'Brag' wasn't a jab at anybody - Sarkodie clarifies

Ghanaian rapper Sarkodie has spoken about the buzz his song 'Brag' has generated, where he name-drops several Nigerian artistes and Black Sherif.

Earlier in May 2024, Sarkodie released a song titled 'Brag,' which sparked a rap battle between Ghana and Nigeria.

In the song, which is coming off his incoming mixtape, "The Championship," Sarkodie name-dropped Nigerian stars Davido, Wizkid, and Burna Boy.

Following the song's release, Davido supported his artiste Dremo to counter Sarkodie's claims.

However, Sarkodie dismissed Dremo's response, prompting several Ghanaian rappers to defend Sarkodie and challenge Dremo.

Lyrical Joe's '1960' reply, referencing Nigeria's year of independence, along with tracks from Don Itchi, Wan Nana, Phrimpong, and CJ Biggerman, contributed to a massive lyrical showdown.

In light of the brouhaha, Sarkodie, in an interview with VoxAfrica, expressed his amusement and appreciation for the buzz, stating that such organic PR is invaluable.

Sarkodie clarified that his references to artistes like Wizkid, Davido, and Burna Boy were not meant as jabs but to prove his longevity in the music scene.

He explained that these artistes are not his competitors since they are not rappers, and he holds them in high regard, especially Black Sherif, whom he considers his boy.

"I love it because it's great PR. For Wizkid, David, and Burna, I would never jab them because if I want to jab somebody, it has to be rappers. They are not rappers.

"I was just talking to rappers about how long I've been there, and as a reference, these are the best people to use. Everybody knows Wizkid, everybody knows Burna Boy, everybody knows Black Sherif, Asake, Davido.

"And it's very true. I was there when Wizkid came in, Davido came in, Burna Boy came in, Asake, Black Sherif. They're just references to how long I've been there. It's not throwing jabs at anybody. These are incredible, amazing artistes. Black Sherif is my boy. Do you think I would jab Black Sherif? No," he said.

The rapper also mentioned that he enjoys the energy and conversation the song has sparked, particularly as it brings attention to the hip-hop genre, which he feels has been out of the spotlight for some time.

"Even if we sat down to plan this PR, we wouldn't get this. Organic PR is the best kind of PR you can get. So I'm super proud that there's energy out there, especially as far as hip-hop is concerned, which has not been the conversation in a while," Sarkodie said.

Sarkodie further added that he initially didn't want to clear up the misunderstanding because he liked the momentum it was creating for his upcoming project, "The Championship," which would be released on May 24, 2024.

"But to be very honest, I wouldn't like to even clear this because I like the energy that's going. It's not true, but we're loving it, you know, and there's a lot of trends it's making next Friday look very beautiful for me because people want to listen to the project," he said.

He stated that if he were to take a jab at anyone, it would be at fellow rappers, not singers who have achieved consistent fame.

"I'm super proud, but I'm definitely not jabbing anybody. If I'm jabbing anybody, it has to be rappers. And I don't care about that; with that, I can go all out. And even the biggest jab will be the fact that I didn't mention any rapper because nobody is as consistent and famous as these singers," he said.

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