Backroad Gee Is Giving People Good Vibes in Hard Times

Most rappers are calm and reserved in person, then channel a different energy on the mic. Backroad Gee isn’t like that. The manic energy he brings to tracks is the same vibe he exudes when we speak over Zoom. He speaks in a mixture of words and sounds, often using ad-libs like a spluttering engine when he can’t quite find the words. It’s like watching a wild spirit diffuse through a laptop screen.

BRG first came under people’s radar with his breakthrough hit “Party Popper” produced by Finn Wigan and featuring North London rapper Ambush and Coventry’s rising star Pa Salieu. BRG delivers an infectious chorus and attacks the beat like a seasoned MC, which is credit to the grime era he grew up in. His EP Mukta Vs Mukta, which dropped in July 2020, is a unique fusion of UK drill production and spittah-ready grime bars.

However, it was his colossal hit “My Family” with frequent collaborator and friend Pa Salieu that perfectly captured the whirlwind year BRG had in 2020. The high-octane energy, head-spinning visuals and outlandish ad-libs made the track a strong contender for track of the year; not many rappers could deliver the line “Tell my babes, off her wig, we’re going to war!” with such conviction and vigour as Backroad Gee. 

The pandemic prevented BRG from taking the stage in the last 12 months, and it likely will for the next few. It’s a shame, as his music is guaranteed to go off in the clubs and fans are itching to hear those ad-libs in real life. As displayed on his recent track “Enough is Enough” with veteran MCs JME and Lethal Bizzle, there is a grime essence that runs through BRG’s diverse catalogue which can only fully be appreciated when performed live and will undoubtedly result in reloads galore.

With a new mixtape due to drop early this year, VICE caught up with the 23-year-old for the latest instalment of Behind The Bally, our UK drill column and freestyle series, to talk new music, worse trims and the meaning of Mukta.

VICE: You’ve come into the game with such a distinct and recognisable sound – it’s been called a fusion of drill and grime. How would you describe it?
BRG: I would describe my sound as magnificent, outrageous, tremendous, speechless, big business. All of that in one bracket – crazy. When all the genres fuse together we call that straight Mukta business. All them sounds together we call it Mukhta you get me?

With this Mukta sound you can hear the grime influence. Did you grow up listening to grime?
Yeah grime is where it all started man. The first place I ever started to put rhymes together was on a grime beat. Grime was the first love and the rap stuff all came after. But literally all the stuff I grew up on, man just chuck it in and make it my own way, cos man don’t really want to sound like anybody else, so that’s where this whole sound comes from.

Do you feel like if you were born in the generation before you would be a grime MC right now?
Mukta will still exist because I’m very keen on making my own thing. I don’t want to come out and sound like someone else. So I feel like if I came out those times, I would still find a way to change the beat and make it my own.

So, who were you actually listening to growing up?
Growing up boy… Ghetts, Griminal, Wiley, Chipmunk, bare others trust me the list goes on. Lethal B how can I forget my big bro, JME, big business, that’s my family!

You dropped the EP Mukta Vs Mukta earlier this year. What have you got planned for your next project and when can we expect to hear it?
We got the tape coming, album ting soon come inshallah. But yeah, the mixtape is coming early next year so tell the people be prepared or be scared you get me? It’s going to be called Summer Ina Di Winter and just expect the unexpected. I’m going to be hitting you lot with a lot of new sounds – to me they’re not new sounds, but obviously to the people who haven’t heard it there’s some new sounds in there. We’ve still got the Mukta business sound going on so everyone can enjoy. Big business to come trust me!

Is there going to be a concept behind the tape or is it just a compilation of bangers?
One hundred percent man, there’s a big concept behind it. Summertime in the winter. I’m giving people the good vibes and the hard times. I’m still making the people dance but it’s really cold outside, you see what I mean? Basically, I’m giving you summertime vibes but wintertime music. I’m giving you raw pain, real life situations, but at the same time you can shake a leg and dance to it.

