Rapper and Africell brand ambassador Abdoulie Gaye, known by his stage name Attack, has accused members of the Gambia’s majority ethnic group of ganging against him whenever he had beef with Mandinka artists such as ST and Hussein.
Attack, a Wollof, was apparently bitter about the amount of support that he said Mandinka musicians such as ST and Hussein Dada enjoy from the public and the media.
Attack also attacked the media platforms, he called Mandinka-owned, for what he perceived as their lopsided coverage of entertainment news as well as supporting smear campaigns against him.
Speaking in an interview with Peter Gomez aired on West Coast Radio 92.1 on Friday morning, Attack charged:”Whenever there is something good about whosoever it is, it has to be published in a positive way. And the support don’t always has to stop at one person like this is our artist. They always have to generalize it and make sure all of us that are coming from other ethnic groups are also benefitting from this positive spreading of news. So that’s my point. Whenever I have anything good, they’re not gonna post it; my successes, my big, big moves or all of this stuff that have been going on in my career, they never want to talk about it. But whenever Attack has been interrogated or whatsoever or stuff like that, they making sure they add even some…To even spice up to make sure they have what they want.”
“You know there is a saying whatever doesn’t kill you, makes you what?” interjected host Peter Gomez.
“Stronger,” Attack quickly replied. He added:”That’s why I’m here still. I feel like not only social, but as you said even in politics, whenever politicians are having their rallies, you see [it] yourself. The Mandinkas standing their side, the Wollofs stand their side. They do it in groups. So, this is gonna, I feel like by the time…We don’t know where this is gonna lead to but tribal conflict is something that led Rwanda in war, Sierra Leone, Liberia and we don’t want Gambia, too to be part of these countries we’ve seen been in tribal wars.”
“I can tell you musicians can play a lead role…,” said Gomez.
“This lead role is what I am talking about,” said the apparently bitter Attack before adding,”This lead role has to come from the heart, like a big Gambian artist that is representing an ethnic group, is wrong. I believe all of us should represent The Gambia. It doesn’t have to be like Attack is having a musical problem with ST or Hussein, so all the Mandinkas should get up and fight against him. I feel like this being the case and it is still a problem. It’s gonna lead to something that we don’t all want and I believe the music industry has been here and now, it’s even worse. People like us are not going to let it slide, I am young and I have energy, all of that.”
When put to him by the program host that ST was at the West Coast Radio and said things the host thought were highly complimentary of him, Attack responded,”To you, these people are manipulative. Sorry about the word. I’m hitting these things straight to the point.”
