Killah Ace

Ali Cham, popularly known as Killah Ace born is a Gambian hip-hop artist whose music career started in the U.S. when he was 12 years old. He returned home when he was 15 years old. In 2010, he released his first single entitled ‘In Fok Nyu Dem (We Must Go)’ is about the illegal migration to Europe. In 2011, he worked at Afri-Radio as a presenter on a show called The Cypher. The show showcased talented youth from around the world, and provided a positive outlet for youth from disadvantaged backgrounds.

In 2012, he formed the Cypher Movement, a platform where upcoming hip-hop artists can showcase their talents. In 2013, he released a 15-track debut album titled ‘Another Critical Experiment’. Some of the hit songs on the album are ‘Allah Bai Soldier’, ‘Frustration’, ‘Burn Dem Down’ and ‘Mama’.

Between 2012 and 2015, he represented The Gambia at the International Festival of Hip-Hop and Urban Culture in Senegal Dakar. He won the Best Hip-Hop Artist of the Year 2014 category at the Purely Gambian Entertainment Awards in March 2015.

In 2015, he released a single titled ‘Ku Boka C Geta G’. The song is a fusion of Wollof and English languages; it is about the oppression and corruption in The Gambia. He also released ‘Ku Boka C Geta G’, a single which generated massive attention among Gambian youth within the country and in the diaspora reaching over 30,000 listeners on SoundCloud within 48 hours.

The National Intelligence Agency (NIA) in Senegal was on his trail and later forced him to exit the country. He later released a second album titled ‘Lyrical Revolution’. The project features a single called ‘Jambaarr Dawut’.

Ace is also the Chief Executive Officer at Straight From Jupiter Entertainment, a recording stable known for promoting grassroots hip-hop through hosting monthly open-air hip-hop-shows and national and international rap battle competitions.