Song Review _ Sarkodie Ft Obrafour Elijah

    SONG REVIEW: SARKODIE FT. OBRAFOUR – ELIJAH

       By: K. Montana Asuman

Elijah is the new song by Ghana’s B.E.T award winning rap artiste - Sarkodie. I do not know how true this is, but for some reason I believe the song will be on his up-coming studio album Sarkology.

The song produced by ace Ghanaian engineer Hammer features Obrafour with whom he has made some breath taking songs in the years past.

Sarkodie and Obrafour

The song was released earlier this week, and was well received by rap music lovers: Earning about 8000 downloads after the third day of its release making it his second most downloaded song this year after the critically acclaimed Illuminati which was released earlier this year.

The single marked the fourth collaboration between Sarkodie and Obrafour following their well-received effort “Saa Okodie No” which was on Sarkodie’s Raperholic Album.

Anytime Hammer produces a song for Sarkodie I am forced to think the song is widely influenced by Obrafour, aside the braggadocio, I believe Obrafour Ghost writes for Sarkodie.

Please don’t get it twisted Sarkodie is a good rapper, probably the best rapper Ghana has seen in a long while but, even Nas has had the rumor of ghost writing thrown at him.

What I mean is, even on a demo beat Sarkodie makes it happen, but the euphoria, precision and tact associated with this song is unique. His conversational style of rap has been what I find most intriguing about his talent since I first heard on Adom FM’s Kasahare Level.

As for Obrafour’s singing abilities, questioning it will be like questioning the beauty and pace of Ghana’s presidential convoy – Swift and fast like lightening.

Besides his unique rap skill one thing I have always trusted Obrafour for is his ability to sing really well. I have always known him to be a very good singer from back in the golden era, listen to “Adefoode” ft Paa Dogo or Oye Ohene (The Original) and tell me u think otherwise.

I won’t even talk about the production because that is a whole topic for discussion on another platform. The first 10 seconds of the beat sounds like it will make people’s eyes water with a nostalgic feeling in the next 10 years.

Need I say more? Personally, I believe Hammer of The Last Two, Sarkodie and Obrafour are the three most dangerously talented men as far as rap music in Ghana is concerned.

Facebook: K. Montana Asuman                                                      Twitter: @kofimontana

          

Group Philosophy & The Disappearance of Rap artistes

     THE DECLINE OF RAP STARS. & WHY RAP GROUPS DETERIORATE….

      BY: KOFI MONTANA ASUMAN

Try to name all of your favorite Rap artistes from the ‘90s and ‘00s.

Instinctively, most of us can rattle out many names to run out of breath before actually

Nana King - Back to the Future

needing to think. Acts such as Nananom and TH4 Kwaches inevitably slip your mind. A fleeting thought of Nana King somehow reminds you of Reggie Rockstone and then, u start looking for your “Makaa Maka” album. A man from Dansoman City might favor Wutah, while my Oseikrom players will demand more respect for Akyeame.

Now try to list your favorite artistes from any time after 2010. Need a minute?

Don’t even bother. Just accept the grim, Twilight Zone-ish reality. It’s about time we acknowledge this dearth of new artistes in the genre that gave us M3nsa and Blitz the Ambassador.

Despite the presence of some captivating talents such as Afriyie (a former member of the beloved Dansoman collective Wutah) M.anifest and Asem an undeniable sense of dissatisfaction pervades much of Hip- Life’s core audience these days. Traditional Rap fans, who are stuck-in-the-‘90s (myself included, to an extent) often attribute that lingering disenchantment to an abundance of superficial subject matter and simplistic rhymes. But the artists mentioned above, and a few not mentioned here, easily nullify such thoughts about the current scene.

Never mind a debate about the substance and standards of one rap generation versus another. It’s not about preference-based conclusions; it’s about Hip-Life missing something significant—one of its most important, elemental aspects. This unprecedented void of traditional Hip Life groups provides an explanation, a partial one at least,- for the perception of inferior quality.

To be fair, we’ve seen the rise of some praiseworthy groups recently, such as Keche and 5Five. But they’re groups, not crews.

When I reminisce on 4x4 from when they first started as a group about ten years ago, I realize that the then, newly formed “group” had actually ended a fairly significant drought of new Rap groups. As a collaboration of established soloists, we were already somewhat familiar with their capabilities when they were with Buk Bak. Aside from 4x4 and a few other crews, Hip Life hasn’t seen a debut from any significantly capable crew since Samini was still called Batman.

The Financial Benefits of Being a Solo Artist

Nananom provided Sydney the foundation for a successful solo career

So if the tradition of Hip Life is dead, then who or what killed it? Was it the corporate music executives, apathetic conformists or maybe the conciet-driven egoism of artists incapable of recognizing how a partner can complement their own distinct abilities? Does anyone want to listen to a solo Bright or a Buk Bak song?

