We Have Diluted The Content Of Our Raps Because Of Money – Sarkodie

Ghanaian rap artiste Sarkodie who released his fourth studio album 8th September this year, in an interview with BBC Radio 1Xtra in the UK has confess that, rappers have diluted their contents because of the money. Speaking with DJ Edu on “Destination Africa”, the rapper who embarks on a UK tour from 23rd – 25th November, said “Rap music stood for the voiceless. It was to speak about stuffs that people feel difficult not to touch on, but we came in fearlessly and touched on those issues. It’s our responsibility.”

The 2012 BET award winner spoke passionately about rap music and how it had struggled to be relevant in Africa but now rubbing shoulders with AfroBeat which is the new trend.

“Initially it used to be the singers because the singers stand out, this is afrobeat world as at now, so for rappers to have a space in there, we have like a tinny space we need to fit in. Cause music itself is based on the guys on the hook and that’s where you can find people like the Stonebwoys, Shatta Wales, you have the R2bees, Davido and Wizkid. But now at least you can mention myself, you can have EL, Ice, MI, you know, Phyno, Casper, AKA, we are all filling in that gap. We’ve been rocking shoulders with the people who really dominate the afrobeat’s scene”.

Asked about how rap music managed to emerge on the African scenes, the four time VGMA Best Rapper of the year winner stated that, “Hip-Hop artistes found it hard to jump on an afrobeat record cause to us the “gee code’s” been broken, cause if you keeping it gee you don’t wanna dance. But I think we just realized that it is music so when you’re gifted you can’t be boxed in one corner”. The rapper furthermore added that, “When we started to jump on afrobeat records, where you can find a big record like “No Kissing” which has rap in it, you have “Finally” with Flavour, you have Anointing with Eazi, like these big records that have rap on it. But still the rap was not like to support the song, but it was the main component of the song, that’s where people felt like, I think rappers can actually add something to it and that’s what we are doing now”.

The interview which was recorded during Sarkodie’s UK Meet the press tour, prior to the release of arguably the most hyped and most successful album titled “Highest”, somewhere early September had its purpose of promoting the album. Sarkodie, the African rap god, asked about responsibilities of rappers stated that, “As rappers, we talk. Talking I think you have the best tool to breakdown an issue. So, I think as you said it’s a big responsibility for all of us as rappers, the fact that we can say more, we need to say more to affect change. I think it’s part of our responsibilities as rappers and that’s how rap started. Recently, I will blame all of us, we kinda like diluted it a lil bit, sometimes it’s just business, you just wanna make money. So, you change the content a lil bit. But mainly what rap stood for was for the voiceless. To speak about stuffs that people feel difficult not to touch on, but we came in fearlessly and touched on those issues. It’s our responsibility. Once a while, though we wanna turn up and make people dance, we need to go back to the fact that we need to make change”.

The three times BET nominee, in his recent songs, has been hitting hard on his fellow rappers to up their game feeling he’s a lone soldier in this rap game. Is he right or is he wrong? The question is thrown to you to answer. 

Listen to the interview here.

GKE Raymond