Your energy both on the mic and in person is unparalleled. Where does this energy come from?
I won’t lie to you this is just me bro. Sometimes you just have too much energy you get me? It’s really my own music to be honest. When I hear myself it gasses me so I guess that’s where it stems from. When it comes to me and the music it’s a whole different thing – I don’t know how to tame myself if that makes sense.

What was your first studio session like?
Bro my first ever studio session was in one of my old bredrin’s yard in his bedroom with the mic on top of a punching bag. Yeah, just getting hella faded and his mum screaming at us to keep the noise down. That was my first time recording bruv and after that the mandem actually… wait that wasn’t even my first time recording. My first time recording was when man found out about some software, we downloaded it onto the laptop and recorded it through headphones, oh shit I was gassed that I could even do that.

How old were you these times?
I must’ve been around 17 them time. I was always rapping from young but never recorded anything. Most of them tunes are on my bredrin’s old laptop right now. We shot our own videos, bought our own cameras and just did our own ting. I’m come a long way not going to lie.

Talk to me about your relationship with Pa Salieu because whenever you two link up the chemistry and energy are both crazy. How did you guys meet?
That’s my brother from another mother you understand. Aside from this music stuff that’s my guy for real. It’s unexplanatory man, we linked up and did “Party Popper” and from there we kept linking each other and bro he just became my brother, that’s my family now. He’s a naughty boy though.

What do you mean?
[Laughs] He’s a naughty boy, he knows what I’m talking about. I’m a bit of a naughty boy myself, we’re both naughty, we’re naughty guys trust me! But, you see me and him it’s more than music so music is usually the last thing we talk about when we’re together. The way we work we always have that balance and know how to work together so it’s crazy every time. Me and him have a bag of tunes blud.

The track “My Family” proved that together you and Pa are a force to be reckoned with. One of the bars you have on the track is “Tell my babes, off her wig, we’re going to war” which is one of the craziest lyrics this year. What’s your writing process like?
Eighty percent of the music is off the dome but when I say off the dome it doesn’t mean I’m just chucking anything out there. Obviously I’m writing in my head and patterning as I go. Sometimes I might pull out my phone and write it down and sometimes I might sit down in the booth and not leave until I’ve got everything right. It just depends on the flavour that day.

This year has been a difficult one when it has come to live shows. Have you got to do many live shows in your career?
Not really, not proper big tings. I’ve been to a club once but I don’t really count that as it was years ago. But a proper ting with me as Backroad Gee with the whole Mukta sound, nah we haven’t touched the stage yet. I can’t wait though. They don’t want to see me mash up the stage. Pure shellingtons, you know what I mean? Yeah, I’m ready.

On “Enough is Enough” you teamed up with two grime veterans in JME and Lethal Bizzle. How did that track come about?
That trio I call that the elite squad. The big brosdem have been supporting my ting form the jump and they really mess with the kid. We were just in conversation and the mandem just said ‘yo rehreh send over something and let’s get it brrrr, hahah’. Then I recorded  “Enough is Enough” and said you know what ‘woof woof, if the big dawgs are on this then it’s rehrehreh’ so boom we made it happen and bim bam bing we’re here.

What was it like recording with artists that you grew up?
It’s very humbling and weird at the same time because like man used to watch these guys on the TV bro in my young days and man is just there standing with the guys and they know who I am. Some serious stuff man. Big shoutout to them and love for pulling through man every time.

What’s the worse trim you’ve ever got?
Fucking hell, worse trim? I’ve always looked sexy with my trim. Actually, you know what, when I was baaald. Bro, I made a mistake. I went to a barbershop with no mirror. Donny mashed up my hairline, I had to go bald and it was the worse time of my life. I was like 14, 15, I didn’t even pay for the trim bruv, man held some verbal abuse and I just left. 

What’s your star sign?
Man, I don’t even play with them tings. I don’t even know what that is.

