Sarkodie’s career is young to name him GH's greatest rapper - Joe Frazier
Sarkodie’s name often tops the list as Ghana’s Greatest Rapper of All Time, but veteran rapper Big Joe Frazier believes it is premature to bestow such a title on him.
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He stated that it was important to allow artists to grow and develop fully before bestowing them with titles that define their careers.
Known for his iconic hits like "Apuutoo," "Yaa Maame," "Shiishii," and "Mee Pe Wu," Joe Frazier argues that Sarkodie’s career is still young and has the potential to span decades, so it is essential to give him room to grow without the burden of such a lofty title.
“Sarkodie is an incredible rapper, no doubt, but let's not get ahead of ourselves. Let’s leave him to do his job so that at the end of his career, we can revisit this conversation,” Joe Frazier stated, emphasising that placing such a title on Sarkodie now could create undue pressure, potentially affecting his global exploits.
To him, Sarkodie was likely feeling the unnecessary pressure being placed on him, which is why we should give the rap star the space to achieve global success without the burden of titles that could lead to complacency. He also pointed out that legends like Obrafour, Reggie Rockstone, Lord Kenya, and Barima Sidney have had their works stand the test of time.
“These guys aren’t in their prime anymore, but their works still speak for them even after many years. We can’t say the same about Sarkodie since he’s actively in the game,” he added.
Last month, Graphic Showbiz sparked a fiery discussion on Ghana’s best rapper of all time in an article titled, “Unveiling 12 GH Rappers of All Time.” The article has since been a reference point, with rappers like Okyeame Kwame weighing in on the evolution of rap music in Ghana. (Related articles: Unveiling GH Greatest Rappers of All Time, Joe Frazier names Obrafour, Lord Kenya, and Reggie Rockstone as GH Greatest rappers ahead of Sarkodie)
Interestingly, while Okyeame Kwame believes the new generation of rappers surpasses his peers, Big Joe Frazier, whose real name is Andrew Kwadwo Agyen, disagrees. Currently promoting his new song, "After Church", he acknowledges that social media has given the new generation more visibility but argues that the quality of work by new-age rappers falls short compared to rappers of his generation, who benefited from rigorous professional guidance and mentorship.
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He lamented that nowadays, rappers can produce a song on a laptop and achieve viral success overnight due to social media, bypassing the rigorous vetting process that ensured high-quality output in his era.
“Back in the day, there were professionals like Okraku Mantey and Zapp Mallet who were actively involved in the creative process. Before you drop a song, it had to go through their review,” Joe Frazier recounted.
“Having Okraku Mantey review your work was equivalent to 10 professionals handling it. Your lyrics and compositions were all properly supervised with recommendations. It means that before your song was released, it would have been handled by many professionals, but we cannot say the same in this era," he said.