Most likely, a combination of all of the above steered artists away from the tradition. The occurring stories of bitter break-ups and ruined friendships certainly didn’t help. Major label aversion toward traditional Hip Hop groups might have further depleted whatever bonus was left.

Whenever anything goes wrong, the “industry” is always the easiest scapegoat. Arguing that the interests of the corporate music executives ended a tradition of critically acclaimed and marginally commercially successful Hip Life groups over-simplifies reality. But to totally dismiss such an argument would be naïve. Corporate interests are inclined to value high-selling mediocrity over substance that only generates moderate sales regardless of medium or genre. And with the overall decline in record sales, radio-friendly, and party bangers become essential for mere consideration from a major label.

Logically, why would a label continue giving artists enough freedom to make great music that doesn’t sell, when conforming to marketable trends seems far more conducive to the bottom line? The most effective strategy would be to control the content of soloists and not waste time with groups, which have never displayed much monetary value despite a few exceptions.

For example, Akatakyie produced a well-received, debut album that suffered on the charts.  Odo Asisi me peaked at #36 and spent only six weeks on the Adom FM Top 40 Music Chart. That same year, Obrafour’s Pae Mu Ka hit #1 and remained on the chart for over a year.

To be fair, the mishandling of group efforts was wide-spread across the Hip Life scene. Nananom, one of the only traditional groups to come out during the golden era of Hip Life, further validated any major label skepticism. The solo career of former member Barima Sydney dwarfed the moderate success achieved by the group.

Even during the good old days, Rap groups seldom hit #1.

The lack of #1 songs and/or albums from emcee duos and small groups seems even more severe than that of larger groups.

The success of R2Bees; The Revolution I debut album might have had as much to do with timing as well as merit. The Port City of Tema’s momentum—following the Revolution I and Sarkodie’s Maakye—had, at least partially powered up the success of the much younger crop of rappers that emerged out of the city. Still, a few years later I still believe they are yet to give us their best.

Until Promzy’s sinister single which was released earlier this year, V.I.P was one group that never seemed to struggle with personality clashes or conflicting individual ambitions except from the few we saw years ago. Nevertheless, they were able to handle it strategically and have made up for it, their long walk together and strong adherence overrode any negativity that could have caused.

Let’s not get it twisted; V.I.P is probably the longest surviving group in Ghana’s rap music history. They are about seven albums deep in the game and they get stronger by the day.

We can never disregard the fact that groups also do break up because of financial misunderstandings, many a times we have heard the old tale of how one or two members of a group, cheated on their mates and that had caused brought the group into shambles. A case in point: The Praye Story.

All over the world, the financial benefits of being a solo artist is widely known. That is, with groups, the proceeds from shows, album sales, gigs and sometimes ev

VIP - Probably the Most Successful group in Hip Life

 en individual ventures have to be shared between all members of the group, so unless the group is really doing well commercially

You are sure to face some problems which may just lead to the fast decline of the group. - The Wutah Story.

One of the biggest advantages solo careers have over group projects is that, solo musicians do not have to debate every decision they want to make and also after their taxes and bills all their earnings go into their own pocket so logically speaking, it is much profitable to run solo than to get yourself mixed up in all the drama surrounding group projects.

Facebook: K. Montana Asuman                                               Twitter: @kofimontana 

Rap is African & Why Rappers Switch Genres....

My Thoughts: Why I believe Rap is African.  Why most Ghanaian Rap artistes switch genres.

By: Kofi Montana Asuman

                   Part I: How recognized is Hip-hop in Ghana?

          Rap has had ties to Africa and has been recognized in Ghana since the beginning. This is because after the first Hip-hop album was released by the Sugar-Hill Gang in 1979, hip-hop has been accredited with several African elements.

Dj Cool Herc- A pioneer of Hiphop

For starters, hip-hop music is African oral poetry and this is one of the reasons it is recognized in Ghana. Hip-hop comprises African oral poetry, jazz, the blues and gospel music, all of which trace their origins to the indigenous tribes of West Africa. (Dr Kwaku Person-Lynn: Rap music Africa to Hip-hop, 1996). To say that hip-hop is not recognized in Africa is like saying; African Americans and the river Nile have nothing to do with Africa and the continent’s history.

          Rap is widely recognized in Ghana and Africa because, before it was corrupted and influenced by the alien culture of the western world. It depended solely on the traditional structures of the black communities. We are reminded that the God-Fathers of hip-hop (Afrika Bamataa and Kool Herc) were African-American. Actually, Cool Herc had Jamaican roots­- but black is black. We are also reminded of the hip-hop awareness group- the Zulu Nation. Zulu’s are African People.

