I didn’t mind rapping without getting paid – Sarkodie reflects on journey

Ghanaian rapper Sarkodie has revealed that, early in his career, he didn’t mind rapping without pay, as his passion for the craft was enough to keep him going.

In an interview on TV3 with Giovanni Caleb, Sarkodie said his love for rap was so deep that he would have continued doing it for as long as he could, with or without payment.

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“Number one would be the love of what I do. The passion. I believe that if you love something, the ups and downs, you don’t notice it. I will always go in for love for what you’re doing. I was ready to rap and not get paid for as long as… and I did that for a long time. I wasn’t getting paid. I think the love of what you’re doing has to be number one,” Sarkodie said.

He explained that when he first began rapping, he didn’t have friends who were also into music. Instead, he turned to the environment around him for inspiration, and looked up to artistes he admired from afar.

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“If you go way back to how I started doing music, I had nobody around me who was really doing music. So, I was inspired by writing in my circumstances that I was in. Then, I heard people from afar, like Obrafour, Kwadee. So, I didn’t have friends around me who were writing. I was the first amongst my peers to start writing,” he said.

Sarkodie, who is regarded as the “Landlord” of Ghanaian rap, also shared advice for younger artistes trying to build long-lasting careers. He noted that beyond passion, finding a core audience is also essential for an artiste’s relevance.

“Find your core target. The people that you know that this is my target. At least, every stage, if you feel like this is what you want, that’s it. If you want more, then tailor-make it for them,” he advised.

Meanwhile watch GhanaWeb’s exclusive interview with Ajagurajah

AK/EB