Renowned Ghanaian singer and indigenous rapper, Sarkodie has given a valuable piece of advice to all Ghanaians living in Diaspora.
According to the singer, Ghanaians living abroad should imitate him by staying true to their roots just like he does.
In a recent interview with Okay Africa, the successful rapper was quizzed about his achievements at the Bet Awards, his thoughts on American or Western artists tapping into the sound, like Beyonce for example, and why he urged black people across the globe to frequently take trips back home to reconect with the continent and their heritage in his acceptance speech.
He said: “That was like a stamp. I just knew that I had to work on my flow and my delivery. Since I’m not ready to rap in English or any other language for anybody to understand, I need to know that I have to strengthen something else that will make people attracted to the music. So I work on my flow. I was able to take over Africa, and now finally I think we are moving to the world and a lot of people are open to the music.”
“I love that. I actually tweeted to the Queen [Beyoncé] that she made certain meetings that I was having at the time a bit easier for me [laughs]. I was trying to push the whole “afrobeats agenda” but there are certain people that don’t get it, they are still yet to open up to it. Right around the same time I was having those meetings was when she dropped the project—you can imagine the shift in thought of the people I was speaking with. It was a great thing for us, we just had to take it to the next level. We need to push it more, and respect the Queen because she’s done a whole lot, and it’s a pleasure that she chose our sound.”
“I think it’s about that time that people in the diaspora take trips back home, because there’s a lot of people out there that don’t come home and have a certain perception about their home that has to change. I’ve been around the world because of my job and that has exposed me to a lot and has taught me a lot. There’s a lot that we are sitting on here in Africa that we overlook and try to go elsewhere because of the perceptions that people have. I think it’s only right that people come back home. All it takes is a trip. You come back home, you see the vibe, you can see how you’re being welcomed by your people.”
Sarkodie has consistently maintained his status as one of the most influential voices in the music industry at his home country of Ghana and Africa at large. Despite his numerous gains, The Highest still clings steadfastly to his Ghanaian heritage by choosing to drop hit jams with the magical flow of his local dialect.
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