One Year On: The birth of a ‘godMC’
Thursday 30th June, 2016.
History is replete with iconic moments that end up impacting the world in a positive manner. These moments move from mere incidents to great encounters that outlive generations. Nostalgia is what it provokes in those who lived to witness it. For the others who get to be told, fascination is what fills them up. For many Ghanaian music enthusiast, that iconic moment was June 30th, 2016.
Nobody saw it coming. Nobody expected it. It came to us like the rapture; many went to sleep the night with no expectation of a brooding ‘war’, yet woke up to the talk about the biggest heist in the Ghanaian hip hop history. For weeks, the world stopped spinning. The opinion tap was opened and they flowed in torrents, on social media, on blogs, radio, TV and newspapers. Rap intellectuals got busy scrutinizing lyrics. Many took to social media to mock and throw shade at the victim of attack while others kept wondering if they would be a clap back. In all the ensuing melee, one poignant question that remained unanswered was the trigger for arguably, the best diss song ever on the Ghanaian hip hop scene.
A year ago…
— M.anifest (@manifestive) June 30, 2017
What makes ‘godMC’ such a dope song was the display of creative depth in terms of wordplay by M.anifest: “Don’t compare me to stone boy, I’m Amarula (I’m a ruler)’’. The delivery was calmer and charming; a rare quality seen in the art of dissing. He displayed a sense of humanity; appearing respectful in tone yet cruelly stinging Sarkodie with his words: ‘go to the market/buy yourself some manner/ don’t use my name in vain that’s just for starters’. He was like Mohammed Ali dancing around his opponents, ducking punches and stinging them like a bee.
M.anifest, a rapper whose deftness in rap (hip hop) was appreciated by few, saw his career take an upward progression after releasing his surprised, game changing single ‘godMC’. The song caused a stir among music fans, finally confirming the suspicion of a subtle beef between Sarkodie and himself. The genesis of the beef commenced when Sarkodie released ‘Bossy’, a braggadocio song where he referenced M.anifest’s moniker ‘M. do do ti do’ when ending his rap. Nine days after, M.anifest (M.Dot) dropped his response on ‘godMC’.
The song elevated M.anifest from the shadows of hip hop to the centre of the rap conversation. The light finally beamed on him and his career has never been the same ever. Surely, M.Dot would have been a force within the rap scene. But, ‘godMC’ sped his recognition process.
Dream Jay, the producer of ‘godMC’ laid the perfect afro-trap beat for M.anifest to rip apart. The opening horns which were expertly placed at the beginning of each bar sounded warlike. The placement of Lil Win’s famous ‘I can’t think madness’ quote evoked a sense of ill-intent albeit comical. His words were like molten lava spreading steadily over the beats.
The controversy that ‘godMC’ elicited was all positive since it, for over a month had eyes on the hip hop/hiplife music scene. It also saw ‘dead’ artistes throwing their hook of relevance off the back of the controversy. The biggest beneficiary was undoubtedly M.anifest. He got all the attention that would have taken him years to work towards finding. Many Ghanaians, including non-music fans were suddenly interested in knowing the rapper who had dared thrown shot at Sarkodie. ‘godMC’ brought M.anifest more exposure than his award winning song ‘Someway Bi’ ever did. And like an experienced warrior who has studied his opponent over a long period, he walked away when Sarkodie responded knowing his work was done.
M.anifest’s audacity to stop tiptoeing around names through his subliminal lyrics and calling out Sarkodie in such a manner is akin to Leonidas’ flying spear glazing the flesh of Darius, the god king. I’m not sure M.anifest had the intention of ‘dethroning’ Sarkodie. He wanted to show that, a king also bleeds. It’s important to also remember that, ‘godMC’, a diss track got M.anifest a VGMA best hip hop rapper plaque.
by Swaye (@swayekidd)
