Young talents keep me on my toes – Sarkodie

Ghana’s most decorated rapper Sarkodie has disclosed that one of the reasons he is still thriving for more in the industry is because the fast-rising talents on the African music scene keep him on his toes.

He made this known at British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) Radio 1Xtra’s Afrobeats Concerto in collaboration with the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra.

The historic event was organised to mark 20 years of Radio 1Xtra’s dedication to showcasing Black music and culture and was hosted by Eddie Kadi, Remi Burgz and DJ Edu.

Kadi engaged Ghanaian rapper and businessman Sarkodie on his impressions about the next generation of “young talented African artistes coming out of the continent, particularly Ghana, your homeland.

The SarkCess Music Chief Executive Officer (CEO) answered: “It’s beautiful, I love it.

“It puts me on my toes,” he revealed, adding “and at the same time I have hope that what we built is going to be protected and it’s going to be there for a minute. So I am super proud to see all these superstars, I know that even when I retire, Afrobeats is going to be alive. So big shouts to [all], especially the superstars coming out from my hometown GH [alias] Ghana.” He drew robust applause from the cosmopolitan audience.

Sarkodie, who represented Ghana, put up a solid performance with his classical renditions of Rollies and Cigars and Lucky and ‘Labadi’ hits.

Before the ‘Rollies and Cigars’ performance with the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, the two-time BET award-winner had declared: “I love Afrobeats. Afrobeats is the biggest genre out there right now.”

Legendary British DJ Tim Westwood has called him a pioneer of the Afrobeats fever sweeping across the world.

At the 2019 Vodafone Ghana Music Awards (VGMAs), he was honoured as the ‘Artiste of the Decade’.

That same year, he became the pioneer winner of the Black Entertainment Television’s (BET) brand-new Best International Flow award.

Other artists chosen for the event included CKay, Maleek Berry, Nikita Kering, and Pheelz.

The concert featured exclusive live performances by Nigerian singer-songwriter CKay, London-born and double Mobo nominee Maleek Berry, Kenyan singer-songwriter Nikita Kering, one of the biggest hip-hop acts on the African continent, Sarkodie, and Finesse singer-songwriter Pheelz.

This is the first time a full orchestra in the UK has staged a dedicated concert to Afrobeats, which has seen a sharp rise in popularity, crossing over into music charts across the globe and enjoying worldwide commercial success.

Filmed at the BBC Philharmonic’s recording home in Salford, and also featuring The Compozers, this first-of-its-kind concert marks 20 years of 1Xtra, the BBC’s radio network dedicated to amplifying Black music and culture.