Afrika Bambataa-  Influenced the birth of  Hip Hop

          Rap and Hip Hop is widely recognized in Ghana and Africa because it has groomed and influenced many of the continent’s modern genres and current music styles. In Ghana the spread of hip-hop paved the way for a new music genre in the late 90’s called hip-life. It fuses the Ghanaian highlife with Black-American hip-hop. Technically, hip-life is also Ghanaian hip-hop. Thus hiplife wouldn’t survive without hip-hop. After its introduction, hip-life has spread to other West African countries and has gradually gained popularity in other continents.

 Hip-life is organized by most of the elements which make hip-hop. (beats, rap style and hooks). In recent times various elements of hip-life have changed and have been replaced by ones which get it much closer to hip-hop. E.g. the language: there has been the evolution from Akan to English and more recently pidgin.

 Hip-hop also influenced another style of music in South Africa called Kwaito. And just like hip-life, kwaito is also characterized by most of the elements of hip-life that is the rap styles the funky beats and the style of the hooks.

 Part II: why have most of Ghana’s Hip-life/Hip-hop artistes switched from their traditional style to other genres to help them fit into the current music industry?

  

          The second part of this write-up focuses on the reason most hip-life/hip-hop artistes divert from their traditional music style to other music genres, to enable them fit into the industry.

          The most important factor that influences most hip-life/hip-hop artistes to switch to other genres is the quest to make more money. “Music is my hustle; I make music for a living. If it isn’t productive because my audiences prefer a different style, I must as well do what they want to earn living” – Jermaine Dupri. The search for C.R.E.A.M. is one of the major factors that make most musicians switch genre. Young artistes in Ghana make music to earn them a living, so if they have to switch genres to enable them earn a little, they sure will.

Sarkodie- Blends Genres Perfectly

          Dynamism is one of the major factors that make hip-life/hip-hop artistes switch genres. Music as a part of culture is subject to the various processes that affect culture. Music dynamism means music, just like all the other parts of culture is not static. It is constantly changing and evolving. The old genres of music occasionally give birth to other forms of music. For example, reggae gave birth to dancehall and lovers rock, even though these are autonomous genres of music; they all trace their ancestry to reggae music. The hip-life scene in Ghana has also given birth to other sub-genres such as Azonto and GH rap.

          To explain further, hip-hop/hip-life artistes divert from their traditional genres because of the quest to prove how talented and versatile they can be. In music, the display of talent and versatility earns the artiste respect and credibility; so it is a simple equation for the “big-boys” in the industry. Versatility means credibility and respect which helps you to increase your fan base. The fan base directly melts into profit and more money for the artiste. It is that simple.

The interest of an artiste also drives him/her to switch genres. An artiste can feel attracted to a particular genre and may want to explore with it. Many factors come together to attract a musician to a particular genre. And example is the commercial appeal of the genre.  Commercial appeal mostly drives an artist to try a particular genre because even though talent is involved, he might not actually try it unless he is totally convinced that he can make good money out of it. It all comes back to the quest for C.R.E.A.M. (Cash Rules Everything around Me)

Facebook: K. Montana Asuman                                   Twitter: @kofimontana

EDEM MASS PRODUCTION ALBUM REVIEW

                                       Mass Production                    Album review

                                                           By: Julius Kweku Doh

So I got the album entitled Mass Production by Edem and the album art had him sitting in a couch with dark shades on. The first thing that came to mind was the album art of Lil Wayne’s Rebirth. Aside the guitar lying on the laps of Lil Wayne on the said album art, both album arts have the same concept. I took a listen to the album and realized that, n

Mass Production album art

ot only does the album art share resemblance with that of Lil Wayne’s Rebirth, but Edem took an experiment with various genres just as Wayne did on The Rebirth.

Prior to the final album release, we heard the single Ghetto Arise which had Edem taking an experiment with the Reggae genre, something we never saw him do on his first album. So if you do not agree with me that the album is an experimental one after listening to it, then you should ask yourself why a hip-life act like Edem will go all Bob Marley by doing reggae, crooning like an RNB man, and even doing Rock and Roll.

In the first place, I must commend Edem for his ability to juggle between rapping, singing and doing the Jamaican thing. It is a mark of a true craftsman and based on these qualities, he is able to do the experiment to near perfection. I say near perfection because the reggae he did couldn’t be better than that of Rocky Dawuni, neither was the Rock and Roll experiment close to the smooth sailings of Elvis Presley, however, he does it so well that he could pass for a reggae act or a rock and roll act or any other genre he experimented with.

