Keyti was born on December 22, 1972 in Cheikh Sène, and he is one of the pioneers of Senegalese hip-hop music. In addition to his activities in the music scene, Keyti has been organizing conferences and panels throughout Senegal for ten years, and discussing the social and political impact of hip-hop on young people in his homeland. Keyti became known to Senegalese audiences in 1998 with his group Rapadio after they released their first album “Ku Wéét Xam Sa Bop.“ The album changed the face of Senegalese hip-hop music by addressing issues involving Senegal´s youth. The album´s success was rewarded with the launch of a new generation of Senegalese rappers, whose music has focused on politics and socio-economic issues. In 2003 Keyti released his solo project “Jog Ag Daanu,“ earning him the reputation as one of the Senegalese hip-hop scene´s most respected lyricists. The album also gave him the opportunity to work with artists like Nix; Gaston; and As Malick. That same year he took part in the project “Artistes Unis pour le Rap Africain“ (“United Artists for le African Rap“); seventeen other West African hip-hop artists also participated in this project to promote children´s rights. The project went on a three-year tour to countries such as Benin; Togo; France; Burkina Faso; Niger; Switzerland; the Netherlands; and Mali. In 2008 Keyti was part of the British Council-initiated “Bring the Noise“ project for the 50th anniversary of Ghana´s independence and the 200th anniversary of Britain´s abolition of slavery. “Bring the Noise“ was presented in Ethiopia; Tanzania; Uganda; Cameroon; Nigeria; and the United Kingdom. In 2008 Keyti shot a 26-minute documentary film on Senegalese hip-hop entitled “100% Galsen.“ The film premiered at the Black Soil International Hip-Hop Film Festival in Rotterdam in the Netherlands. Since October 2012 he has been co-moderator of Journal Rappé (“Rap Journal“), a weekly news bulletin on YouTube. Between March and August 2014 he worked with former juvenile prisoners as part of the Youth Urban Media Academy (YUMA) project initiated by AfriCulturban.
