Amadou Barry, a.k.a. Doug E. Tee and Didier J. Awadi, known as DJ Awadi were both born in the Senegalese capital of Dakar. Amadou is the son of an Air Afrique employee and a businesswoman. As for Didier, born in 1969, he comes from a family of teachers. His father is from Benin.

As early as their teenage years, they began their DJ careers separately in the clubs of Dakar. At the same time Didier was a local TV host. Fairly well-known on Dakar's music scene, the two boys competed with each other. At this time, during the 1980s, we could even speak about a real rivalry. Around '85, Didier became known on the music scene with his group, Didier Awadi's Syndicate. Then Amadou became very popular a few years later with the King MCs. The adversity of the two groups also came from the fact that they both represented different neighbourhoods in Dakar. Didier is from the Amitié 2 sector and Amadou from Liberté 6. It is a system of clans.

But the rivalry would disappear when Didier took the initiative to invite Amadou to his birthday party. During the party, the two men rapped together and didn't take long to discover their common values. Both had great respect for the writer Amadou Hampâté Bâ and the humanist Cheikh Anta Diop, two key figures in Senegalese culture. Moreover, they both felt ready to fight for the development and respect of their continent in the world. "I wouldn't call that Black Nationalism, but Africanism" declared Amadou.

Overnight they joined their motivation and their talent to form a group, which took the name Positive Black Soul. This positive thinking was at the heart of their views. They chose to talk about society's problems with a clear mind, constructively, even moralising. The creation of their duo helped them get better (advance). Their writing, their style and their voices were complementary. It was instant success built on their already established local fame.

The instrumentation required traditional instruments from which came a totally innovative sound, in any case for the Occidental public. This is how from this point on that PBS respectfully competed with the Senegalese star, par excellence, Youssou N'Dour and his m'balax. Being of the urban current, PBS' rap carries along a movement of new bands finding there choiceful means to express themselves.

Between '89 and '92, PBS' fame hardly crossed the border. Their importance on the local scene was nevertheless great amidst a lot of competition. In '92, the French Cultural Center of Dakar produced a CD, which tempted to represent current Senegalese music, "Dakar 92, mbalax, jazz et rap". Naturally, PBS was on it with a lot of other artists such as the pianist Aminata Fall.

What triggered things was when French Rapper MC Solaar played in Dakar for the first time in '92. A fan of PBS, he hired them to open for him. The media seized this moment and the PBS phenomenon slowly started to increase in scale even though no recording of their work had seen the light of day. At the beginning of '93, they travelled to Paris to take part in a Rap/Reggae festival at the Bataclan, invited by Disco Mixte Club and Radio France Internationale. PBS was a concert group that attracted crowds as their performance proved during the Dakar's first music festival in '93.

Despite their popularity, the group didn't have many means. In Senegal, nobody was really interested in producing them. Like everywhere, rap sometimes has a negative image. So they took things into their own hands. Before recording, the two men spent a lot of time observing other musicians in the studio and they learned things on the spot. Without any special help, they released their first cassette "Boul Falé" in '94.

It was thanks to the help of Mamadou Konté,an African living in Paris, that their cassette was promoted all over the African continent. Half-Malian, half-Senegalese, Mamadou was the creator of Africa Fête, a major event in World music on the Parisian scene (which took place in Paris). One thing leading to another, PBS met a public from all over Africa and made themselves known on the international scene.

In '94, Baaba Maal invited PBS to be on his album "Firin' In Fouta". This meeting led them directly to Mango records, a subdivision of the prestigious Island Records. Signing with this label catapulted them directly to the front of the World Music scene. Starting in '94, a European tour took them to Switzerland, England, the Bourges Festival (in Central France) in April and twice to Paris at Passage du Nord-Ouest, a hall no longer here today. At the end of the year, they played at Africa Fête and at Transmusicales of Rennes (Brittany,France). They were the sweethearts of the World Music scene and they were all anyone talked about.

Naturally a CD came out in '95. On the Senegalese market, PBS released cassettes more regularly but for the international market they had to release a CD. Entitled "Salaam" (peace) they took several songs from their cassettes.

The styles varied and reflected the group's rich inspiration : hardcore rap ("Def La Xam"), reggae ("Neloh", "Djokko"),and traditional ("Ataya"). Like the music, the themes reflected many subjects: pan-Africanism, Africa's image in the world, social unrest and the running of the continent by political leaders, ("Le bourreau est noir", "Président d'Afrique"). Finally on "Rat des villes, rat des champs", PBS did a duo (trio?) with MC Solaar.

The release of this album was the opportunity for a new tour. TV, press, radio, the media coverage was big. In London, PBS sang with the Americans Naughty by Nature. Then with their return to Senegal on December 21st, they embarked on a national tour.

1996 was also divided between tours in the Occident and in Africa. In May they were at Divan du Monde in Paris. Then they took off for Quebec's Festival d'été in July where they came away with the Prix Miroir de la chanson francophone for the Best New Artist. In August they returned to their country for a concert at the Daniel Sorano theatre where they shared the billing with Youssou N'Dour.

In October "Daw Thiow" (Avoid quarrels), their fourth cassette, was released.

National celebrities, Doug E. Tee and Didier Awadi were welcomed with fanfare by President Abdou Diouf in February '97. Some months later they further confirmed their impact on African youth during a tour of Central Africa, which ended on July 19th in Libreville, Gabon. The two DJs from Dakar were now pillars of African music. On August 10th, 1997, they celebrated their eighth anniversary as a duo, like they had done every year since their beginning. But this year, the president once again offered the use of his estate for a very highly attended banquet. Not very popular, this take-over of the party by the authorities caused a slight controversy.

In September, PBS set off for South Africa with their three dancers Jules, Bass and Alioune. They performed in Johannesburg at the Arts Alive Festival, at the Cape and on Robben Island, sadly famous for its prison which was Nelson Mandela's "residence" for 27 years.

A new tour in May '98 for PBS who visited the local high schools before travelling across West Africa via the French Cultural Centers and the Alliances Francaises.

July 99