THE CUTS: EP 01 vOL. 2
THE CUTS is a short review of songs that you’d hardly hear on your radio. It’s not genre specific. And it’s a weekly thing. Our way of helping you update your playlist
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Osofo Abrobe- (Skit) Chpt 1
There are two ways to sending out ‘offensive’ messages to many Ghanaians without courting their wrath. You either frame the ‘offensive’ messages in humorous jokes or you condense it with the word of God (preach the word). A combination of the two is definitely the best way to grab peoples’ attention. On this skit by GroundUp’s Osofo Abrobe, these two styles are woven together to highlight the truth about the preoccupations of today’s millennials. The Tema based Ground Up ‘is a creative house for up and coming talent’.
Osofo Abrobe’s name (it means Pastor’s pineapple) is a slang used to describe an uncomfortable truth. Over smooth soulful beat dripping with measured piano chords from the boards of KaySo (the producer), Osofo Abrobe adopts the character of a charismatic preacher, selling the gospel of hope to his youthful and woke congregation, assuring them of material and social media breakthroughs.
The prosperity preaching, despite soaked in humour and biblical references, reveal something truthful about this generation: the penchant for trivialities such as social media validation, chasing the latest fashion brands and of course, girl chasing. ‘You’ll wear H&M no more/ you’ll wear the more fashionable Valentino and Ralph Lauren’ (loose translations from Twi). The prophesy include guy’s being rich enough to cop the latest Yeezys, slide in girls DMs (‘it’ll go down in the DM’) and witness a surge in their Instagram and twitter.
The catchiness of the Skit lies in its ability to bite (mock) and crack you up in the same measure. It’s a track that captures, in vivid terms, the interests, lifestyle and priorities of today’s youth-fashion, quest to look cool and woke, girls and social media acceptance.
https://soundcloud.com/kayso/osofo
FU feat Ria Boss (Hajia Kitty) –Make War (Make Love Cover)
You can cross the path of Fu with no worries. But, be weary when you wrongfully step on the path in a ‘competition’. is unafraid to speak her mind, speak dirty and even threaten you in the process. That character reveals itself on Make War, a cover of Gucci Mane’s ‘Make Love’. With its strip down beat, soft drums and clanking pianos, FU, on the first verse sends out warning to a rival(s) in a gentle, low tone (‘bitch… I got you shaking huh? Gotch you all in your fears like you making love’) while bossing up her creds: (‘who I am today is exactly who I was 5 years ago’). What’s interesting is that, she raps deliberately slow, allowing the words to sink in, one bar at a time. On the second verse Ria Boss’ alter-ego, Hajia Kitty (the first time I heard Hajia Kitty was on the Kuvie produced ‘Dumb’, off his 4 track EP ‘Senses’). sounding all raunchy, breathes some sexiness on the track. Listening to ‘Make War’, one can’t fail to draw comparison to Missy ‘Misdeamenor’ Missy Elliott per the rap style.This track has that Misdemeanor shade.
https://soundcloud.com/mz-fu/make-war-ft-ria-boss-as-hajia-kitty
JOWAA – Boss Du Festival
Whoever said Azonto is dead lied. The sound may have faded but its embers still flicker. The vibe is all registered on JOWAA’s Boss Du Festival track. JOWAA is a travelling that draws from the musical influences of places they visit and incorporate them into their beats. Boss Du Festival was created whiles at Asa Baako Festival. With no major vocals, Boss Du Festival is a wholly made 3:35 secs dance beat that showcases different rhythmic flavours found around the coastal region of the country. This percussion heavy track boast of heavy snares, kicks and those carnival type big drum sound. This is the kind of beat you drop when you realize the energy at a party is hitting the low curve. An addition of a catchy, sing-along hook would have added a bit of sheen to it. The Gefacci produced Boss Du Festival is dope still.
Bryan Mensah – Sharp
What hit you listening to Sharp is how sharp the words are. Bryan Mensah doesn’t mince his words about staying true to yourself and rejecting a life that’s not you. In a world where everyone is scared to be different for fear of not getting noticed, Bryan, the self-acclaimed ‘King of Tea, (check that tune out) reminds us once more that appearances can be deceptive (‘if my shadda (clothes) no dey catch your appeal, that don’t mean my shadda dey determine my skill’). Bryan, like any good rapper, reflect on life and its trappings, knitting them together and sharing them over heard hitting beats. On Sharp, his lyrics, his delivery and his singing (interlude) are all hemmed into one sharp music. We need not to dance always. Sometimes, we need to bop head to music that speaks our own life and its struggles.
https://soundcloud.com/bryanthemensah/sharp