We know reggae songs to be the kind of songs that present the plight of those in the Ghettos and the underprivileged. Edem does this well with Ghetto Arise, the second song on the album which is produced by Red Eye of the hip-life group 2Toff. Most of you will be familiar with the song and will agree with me when I say it is very inspirational and encouraging for any youth in the Ghettos who is trying hard to make life a better one. Stand for the truth, believe in yourself and work hard are the messages Edem carries across with this song.

The experiment continues on the E.L produced Wetin Dey as Edem becomes a Rock and Roll man. He describes a love situation where he shows the most of love to his partner but the partner does not reciprocate his love. The song appears twice on the album with the second one featuring rapper Gemini. I must state clearly that I have not been fan of Gemini and on this cut; he does not give me reason to be as he does his usual tongue twisting thing where you cannot tell exactly what he is saying.

I must say however that, as much as Edem experiments with various genres, he stays true to his roots as a rapper. Most of the cuts on the album have rap cutting through as much as possible. Whether it was the lyrical fist fight with fellow rapper Tinny on The Legacy, or proving his lyrical capabilities on Medekuku, Edem combines a mix of metaphors and similes with flawless punch lines to claim his spot as one of the best Hip-lifers of the new school. His ability to deliver packed bars is displayed on Too Much as well as Kate featuring Joey B.

One thing I will always speak against in the Hip-life industry is beat making and production. As much as Edem proves himself as a true craftsman with his lyricism, I must say the production does not complement his efforts. Whether it was E.L trying to change the instrumentation of Eminem’s We Made You, or Lil Shaker flipping Ace Hood’s Cashflow, a little kid could even tell where those beats were lifted from. I must commend Hammer of the Last Two however, and I must not justify that as we all know how the good old Hammer has tasted and still tastes. Red Eye also does a clever job on Ghetto Arise with his beautiful reggae vibrations. Genius Selection’s abilities is once again proven as he weaves the beautiful horns to the party anthem Over Again, I must say it is one of my favorite on the album.

All in all, I think Edem is beyond just a rapper. He faultlessly proves his other strengths as a good singer and a master of the Jamaican Lingua thing. So if you want a modern day experiment by a hip-life act, throw a few Cedis on Edem’s album Mass Production and you will not skip a track.

Twitter: @Jkwekudoh                                                                     Facebook: Julius Kweku Doh

R2Bees ODO Song Review

                                       SONG REVIEW

                                        R2Bees – ODO
     
                                          By: Kofi Montana Asuman

 First of all, we need to appreciate the fact that odo by R2Bees is a typical Ghanaian love song. Which was composed with the ordinary Ghanaian in mind, So if you are looking out for the edgy, funky hip-hop style which anchors most of R2Bees’ songs, you might be a little disappointed with Odo.

R2Bees

 However if you have been wondering if Ghanaian music will ever return to the classy hip-life style that characterized the late 1990’s and early 2000’s, this song is your answer.

  

 Odo by R2Bees will easily pass for the best hip-life song most of us have heard in years and as the title suggests, it’s all about love from beginning to end. 

The plot tells us the story of a young man who is trying to use his rhythmic lyricism to woo a hard lady into loving him.

 Thus he admits in the first line of the song that he is in love with her and urges her to love him now. Deducting from the plot, it is easy to assume that the song is either based on, or influenced by a true life event.

Odo is your classic hip-life sound complete with natural flow vocals, a rapping interlude and swaggering high-life instrumentals.

Odo is a fun and concept oriented song, whose lively production work makes it instantly likeable.

mugees

Muggees does an adequate job of singing smooth but very energetic vocals that never depart from his ragga/dancehall style. He sings so well that until Paedae’s rap verse a listener might not realize its R2Bees. The song never departs from its hip-life decorum, thus the high-life beat welcomes Paedae’s rap verse harmoniously.

R2Bees use this song to prove to their fans and even their critics, how they have matured since they first hit the hip-life scene with ‘yawa Girl’.

The production work is by Killbeats and he actually proves why his Tema folks always say he is the best. In short this is a side of Killbeats I have never experienced before. From the kicks to the horns, I think Killbeats is way ahead of his generation of producers.

On the low, I don’t know if you have noticed but I personally think Mugees sounded too much like Okuraseni Samuel. And as a personal fan of paedae I think he is now a matured rapper and should try composing some more complex rhyme schemes.

Paedae

paedae

Conclusively, I think R2Bees have worked and fought hard to be where they are today and I know it is far too early to predict a final outcome but expect Odo to compete with the other songs on the airwaves. 

Even though this is a style that I have never heard R2Bees do before, I think it is classy and each time I listen to the song, it certainly sounds like a whole lot of fun.

R2Bees is unarguably one of the hottest groups hip-life has ever seen. Considering what they have done for the industry so far, I strongly believe that they are yet to reach their peak.

Twitter: @KofiMontana         Facebook: Kofi Montana Asuman