The Hennessy Africa Cypher featured six of African’s finest rappers namely; Maglera Doe Boy (South Africa), Didi B (Ivory Coast), Young Lunya (Tanzania), Sarkodie (Ghana), Khaligraph Jones (Kenya), and Ladipoe (Nigeria).
The rappers took their turns one of after the other to show why they are considered African’s finest rappers. Young Lunya from Tanzania started the cypher with master punchlines to pave the way for the others to follow.
Sarkodie took his turn, and he didn’t just rap but makes a big statement. The rapper called out recorded labels for their stringent contracts that keep artists in cages for years.
Sarkodie lamented on the bottlenecks the record labels create making it difficult for musicians to collaborate with each other. He also commended the efforts of some record labels who have played a role in projecting African music.
The multiple award-winning rapper didn’t stop at the recommendations, he further likened some record labels to fraudsters.
Portions of Sarkodie’s lines are; “I did this thing myself, I never messed with mages. They gave me documents like a thousand pages. I want my freedom because most of my homies are locked in cages. It’s been a decade, I’m rapping, I’m like the rock of ages.
“It’s kinda strange how this music has changed from how it was. I need a verse from my bro, a couple calls. But now I need to speak to some dude cos he’s the boss. Split the publishing before we hit the stores.
“I can’t hate cos it’s working, I see results. African music was buzzing but it couldn’t cross as soon as we signed the paperwork labels opened the doors. Now I see how y’all really move. Cos the same thing that fraud people do. Throw a couple dollars, cage you in a zoo.”
