London’s Emerging Street Heater Backroad Gee Talks “Party Popper” & More

Backroad Gee, raised in various parts of London, mainly areas of Tottenham, Stratford, Pimlico, East Finchley and Thornton Heath has been making huge waves in the UK rap game as of recently. Heavily influenced by his mother blasting Congolese music in the house as a youth, Backroad Gee has grown up in the golden era of Grime and Dancehall. At just 23 years old, Backroad Gee is taking all these formative sounds and experiences to new places more recently with his highly anticipated “Party Popper” Remix. Calling on quickly-rising rapper Pa Salieu and Ambush to follow up on his previous hit “Party Popper”, the trio have come with a fiery remix to heat up the streets! 

I had a quick chat with Backroad Gee about all things music…

What initially inspired or drove you to want to make music?

My African background made me want to make music, I wanted to be a drummer for one big artist from my country. I didn’t even know about rap!

You’ve mentioned previously that your mum would blast Congolese music in the house when you were growing up. Did this influence you in any way musically?

Yeaaaah my mum influenced me big time!

What artists or albums that you listened to growing up helped influence your sound today, or still do?

50 Cent’s “Get Rich Or Die Tryin’”, Akon as well the album that “Locked Up” was on – “Trouble”. DMX’s album, the one where he’s in all black and that and got bare dogs, ohhhh my days and he’s got that gospel song on there ahhhh! I’m telling you this is the shit that shaped me you know and my mum used to buy these.

How would you describe your sound? Listening back to “Mukta Wit Reason” sonically it’s very versatile and fuses various sounds into one?

Ha! In-describable, sensational! What else ummm, out of this planet. Oh my god just amazing, wonderful everything it’s just mad!

You’ve gathered various co-signs from the likes of Chip, Tiffany Calver, Lethal B, DJ Semtex and more! How did these come about?

Everything came about organically, all these people were just showing man love out of no where. I would literally go onto my snapchat without anyone telling me and do snaps, click on Steff London’s snap and BOW she’s playing my music! It’s just lovely man everyone’s just fucking with what I’m doing right now. 

Did you ever anticipated that “Party Popper” would take off the way it did?

No because initially I never even wanted to put “Party Popper” out when it came out. My manager money Mikez was like just trust me. I was rooting for another song to come out but my manager was like ‘Bro there’s something about this song! Trust me have I ever lead you wrong’, so yeah I just put my faith in big Mike and look where we are!

Following the success of the single you recently dropped the remix for “Party Popper” with Ambush and PA Salieu. Why these two artists in particular?

I didn’t pick them you know! They both heard the song and fucked with it and how it even came about with them jumping on the track was organic it just happened…it wasn’t planned or anything. We were actually going to just shoot the video to the original one and they ended up doing their verses and it was a madness. Good things work out like this sometimes you know.

I’ve heard you are also dropping a project in June…what can we expect to hear from this? Any features we should look out for?

Ooooo boy boy boy I’m not even sure if I can disclose that one! All I can say is what is to come you’re not even going to be able to understand…it’s going to be a MADNESS! When I mean it’s going to make the ground shake we’re gonna make the ground shake. Remember I told you this.

What more can we expect to see from you this coming year?

More greatness, more bangers and it’s just going to keep going up in levels man! Follow the journey, trust me I’m coming.



Keep up to date with all things Backroad Gee via his Instagram here.