“I wish Sarkodie was born in Harlem because I’d be bigger than Kanyeand Jay,” the Ghanaian rapperSarkodie (Michael Owusu Addo to thosewho know him personally) boasts on “Preach,” a track off his 2014 album Sarkology. Jay Z and Kanye West are artists he expresses great admiration for, but the 27-year-old has built an enviable career of his own. He’s one of the most bankable and popular MCs in Africa, and one of the most well-known outside of it. The list of national and international awards he has received has its own Wikipedia page and includes MTV Africa and BET Awards. Put his CV next to his discography of international hits and groundbreaking albums, and his hyperbolic bon mot starts to seem, well, quite reasonable.
This past month, he brought the massive annual concert he usually holds with other artists in Accra to the Apollo in New York City. The sold-out show was billed as “Sarkodie: History in the Making” and it was at least unusual for an event of its kind in the States. While Ghanaian stars like Sarkodie or rapper E.L.—who was also on the bill—come to New York from time to time, they often play big all-night affairs in the Bronx where a large Ghanaian community resides. This event coming together at the Apollo indicates that west Africa’s bold-face names are making greater inroads in the US. It’s also testament to Sarkodie’s star power.
The MC has been able to accomplish all of this while breaking the mold for a chart-topping artist in Africa’s music industry. He’s no stranger to the pop arena and has had hits in the once-trendy azonto style, but he is a hip-hop artist without apology. “The hip-hop scene is strong, but you can’t run away from the fact that you are in Africa,” he says. “What sells is danceable music.” Though he’s not willing to compromise his love of less than radio friendly rap he has nevertheless found a successful formula and carved out a very big niche for himself: “I speak Twi and I rap on hip-hop beats. I bring the beats from the States, but I take the content from Africa, specifically Ghana.”
In his recent videos and output, there are, indeed, nods to ‘Ye and Jay’s grim and grandiose gestures—something that doesn’t translate perfectly with a mainstream audience that favors infectious, Afropop accented club rap. Beyond his US rap touchstones, Sarkodie is an artist very much in his own mold. Sarkology is a two-disc crucible that melds influences like highlife, dancehall, grime and EDM into an operatic whole. The productions provide a dramatic backdrop for his literally inimitable flow.
His fans have given him the title of “Africa’s fastest rapper” and it has stuck because of its accuracy. Toggling rapidly between English and Twi, he’s hard enough for a listener to follow, let alone another MC. When he rhymes in English, Ghana’s official language, you have to listen carefully or you’ll miss half a dozen references to American music and shout outs to Ghanaian and Nigerian artists. His lines in Twi, punctuated by his signature nasal snarl, are verbal juggernauts.
One might think that rapping in Twi would limit his appeal, but it’s a first language for 9 million people in Ghana, and when he does a verse in Twi, he is speaking directly to all of them, from the heart. “I grew up speaking Twi ever since I was a kid, so my emotions are in that,” he explains.
While he appreciates the sentiment, the “fastest rapper” tag does get tiresome. “To me, I think it’s too limiting, if we’re talking about what I have to offer the world,” he gripes mildly. The maturity and variety of the tracks on Sarkology make that plain. “I’m a fast talker in general, if you noticed. So it makes sense if I have to rap fast,” he offers. He does speak at a strikingly rapid clip, but it seems natural and effortless.
A fast-talker he is, but you wouldn’t call him chatty. By all accounts Sarkodie can be reserved and staunchly private, however, when we met at the MTV Iggy offices he is warm, ebullient even, despite his practiced professional distance and the shades he rarely removes.
At any rate, he clearly doesn’t have any trouble making friends. Another aspect of Sarkology’s ambition is the sheer quantity of other stars who feature on it. With guest spots from Ghana’s queen of soul Efya, E.L. and Nigerian vocalists Davido and Banky W, to name a few, there’s a lot of overlap between the album credits and winners of the MTV Africa Music Awards over the last several years. Outside of Ghana, he gets his warmest welcome in Lagos, the largest city in neighboring Nigeria, a short flight from Accra. This is key to his success as Nigeria’s entertainment industry dominates the continent. Ghana and Nigeria’s hip-hop and R&B artists frequently collaborate and share stages, and they have become the vanguard of a new wave of Afropop, often dubbed “Afrobeats” in markets outside Africa, such as London.
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