Born
in Hôpital Mama Yemo in the commune of Kinshasa in
Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, Illicit is living proof of perseverance
as he fell critically ill and lost vast amounts of blood soon after his birth.
To survive, it was determined that a blood transfusion was required, with blood
provided by his uncle and late grandfather. Illicit grew up in Ndjili in the
southeastern part of the capital where he witnessed at first hand many of
life’s struggles. The poverty and various deficits that surrounded him were
always balanced out by the attitude of the people; vibrant, passionate and
hopeful. His early years left a positive imprint in his memory banks before
moving to the United Kingdom, via Lagos, Nigeria, in the early 90’s.
Growing up
in north London exposed Illicit to a different type of life, a life where the
wealth of his native was manifested and the “utopia” much spoken of in Zaire
was alive in the view of other types of struggles.
In
London, a young Illicit and family, and the wider Congolese community
celebrated “making it” with many house parties. These house parties are his
first clear memories of music and dancing, and are as he recalls: “the best
and most special memories of my life”. If his native music sparked his interest in art then
Hip-Hop allowed the interest to manifest itself in his late teens.
Explaining
his reasons for choosing Illicit as his pseudonym, he says; “At that time,
my mind and ideologies were rapidly changing with the knowledge I got exposed
to and my experiences, especially my brushes with the police! I felt an
everlasting burst of internal fire that enlightened me to try and be law unto
myself, thus Illicit – and also because it contained the word ‘ill’ in it!”
In his music,
Illicit illustrates a young man who relies on self-examination to progress in a
world where external concerns rule. It’s a trip through the northeastern
section of London on public transport, where drunks and yuppies alike share the
same energy citing the marvelous to the ridiculous. As a double-threat who also
engineers sessions, he ran a studio which became the focal point
for his local community and artists, bringing their visions to life.
On being a double-threat and mixing songs he says; “I never follow trends so I knew I had to invest in myself to create music that I wanted to make, so off to the College of North East London I went to learn how to make beats and then begun purchasing the necessary equipment needed to build a home studio. Eventually I wanted total control of what I was doing so I begun teaching myself how to mix down songs. To this day I try push myself to the best of my abilities and eventually, to call myself a “true muscian”, pick up an instrument to play, preferably tenor sax and piano.”
Peace to
All