I did see you were in the studio with Burna Boy. Huge link-up. How did that happen?
Bro, would you believe if I told you big Burna looked for man. Like yeah, he shouted man like ‘ruh rah, come down to the rah reh and link man’. So, man gone to the stu stu and he was actually there blud. Do you know how it feels for Burna Boy to tell you he’s your biggest fan, like I turned to him and said brother whaaat? Are you craaazy? I’m your fan brudda, don’t play with my emotions right now. Nah that’s big homie. We went to the booth and really recorded a track side by side and he showed man real love. That’s big bro right there trust me.

Did you guys finish a track?
Pfff… of course, I finish everything I do bro. Keep your ears tuned wooh wooh, it’s coming trust me.

How has your Congolese heritage shaped your music?
A lot. That’s where I learnt the structure of music innit. That’s where I learnt where to place certain things. Congolese music played a bigger part to my life than grime, rap, everything. The other stuff was just the icing on the cake, but Congolese music that’s where everything comes from; the foundation.

Have you got any hobbies aside from music?
I like to cook my own food. But food for myself innit. I cook everything. Lamb chop, steak, reh reh reh business, no Mickey Mouse business.

What artists are you currently listening to?
Right now, my killy Pa Salieu, my killy Abra Cadabra, my brother Gully is up there. I’ve been banging out his ting differently.

There’s one thing that has been bugging me. Your breakthrough song is called “Party Popper”, but on the chorus you say “Party Pooper”, what’s that all about?
[Laughs] You’re talking about the name of the song innit, yeah there was a typo within the team and we couldn’t change it as it was too late. We just had to ride it but it worked though innit! My guy, I knew this was going to come up one day you know!

I’m glad I got that exclusive scoop. Right now, you probably have the craziest selection of ad-libs in the game. How do you come up with them?Yeah that all comes natural my bro. Sometimes people ask me where it comes from, fuck knows bruv, it just comes out. It’s mostly when I’m gassed. When I’m in a good vibe something mad will just come out of my hubada hubada. My brain just works differently.

Was music always the plan for you or did you have another dream job growing up?
Aah mate I won’t lie to you I was going to get my hands into some sort of construction and that. Some property stuff. I always done music from young, since primary, but I never thought' ‘yeah let me keep doing [it], it’s going to happen’. My bredrin was the one who really pushed me to do music so big up my brother KD every time.

What type of kid were you at school? I feel like you were the class clown.
Funnily enough I wasn’t always funny bro. I don’t know how people think I am funny now. People even think that I could be a comedian. I’m far from it. Bro I don’t see it but I was a cool kid but sometimes troublesome.

What was parent’s evening like?
Parent’s evening was sour man. Peak, peak, I’m telling you it was never a good one still.

Your EP Mukta vs Mukta was an explosive body of work. What was the concept behind that?
Bro Mukta vs Mukta is basically seven tracks all fighting against each other. Make the dunya shake that’s how it goes.

What does Mukta actually mean?
Mukta means whatever you want it to mean. You have to put it in a good context so that it makes sense. Whenever I talk about Mukta it never means one thing, so I can’t just pin it to one thing. I can tell you pass me a cup of tea blud and I can say pass me the Mukta.

Your recent single “Take Time” is more of a mellow, softer tune. Is it important for you to diversify your music range?
It’s part of the journey. I really need to stress to the people that Backroad Gee is not a drill rapper. I am not a rapper. I am an artist. I make music. You can expect everything from me literally. 

What’s one tune you wish you made?
You know what it’s actually a Michael Jackson song, but I can’t remember the name. What’s the song where he’s singing with all them people, all the actors. Is it that world song?

Oh, “We Are the World”?
That’s the motherfucker. Actually, no, there’s another song I wish I made. You see that Michael Jackson song that Tupac sampled on “Letter 2 My Unborn”? That’s the one I wish I made.

@abubakarfiniin