Divine's Gully Gang signs Goa rapper Tsumyoki for maiden EP 'Way Too Messy'

Thursday, 16 September 2021 | IANS

Divine's Gully Gang signs Goa rapper Tsumyoki for maiden EP 'Way Too Messy'

Thursday, 16 September 2021 | IANS

Divine's Gully Gang Entertainment has signed Goa rapper Tsumyoki for his maiden EP 'Way Too Messy'.

The collaborative piece also features Goa's MC Kidd Mange (Daniel Sequiera) and has five tracks 'Way Too Messy', 'All Black Trap Trap 2', 'Pao Wala', 'No Games' and 'Commentz'.

While the late American rapper XXXTentacion is Tsumyoki's musical inspiration, 20-year-old Tsumyoki (real name Nathan Mendes) confesses his mother is instrumental in his success.

In an exclusive conversation with IANS, Tsumyoki said: "I come from a broken family and my mother has been a huge inspiration in my professional journey because of the manner in which she overcame so many hurdles that life threw at her. My music is a form of therapy where I channel out all my emotions."

Reflecting on how the EP shaped up he added: "It was a very impromptu outing for me. I attended the Gully Gang songwriting camp in Goa in 2021 and I was inspired by the high-octane ambience that surrounded me which eventually led to the creation of the EP. I've experimented with my soundscape and styles interlacing trap sounds with acoustic melody."

His latest releases include 'Goa Trap Culture - Daboij Album 2021', an album from which the single 'Jackets' was well received. 'Big Shots' with Yelhomie and Moko Koza was a collaboration that represented the best of Goa and Nagaland, respectively.

Kidd Mange whose inspirations range from J. Cole, Kendrick Lamar, Logic to Eminem and MF DOOM said: "I feel this project features some of the best writing I've done so far and that's coupled with amazing production and Yoki too, I don't think there's one song the audience will skip past but mainly I hope they enjoy it as much as we enjoyed making it, I'm really grateful to the whole team at Gully Gang for helping us out and taking this EP one step further."

With a long-term vision to set a benchmark for Goa in the music landscape of the country, he said, "Strangely there are many stereotypes that people harbour when it comes to residents of Goa, some being as bizarre as residents of Goa leading sluggish modest lifestyles. I have always wanted to showcase to the world that music thrives in our bloodline and we are talented and motivated when it comes to our sonic aptitude and I'm grateful Gully Gang saw merit in my thought process."

"My long-term goal is to be the first Goa-born artist to make a worthwhile contribution in the world of music and bring my signature charm to the performance circuit. Rap and hip hop need to break away from this provincial categorisation and be more inclusive in nature," said Tsumyoki, who also produced and performed in the 'Goa Rap Cypher' which featured nine talented rappers from Goa.