Lawyer Bobby Banson names 10 rappers in two generations for Ghana's greatest rapper debate

Pinned summary · as of 04:18

Bobby Banson, a Ghanaian lawyer and lecturer, has published a selection of rappers he believes have made their mark on the country's music scene. His picks fall into two age groups, and he explains the yardsticks he applied.

What we know

• Mr Banson presented his selection in a piece that asks who Ghana's greatest rapper is and frames the question as a debate over the crown, as both MyJoyOnline and The Ghanaian Chronicle report.
• His older generation has six names: Lord Kenya, Obrafour, Reggie Rockstone, Okyeame Kwame, Omar Sterling and Sarkodie. The younger group has four: Lyrical Joe, Strongman, Kweku Smoke and Medikal.
• Mr Banson said he judged each artiste on five measures: relevance to the industry, lyrical dexterity, investment in young craft, staying power over time, and commercial success.
• He said he divided the rappers by era because the industry has changed greatly over time, and that the split is not a claim that one generation outshines the other.
• Mr Banson said nine other rappers were considered but did not make his final cut: Trigmatic, Tinny, Chris Waddle, Flowking, Amerado, Kofi Kinaata, M.anifest, Obibini and EL. He added that leaving them out says nothing about their talent, and that he will give his reasons for each choice another day.
• He said the list draws on about ten years of talks with people deeply involved in the industry, with conversations with Hammer of The Last Two singled out as especially influential. He also said that he has long followed Ghanaian music closely and has collaborated directly with some of the rappers involved.

What's disputed / unconfirmed

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  Only MyJoyOnline carries Mr Banson's argument that the crown cannot be decided by taste, popularity or who is currently having a big moment, and that he presents the list as a framework that goes beyond fandom. The Ghanaian Chronicle has not reported these remarks.
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  Only MyJoyOnline gives Mr Banson's reading of the two groups: the older rappers helped build and commercialise the genre, while the younger ones work in a streaming and social media era. It also alone spells out that investment in young craft covers mentoring, collaborations and opening doors for newer artistes.

Why it matters for Ghana

Fans of Ghanaian hip-hop now have a stated set of criteria to argue over, instead of a bare ranking. For the artistes named, and for those left out, the list adds a public reference point in the debate over who leads the genre. It remains one man's judgement, and he has yet to explain individual inclusions and exclusions.