Rebellion The Recaller.
thursday 17 April 2008malmoe
Rebellion The Recaller Biography
"The Wise Man’s Path..."
Bafode Dramé was born in France in 1979 as son of West-African immigrants. He spent his early youth in France until the age of 11, when his family returned to The Gambia to give the boy the possibility to experience his ancestral culture and to follow the rigorous spiritual education of a Jahanka-an ancient tribe whose members traditionally devote their lives to the study and teaching of Islam.
The young boy’s love for music had already developed early on through artists like Bob Marley, Peter Tosh or Jimmy Cliff. However, it began truly to flourish in The Gambia, where he encountered a colourful blend of African and Caribbean Roots and traditional music, which were circulating on audiotapes and played on local radio stations. To- gether with an upcoming generation of Jamaican Reggae artist such as Buju Banton or Capleton, they inspired the teenager to start writing and singing his own lyrics under his newfound name, Rebellion the Recaller.
Over the years, the young artist made himself a name and soon was playing on stages in The Gambia and Senegal, alongside established local musicians such as Inspired Ones, The Royal Family, or Born Africans. Rebellion the Recaller’s intuitive concern for the everyday struggles of the people and his original and deeply spiritual lyrics finally brought him to the attention of US-based group Suns of Light. After his first hit in The Gambia in 1997, ‘One for One’ (Galant Studio), Suns of Light followed up in 1999 by a locally distributed album on tape called ‘Departing from these Days’, including the hit ‘We Must Rebel’ (feat. Suns of Light).
In 2002, Rebellion decided to return to Europe, to try his luck as a professional mu- sician. News about his exceptional talent began spreading throughout the continent, eventually leading to the re-release of ‘We Must Rebel’ on seven-inch, in cooperation with Roots Messenger Music, from Hamburg, Germany. In 2004, the tune became a reg- gae smash-hit on Europe’s dancefloors, clinging for over ten months to the German Top- Twenty reggae charts alone. The success gave Rebellion the Recaller extensive media coverage and led him to many stages and festivals all over Europe where he was greeted by enthusiastic crowds. He decided to settle in Germany and began recording singles with numerous well-known reggae producers, like Pow-Pow Movement (including the reggae chart hit ‘Genuine’), Special delivery, and Silly Walks.
2007 has been an important, eventful year for Rebellion the Recaller as he finalized the work on his long-awaited international debut album ‘Movin’ On’. This masterly record, a co-production between the upcoming IMmusic Label from Berlin, Germany, and producer-legend Bobby ‘Digital’ Dixon from Kingston, Jamaica, presents a further on milestone on the Recaller’s fascinating path.