By Sainabou Sambou
Omar Jabbie, who goes by his artist name OJ Smallz, is a sprouting Gambian Afrobeat artiste with a dream to become Afrobeat super star. He described himself as versatile, as he could sing hip pop music as well. He said music has become a lifestyle for him. In this interview with the Gambia Daily L&E, he expressed his interest to collaborate with Gambia’s renowned musician Jaliba Kuyateh. “Collaborating with Jaliba Kuyateh will be dream-come-true for me,” he declared. OJ Smallz described Jaliba as a cultural musician, and noted that collaborating with an old school artist will be great. Recounting his musical journey, the up and coming artist said his passion for music started since when he was a little boy.
“I started music in 2017 but only became active in the music industry in 2023. I dropped my first EP last year,” he said. He revealed that he has worked on twelve songs but nine are released so far. The Afrobeat prodigy stressed that he writes the songs that he sings, and that his music is mainly personal or related to someone. He described himself as versatile, as he could sing hip pop music as well. However, OJ Smallz lamented the limited or lack of support in the music industry, claiming that people with talent are not motivated; rather they are discouraged in what they do. He therefore calls on fellow artists to believe in themselves even when nobody believes in them.
