LA MÊME GANG Six young men whose brotherhood is reenergising music in Accra

La M�me Gang

I vividly remember how I felt the first day I spent with La Même Gang Collective. There was a palpable energy that coursed through the dimly lit Villain Sounds studio as they belted out lyrics and adlib over the 808 and bass-heavy song they were making. I don’t even remember what song it was. It might have been ‘Bangers’, ‘Ikechukwu’, or ‘Lost’. But you could feel the heat in their lyrics and in their movements. With the AC on full blast, it was hot. The type of heat you don’t feel on your skin; that you feel within your soul. In the eerie glow the desktop produced, as I watched these young men jump and sing, engulfed in the vivacity of the music they had just created, I knew they were going to change things.

This was some time in 2016. They weren’t yet a collective. Darkovibes, KiddBlack, Nxwrth, $Pacely, RJZ and KwakuBs were just a bunch of young boys who had coincidentally met at this studio, each drawn there by their desire to make music. One could say it was destiny. This spot in the heart of Spintex, a suburb of Accra, provided a safe haven for them, and it was here that they developed an unwavering bond.

“We all grew up in Villain Sounds,” says $Pacely. “We lived together. We learnt to understand our needs and differences. This bred loyalty between us. We could be fighting, but we would never air each other out in public.” RJZ concurs: “They’re my brothers and I love them. I don’t remember the exact moment I realised this, but it’s just little things that make me aware.” There exists an undeniable brotherhood between La Même Gang. From different backgrounds and different philosophies, it’s so beautiful to see black men appreciate each other so openly.

This bond ignited their relationship with the producer Kuvie. With a couple of hit songs buzzing on the radio, Kuvie was already well sought after, but he chose to dedicate his time to nurture these boys. “Most artists are backbiters, but these guys work together so effortlessly,” Kuvie reflects. “They have drive. I’d wake up at dawn and see Darkovibes up and writing. They have a hunger to win.”

Their close-knit energy is also what fuels their sound, which is aptly defined as ‘Feels’. “Feels is doing whatever we feel like doing,” explains $Pacely. “In Ghana most people try to box you in and make you do a specific sound. They say, ‘if you want to reach the people you have to be relatable, you have to sing or rap in Twi or Ga’, but our music transcends these ideals.”

Stemming from their own stories, inspirations and lifestyles, Feels appeals to more people than the six friends had anticipated. It is the truth of the young people in Accra. It is a lifestyle they know and idolise. It’s full of the tales they heard growing up, things they’ve experienced and understand. “You don’t have to think too much about good music. People focus on making a hit. But good music — it just strikes you. You feel it, and you make others feel it too,” says $Pacely.

The truth in their sound propelled the collective into the position of leaders of Ghana’s new music scene — and La Même Gang are changing the game. “They pushed the envelope further and built a niche,” explains Kuvie. “Their trap sound isn’t disconnected from the culture; it is the culture.”

After their first headline show sold out in December 2017, everyone knew La Même Gang was here to stay. La Même Tape 1 opened doors that they weren’t even aware existed. They went from being described as Soundcloud artists to being put on main stages with top performers to recording songs with some of Ghana’s best musicians. For $Pacely, having the opportunity to record with R2Bees was a milestone. “I grew up listening to these guys and now I’m in studios making music with them. It’s crazy,” he says.

Their attention-grabbing creative expression could well lead to borderless success. “I see us becoming megastars,” RJZ predicts enthusiastically. “We could be selling out the O2 Arena or a stadium,” $Pacely adds. “But it’s not just for the six of us. It’s for all other creatives too. Like Kwabsmah, Ordartei, Bu and all these guys.”

“It goes beyond us. I’ve never made music for me,” RJZ adds. “It’s about the people.”

This selflessness is what makes their music expansive, resulting in a subgenre that goes beyond a blend of music influences to become a contagious, soulful journey. La Même Gang is a band of Ghanaian boys fuelled by their passion to make music. But it is also a calling for African youth to kill off the status quo and create their own universe.