Pa Salieu is a rapper and singer from Coventry, England, winner of the BBC Sound of 2021 poll, whose debut mixtape Send Them to Coventry came out in November 2020 and whose album Afrikan Alien was nominated for the 2025 Mercury Prize.
Background
Pa Salieu began rapping in 2018 under the name Tribal1 and released his first singles, “Never Had” and “Say So”, that year. “Frontline” (January 2020) brought wider recognition and became the most-played track of 2020 on BBC Radio 1Xtra. He works across British hip-hop, afroswing and UK drill and is signed to Warner Records.
Releases
Send Them to Coventry (November 2020) reached number 14 on the UK R&B Albums Chart, and the EP Afrikan Rebel followed in September 2021. Collaborations include “Glidin’” with Slowthai, “Bad” with Aitch (2021) and “Blessing Me” with Mura Masa, Kali Uchis and Skillibeng (2022). He returned in September 2024 with “Belly” and released Afrikan Alien in November 2024.
He won the BBC Sound of 2021 poll, performed “Frontline” on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon in January 2021 and was on the cover of NME’s first issue of 2021.
Where to start
Start with Send Them to Coventry. The featured video, “Bad” with Aitch, is on his official channel.
Sources
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