Gokh-Bi System
Gokh bi System (GBS), which means 'The Neighborhood', was created in March of 1994 in Pikine, Guinaw Rail ("The other side of the track"), and a suburb of Dakar, Senegal. Before they started the band, they were friends and brothers, spending most of their time together, sharing an understanding of the meaning of a hard life in poverty. In the early 90's, Mamadou Ndiaye, one of the members of the band, introduced them to the culture of hip-hop. They all fell in love instantly with hip-hop because it represented life in the ghetto, speaking for people without a voice. At the time that they found hip-hop, they felt they had a message to share that spoke to the issues of poverty, inequality and injustice. This new form of music gave voice to their message with a powerful sound. The group was founded with three members: Mamdou Ndiaye, Pape Bathie Pouye and Diasse Pouye, who all grew up in the same neighborhood, practically in the same house. The original sound of the group was based on rap backed by synthetic beats. Two years later, the group fused a traditional sound with the rap through the music of the ekonting, played by Sana Ndiaye, and traditional drums, played by Backa Niang. Not long after, the group invited Abdou Sarr to bring an additional energy to the music through local dance styles. The purpose of these additions was to create a new and unique sound of hip-hop that would distinguish GBS from the current movement of hip-hop around the world. GBS has been performing internationally since 1999, in Senegal, Guinea, Gambia, and the United States. Currently, GBS is the most well known African hip-hop group in the United States, the result of 8 US tours in 22 states in five years. Gokh-bi has performed at such large festivals as the International Festival in Louisiana, World Music Festival in Indiana and Chicago, National Geographic All roads film festival (Hollywood and Washington DC), Celebrate Brooklyn NY, sharing the stage with Angelique Kidjo, The Last Poets, Damian Marley, Culture, Toots and the Maytals, Michael Franti, Erika Badu , Joe Sallins, Toni Blackman, Tony Vacca, etc. Gokh-bi has been featured in magazine and newspaper articles in Africa, Europe and the United States, occupying the cover story spot in the Valley Advocate of Western Massachusetts, and a major article in the Arts section of the New York Times featuring the most up and coming acts from Africa. The group was also featured in a CNN documentary about hip-hop around the world, representing the hip-hop scene from Africa. GBS also participated in the documentary, Furious Force of Rhymes, also focusing on hip-hop around the world, which was produced out of NY, New York. In 2000, GBS toured with The Last Poets, the founding fathers of hip-hop, on the Senegal-America Project tour. That year, the Last Poets recorded with Gokh-bi and were featured on their debut album ‘Message from Home’.