Dancehall music has come a long way since its birth in the 1970s, and Abz is the latest star in the making. Taking the stripped-down approach and taking the listener to a very dark place, Abz’s trademark growl (think Tommy Lee Sparta meets Tom Waits) is your entry point into his fusion of bleak dancehall and dark hip hop, as intoxicating as the clouds of smoke around him…

Originally from the coastal village of Sukuta in The Gambia, Abz (Abdoulie Bah) now lives in England, though the change in environment has not changed the impact of either his music or his lyrics, with influences, to use his own words, coming “from above and below”. This balance of darkness and light runs throughout Abz’s tracks, from the brutality of Buss Gun to the more tender Love Poetry, Abz is an artist who doesn’t hold back. To quote the man himself, “Clear the throat, clear the smoke” – you’re in for one hell of a ride.