Born in France, from Senegalese parents, Sagaboy grew up between Europe, Africa and America. In the 80’s, he found himself in the heart of the hip-hop movement in Harlem, NY. His love for basketball was side tracked due to the growing interest for freestyle battles which attracted more attention at school and on the block. His favourite artists: Eric B & Rakim, LL Cool J, NWA, Ice T inspired him to write his first lyrics. But he then realized he had a greater interest in production, so he started making beats in his head.
When a wave of violence hit New-York in the late 80’s, Sagaboy found himself confronted with many situations. His Afro-European culture influenced his different approach to these circumstances.
Hip-hop artists were the only one’s voicing the real problems in the streets of America. Due to the rising violence, his parents sent him to Senegal for a year.
On his return to New-York, his uncle a record promoter at the time, gave him access to
VIPs clubs, despite his young age. That’s when he came in close contact with celebrities such as Puffy, the Fugees, Wu-tang, Onyx, etc....This led to his very first experience in a professional studio, while his uncle was producing a record with stretch Armstrong. He developed a relationship with the studio manager who sensed his raw skill. He often found himself in studio sessions with the Roots, A tribe called Quest, LL Cool J and many more.
In ‘95 he moved to Atlanta. He then became neighbor to an old friend and now big star, Akon. The reunion led to collaboration but most importantly a training period for the young Sagaboy. His work with Akon, Fugees, Wu Tang, and Atlanta’s local artist, like DJ Taz, allowed him to create a portfolio that opened doors to majors, like: La Face,
Rowdy; Darp and So So Def. While Lil Jon was A&R for So So Def, he remembers him telling him he liked his music but that he needed to aim it more for the clubs (we talking about the era of Wu Tang ). That’s when he decided he needed to be capable/ versatile to cover all aspects of music and not just one side of it. This allowed him to make hits, write and produce for the likes of Foxy brown, RocA Fella, Chamillionaire, but also Shane Lynch ( U K ), Ben Phats n Smalls (UK) , Rhoff (Fra), Diams (Fra) and the list goes on.
Today, after much big collaboration, Sagaboy is a master of his art. He is working on an album that is written, produced and performed by none other than the Mr Rap star himself. The album entitled “ T h e Senegalese In Me†is set to bring a breath of fresh air to the airwaves.Mr Aw, Propagandatrs,
Washington DC,
[email protected]
