Ousman Beyai (passed away in 2014), his father – a guitar maestro, song writer, composer and sound engineer who was a member of Ifan-bondi band and played with music veterans such as Jaliba Kuyateh, Abdul Kabirr (Lie Ngum), late Paps Touray, Musa Afia Ngum, Yankuba Saho and others locally and internationally – kindled his keen passion for music. Thus, MLB began his journey at an early age, adopting singing as a hobby, although he initially hankered to become a professional soccer player.
Using music to entertain as well as spread positivity, he began professionally in 2019. But he expounded that he knew since early 2014 that music was going to be a lifetime career for him as he understood that “it was part of his genetics.” It was during that year (2014) that he wrote his first single ‘I Need You.’
“This journey,” he stated, “has been a very fun one because I have chosen to make the best of every challenge that I have had along the way no matter what. But believe me, it has not been a simple journey of progress. There have been many ups and downs, and it is the choices that I made at each of those times that have helped shape what I have achieved.”
He added: “Now, many could say it has to be easy for me because of what he [his father] has achieved. To be honest, his journey has shed the light for me to see what path I need to take but my journey is self-made. It is the best feeling now because I do not really feel like I owe anybody. I needed to have a journey of my own to tell my kids tomorrow. To even discuss my journey with my family. I have to set an example.”
But the young Gambian lyricist has long been a fan of music. Growing up in the slums of London Corner in The Gambia, he was a keen listener of the Ifang-Bondi, Sotokoto band and other endowed Gambian musicians of the 1980s and 90s.
He recalled: “I still remember myself as a young boy when my father gave me my first cassette, Walkman, and a copy of the album ‘SANJO’ by Ifang-Bondi and ‘Gumbay Dance’ by Sotokoi and the late Abdel Kabirr (RIP). Nothing makes me happier than listening to those albums.
A dedicated Gambian in Europe and who has befriended work as his only companion, MLB believes that life is a constant journey that widens one’s eyes the more one seeks to explore. “A wise man once told me, ‘You have to appreciate the slow grind because success is not going to happen overnight.’
“So, I am overwhelmingly grateful for the support over the years. To my family, my team, my management, my producer and friend (Jlive) and my fans, no words can describe how grateful I am. This has been a pretty unpredictable journey, and you all contributed in one way or the other in the making of my debut album, which signifies my journey through the years. It's a collection of 10 well-composed songs which I have written, full of energy, love and compassion.”
Prior to the unleashing of the album, he had four hit singles and also released a debut extended play (EP) with 7 tracks, titled ‘Levels’. Ahead of the album’s production, he performed in various German cities – Bremen, Hannover, Stuttgart, Konstanz, Tuttlingen – with some top artistes Jizzle, T. Smallz and Hussain Dada.
With the album recently released, he urged Gambians and his fans to go stream the album (https://lnk.to/the).
