Kwaw Kese’s Quest to Reclaim the Hot Spot with ”Awoyo Sofo”
The last time Kwaw Kese had a hot song was in 2019 when he released the remix to the Skonti produced “Dondo remix“. The song featured Medikal, Skonti, Mr Eazi and Sarkodie, whose verse reminded many of his unsatiated hunger for rapping, confirming his “I’m still the man” mentality. After experimenting with trap and Afrobeats inspired songs, Kwaw Kese seems to have finally made a record that is likely to catapult him to the top of charts and potentially, rekindle his career.
“Awoyo Sofo”, his latest, is an afro- drill song featuring fellow rapper, Kofi Mole and frequent collaborator/producer Skonti. The central theme of the song is to call out the fakes or phonies in the industry while using the “Awoyo Sofo” or false prophet as a metaphor for their message. Kofi Mole opened the verse right after the infectious hook, blending seminal shots about the fake tactics his “pastor” uses in winning souls- false prophecies and miracles, extortions, and sexual predatory antics, lacing his lyrics with humor. Kwaw Zigi is not the rapper you go to for hard rap bars- respectfully speaking. On this record, he gave you a Kwaw Kese performance.
What appears to be the charm of “Awoyo Sofo” is the sonic feel of the song, which leans heavily on the infectious hip hop drill sound. The hard-hitting, reverberating hip hop drums and their smoldering vibes along with its repetitive, sing-along hook perforates the nest of nostalgia. The song is a reinterpreted version of an old song popular which I heard years ago.
The history of the ‘’Awoyo’’ church, known formally as The Church of the Twelve Apostles or “Nackabah” is steeped in Ghanaian indigenous religious systems. They were practitioners of the Africanized version of Christianity, considered by the orthodox and colonial missionaries as “fetish worship”. The Nackabah followers were mostly illiterates and thus considered by the colonial administrations as gullible. As part of its practices, the church exploits African or Ghanaian indigenous values and structures in their worship- using sacred objects like the Holy Bible, a wooden cross, a cup, and blessed water.
The original song from which Kwaw Kese borrowed thus was used to criticize, mock, and dissuade others from joining the “gullible” fold. “Awoyo Sofo” might just be the second act in Kwaw Kese’s career after dominating the music scene in the late 2000s under the sage guidance of Hammer of The Last 2. As the song continues to get traction across the various DSPs, it behooves on Kwaw Kese to milk this newfound attention.
