Yesterday, I saw a publication in the Daily Graphic that sought to rank the best rappers of all time in the history of Ghanaian music.
I don’t have a problem with any ranking that puts Sarkodie first and Obrafour second. Sarkodie being the best is no longer arguable. However, putting Kwaade ahead of Lord Kenya in any ranking of rappers is such an uninformed opinion.
Kwaade was good, but he was never the main guy at any point as a rapper. His appeal was more due to his general musical dexterity than his ability to murder beats as pure rappers do. He was a rapper, a good one, but to put him ahead of Lord Kenya, that’s a sin.
You can swap Kenya and Obrafour around and even put Okyeame Kwame in the mix. That’s okay. Anyone else to confuse it, that’s far from the fact.
No one touches peak Kenya, 1999 – 2004.
Kenya was the first to produce a VGMA Album of the year twice on the bounce, the first Hip life artist to win the song of the year.
In terms of rap, he was that guy. When on a beat, where others stopped to take a breath, that was the midpoint for Kenya to go another round.
In the ranking of pure rap flow, Kenya is only second to Sarkodie. In the ranking of lyrics, he is only second to Obrafour. In the ranking of presence on stage, he stands alone, second to none.
The list is even more laughable when you go down. Manifest at 6, Tinny at 7, Reggie at 8, Strongman at 9, Eno Barony at 10, Guru at 11, and Amerado at 12.
To publish such an opinion in the Graphic, you’d expect a certain level of quality. Aside from not indicating the ranking criteria, the list is laughable. Manifest is a good rapper, but he is not making the top 10 in any objective list.
Strongman, Amerado, and Guru in what later became a the top 12 that didn’t include Kwaw Kese, who was the first to win 6 awards in one night, Obour who is underrated, Promzy and Bright who don’t get their flowers because they were in a group makes it the more concerning? Have these guys accomplished more than Asem? Even Kontihene deserves a shout, in terms of the biggest Hip life Albums, Nyankontong is one of the very top.
The measure of musical greatness has to be hits, sales, and longevity at the top. Some of the guys named have never headlined a major event.
I think the hip-life story has not been told well enough, so many wild opinions are flying around. Let’s get serious.
1. Sarkodie
2. Obrafour
3. Lord Kenya
4. Okyeame Kwame
5. Reggie Rockstone
6. Kwaade
7. Kwaw Kese
8. Tinny
9. Obour
10. Kontihene
You can’t be great without ever dominating, not even for a month. There has never been a period of one month when we could say, “Strongman is on top” or “Manifest is on top.” In fact, Medikal should rank above all these guys in terms of who has achieved more. Greatness is about success, not how someone likes your words and lyrics, that can be very subjective.
T-Blaze had two really good albums and had periods when he was really on top. Deeba had such a moment too, and Nkasei as well, if we can’t find them in top 10, then some of the guys there should be hoping to sneak into 20.
Sorry, I’m not talking down guys of this generation, I respect their effect, I only don’t like it when people don’t get celebrated as they deserve because others are overrated.
We need to have more conversations and educate people about throw who held the fort, it appears the silence allows the Gen Zs to chip in their fantasies with zero recourse to fact.
Kofi Kyei
