The Fambondy is the king of the djinns (spirits) protectors of the people of  Casamance where I am from and where I got my name SEMBE from. The Fambondy also plays a role in regulating and preserving social values. Put in simple terms, in a Hip Hop society that is oriented more and more towards shallowness turning its back on Hip Hops core values, I am here to remind rappers that they need to get back to work.

SEMBE - FAMBONDI

Dark Thoughts

The past months have been bittersweet. It’s been rough and rich in lessons and progress. I’ve been holed up working on myself. I haven’t been OUTSIDE too much. 

This song is a picture of the memories I made and the feelings I felt in that time….a reminder to stay focus on your goals and stay on your grind.

OUTSIDE

The past months have been rough and rich in lessons and progress. I’ve been holed up working on myself. I am coming out of this phase feeling stronger and more confident, with a new mantra: “Living intentionally as opposed to living by default”. 

This is me starting fresh and manifesting a new and improved me a new and improved life.

NU SEASON

This track is the first installment of a series of 4 Freestyles entirely produced by Myself and my friend, engineer and Co-producer Chineze. This is to mark my return to the music scene after being absent for a year.

AFOGA #1

This track is the second installment of a series of 4 Freestyles entirely produced by Myself and my friend, engineer and Co-producer Chineze. This is to mark my return to the music scene after being absent for a year.

AFOGA #2

This track is the third installment of a series of 4 Freestyles entirely produced by Myself and my friend, engineer and Co-producer Chineze. This is to mark my return to the music scene after being absent for a year.

AFOGA #3

This track is the fourth and last installment of a series of 4 Freestyles entirely produced by Myself and my friend, engineer and Co-producer Chineze. This is to mark my return to the music scene after being absent for a year.

AFOGA #4

This song is the first installment of a series of 4 Covers of some of my favorite R&b, Soul and Pop songs entirely revisited and reproduced by Myself. With this one I did a mash up of J Holiday’s - Suffocate a song that reminds me of a specific time of my life with Elton John's famous classic, Sacrifice. Another song that brings so much nostalgia about as it reminds me of my childhood. The whole purpose of this series is to put my versatility as an artist on display and mark my return to the music scene after being absent for a year. I hope you like it.

SUFFOCATE &SACRIFICE COVER

This song is the second installment of a series of 4 Covers of some of my favorite R&b, Soul and Pop songs entirely revisited and reproduced by Myself. With this second installment I am revisiting one of my all time favorite RnB& Soul songs from one of my biggest inspirations when it comes to singing and music period; SoBeautiful by the legendary MusiqSoulChild. It is quite a tough one for someone like me with no training when it comes to singing. The High pitched tone of voice used by the artist in this song is what makes it special to me (Plus the instrumental of course). It is also what makes it such a hard song to cover. Therefore I wanted to try myself at it and see how it comes out. I have to say I’m pretty proud. The whole purpose of this series is to put my versatility as an artist on display and mark my return to the music scene after being absent for a year. I hope you like this one.

SOBEAUTIFUL

This song is the third installment of a series of 4 Covers of some of my favorite R&b, Soul and Pop songs entirely revisited and reproduced by Myself. In this third episode, I picked a song from the early 2000s revisiting one of the many RnB songs that marked me as a teenager, reminding me how it felt to fall in love back then. I am talking about How Do I Breathe by Mario. I had to entirely remake the beat as sampling wasn't too easy. It came out pretty well if you ask me. The whole purpose of this series is to put my versatility as an artist on display and mark my return to the music scene after being absent for a year. I hope you enjoy this one.

How Do I Breathe (Cover)

This song is the 4th episode of this series of 4 Covers of some of my favorite R&b, Soul and Pop songs entirely revisited and reproduced by Myself. In this fourth episode, I picked a song which is also from the early 2000s like the previous one. It is one that I used to play on repeat around that time and still very much enjoy listening to till this day. It's a CLASSIC song titled ’Diary’ by none other than the GREAT Alicia Keys.  I had to entirely remake the beat for this one too as sampling wasn't too easy. It forced me to get creative a little and I think It came out pretty well. I even sampled a Legendary senegalese Maestro that I had the honor to perform with, on this one (But I’ll break that down later).  The whole purpose of this series is to put my versatility as an artist on display and mark my return to the music scene after being absent for a year. I hope you enjoy this one. 

Diary (cover)

This song is a look back on 2020,  the realization of how much we have changed throughout the year , positively or negatively. 
It is also about hope and motivation to keep going because at the end of the day .... earth keeps spinning. 
So watch until the end....

Stucc in the Grind - FreeMix

I decided to do a cover of a classic Rnb song from my teenage years. 
A song that reminds of old crushes and summer flings....I know you can relate. Enjoy the vibe and if you like it, share it !!!

Sembe Feat Fehe - So Into You (Acoustic Cover)

Born from Senegalese parents, I was rocked during my childhood by my father's jazz and Afro music records. I was preceded in the rap movement by my older brother Ibaaku who was my first influence. During my teenage years I frequently attended rehearsals of the LZ3 collective of which Ibaaku was one of the founders, which increased the attractiveness of hip hop to me. I started listening to French rap until I discovered American rap through Jay-z who became the icon of my rap influences as well as Nas, Lupe Fiasco, and later Kanye West, J Cole and Kendrick Lamar.
I began writing my first English lyrics while pursuing my high school studies in Ziguinchor, Casamance. This is where I developed my talent and rocked my first stages.

I later formed the legendary Rap Group Skillaz with two of my best friends. We were introduced to each other by a common friend. Together, we started recording and from there it was ON… we released two projects together between 2013 and 2015, a Mixtape and an EP that earned us the respect and admiration of the Senegalese Rap scene, even got us a citation in the book of Senegalese Music... Yes we made history. 

But then came the time for me to go solo. So in 2018 I released FTheWorld my first solo body of work. A cry of rage, an opposition to the world, to society as a system of immutable norms. But also a crucial search for identity. I had been in a group for the most part of my career and wanted to prove myself that I could make a solo album and my teenager dream of being like Jay Z come true (Lol). 
FtheWorld is still available on all platforms and still going strong two years after its release. You should Check it out if you have not yet. ;)

Today, I am a new and improved human and artist. Cut out the F Manel and now you have SEMBE which means strength, Spiritually, mentally and physically (about to hit the gym soon..lol) yes strength to be patient, strength to get back up when I fall, strength to work harder than the day before, strength to believe in GOD, strength to OVERCOME. That's what I am, an OVERCOMER I keep coming, I go the distance, I will always come back, I always rise and THAT is my brand. I improve and evolve for eternity. That's what my music is about. Are you down to ride ?

SEMBE

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