From growing up around drugs and crime in Greater Manchester to spending a year inside a Thai prison, rapper Kee Dakey has a story that is anything but ordinary.
Appearing on the Terry Stone Connection, the 26-year-old opened up about his childhood, his introduction to dealing drugs, the decision that ultimately landed him behind bars in Thailand and how music has become his focus since returning home.
It is a story that moves from council estates and fast money to the harsh reality of prison life, before ending somewhere very different: with new music, ambitious plans and a determination to build something positive.
Growing Up Around Drugs and Crime
Kee Dakey, whose real name is Keenan, grew up in Greater Manchester in an environment where drugs were a normal part of everyday life.
He recalls having very little money growing up and becoming aware of his father’s drug addiction from an early age. Around the estate, he says many of the people he saw were either using drugs or selling them.
By his early teens, that environment had begun to influence the direction of his own life.
After being removed from school at around 14, Kee soon found himself selling cannabis. What started through a friend quickly became a way of earning serious money at an age when most teenagers were only beginning to think about their first job.
By around 16, he says he was making thousands of pounds a week.
At the time, it felt like he had found a career. Looking back, however, he recognises how unstable that world really was.
How Kee Dakey Ended Up in Thailand
Years later, Kee received a phone call asking whether he wanted to travel to Thailand.
He had barely travelled internationally in the previous decade, but decided to take the opportunity. What began as a short trip soon became longer periods living in the country.
Thailand offered him an entirely different lifestyle. He describes staying in hotels and apartments, travelling around areas including Phuket and experiencing a nightlife that felt a world away from home.
He also began documenting some of his experiences on Snapchat, with his following reportedly growing dramatically while he was there.
But behind the lifestyle was an increasingly dangerous situation.
Eventually, Kee made a decision that would completely change his life.
Arrested at the Airport
While attempting to leave Thailand, Kee arrived at the airport believing he would soon be travelling home.
Instead, a member of staff checked his passport, made a phone call and customs officers approached him.
He was instructed to open his suitcase.
Inside was a large quantity of cannabis.
Rather than receiving the punishment he had expected, Kee was taken into custody. After spending time in an airport cell, he was sent to court before being remanded in prison.
It was the beginning of what would become roughly a year behind bars.
What Life Was Like Inside a Thai Prison
Kee’s description of prison life is one of the most striking parts of the Terry Stone Connection interview.
He recalls arriving in chains before being processed and placed into an isolation area with other prisoners. After several days, he was moved into the main prison population.
Conditions were extremely basic.
According to Kee, around 150 prisoners could be sleeping inside a single cell, with inmates sleeping on the floor using old blankets. Toilets were basic, privacy was limited and food largely consisted of simple rice-based meals.
Violence was another constant concern.
Kee describes witnessing fights and serious attacks during his time inside. His background in mixed martial arts helped him feel more confident, while learning to communicate with Thai prisoners and earning their respect through music also helped him adapt.
Despite everything happening around him, there was another part of his life that remained important throughout his sentence.
Music.
Discovering a Passion for Rap
Interestingly, Kee’s journey into music had begun before his prison sentence.
At around 20 years old, he remembers reaching an extremely low point in his life and asking for some form of direction.
The following day, he heard a beat and immediately began thinking of lyrics.
Rather than rushing to release music, Kee spent the next two years developing his ability. He describes writing for up to 12 hours a day, working continuously until he felt ready to enter a studio.
It was an extraordinary level of commitment from somebody who admits music was not something he took seriously while growing up.
During his time in prison, that creativity continued.
Kee says he wrote around 70 songs behind bars and completed enough material for two mixtapes.
Music Playing at Festivals While He Was in Prison
Perhaps the strangest contrast in Kee’s story came while he was still incarcerated.
While he was sitting in a Thai prison, music featuring his voice was being played thousands of miles away.
He says his work has been heard at major events including Glastonbury, Miami’s Ultra Music Festival and Bassfest, while DJs and producers have incorporated his vocals into tracks.
He specifically discusses producer Adapter’s track “Catch a Man” and says his vocals have been played by a number of established electronic music DJs.
One particularly surreal moment came when friends told him his music had been played at Thailand’s Full Moon Party while he was still behind bars.
For someone sitting in a prison cell, it offered a glimpse of what life outside could potentially become.
Returning Home After a Year in Prison
Kee originally feared he could spend significantly longer behind bars.
Then came news of a royal amnesty.
After seeing another British prisoner released around the one-year mark, Kee hoped his own release might follow. Initially, it did not.
Eventually, officers arrived with a list.
His name was on it.
Even then, freedom was not immediate. Kee says he was transferred between different detention facilities before eventually being deported back to the UK.
Returning home after approximately a year inside a Thai prison was difficult. In the interview, he speaks openly about struggling to readjust to everyday life and the psychological impact of constantly needing to remain alert while incarcerated.
A New Chapter for Kee Dakey
Now back in the UK, Kee says his priority is music.
With dozens of songs written during his prison sentence, completed mixtape material and collaborations developing behind the scenes, he believes there is a genuine opportunity to build a career.
His story also highlights something bigger.
Talent alone is rarely enough.
Before releasing his first music, Kee spent years writing and practising. Even after seeing his work reach major festivals, he remains focused on developing what comes next.
After a life shaped by fast money, risk and consequences, the future he describes today is based around something very different: patience, consistency and putting in the work.
For Kee Dakey, the year spent inside a Thai prison could easily have been the end of the story.
Instead, it may become the beginning of an entirely new one.
