Ghanaian/American artist, known as “Blitz the Ambassador” is a great jewel in the art and hip-hop culture. His passion, true lyrics and of course loyalty to his nation are admirable.
In an interview with Arab News he discusses his music and perspective on life.
The following is an excerpt of our chat:
What does it mean to you that Saudi Arabia has a special hip-hop show that focuses on the genre itself and the culture?
It means a lot to me that someone is still willing to educate the people about the essence of hip-hop culture. It makes it possible for us to continue this craft. I salute that.
How has your music changed throughout your career?
It’s very interesting. The music that I made as a fan of the culture has not really changed. What has changed in my journey is that I have become more confident as a performer and have integrated more of the African culture in my music. My music also depicts the experiences I have gained from Ghana to New York City, the people I have met, the fans, the different cultures I have come across, these factors continue to drive me to tell my story.
Blitz the ambassador. What are you an ambassador of?
That’s an interesting question. When I stared – I was just Blitz. Hip-hop culture is being shriveled to a few topics, even though there are a variety of topics that can be discussed. I find myself defending the culture and clearing the misunderstandings about Africa. I am keen on building bridges between people that don’t understand the culture – hence the word ambassador.
What is the state of hip-hop now?
Hip-hop is in the state of searching for something new to champion. I feel like hip-hop has always been looking for something new to latch on to – hence – we have gone through all sort of eras (black/racial, gangs, etc.). The culture is naturally a curious one –we are now back in the curious stage– we as artists are here to give the art something new to be curious about and that is what keeps the art going.
Dear Africa is a great track of yours — what’s the message in your music?
As an African, I am a contender of all the positivity in Africa. I find myself promoting the beauty and richness of Africa, even though people tend to see the opposite, because it is easier for them to exploit the continent. There is much misrepresentation around the world; people without a voice are being spoken for and hence an agenda is being drawn for them. Herein lies the power of hip-hop in communicating to the world, telling people, “Listen – we are here, we are not invisible – we can speak for ourselves – we can articulate our problems, we can find solutions – so give us the MIC!” That is what attracted me to hip-hop when I listened to Chuck D (Public Enemy) and KRS-ONE, they expressed to the public what we all wanted to say.
You have great passion on stage. How important are live performances for you?
Respect to you man. I was performing in Morocco a few weeks ago, where Arabic and French are the main languages, and even though I don’t speak the two languages, I still had one of the best moments of my life on stage. The energy of the people inspired me immensely, and the people connected with my energy and music vibes.
A live show for me is the only true advertising tool I have for who I am and what I represent. On stage I can impress people and establish a candid repertoire with them; it is the only way to connect with people. On stage– there are no edits – it is you and the crowd – it’s the real you. I am always trying to be a better performer – I always watch the best to do it – James Brown, Fela Kuti, Michael Jackson. I am getting better at every show we play.
What’s your advice to the hip-hop community in Saudi Arabia?
I tell them, hip-hop is all about creating something out of nothing. When hip-hop first began there were no venues, people made it happen. We used to do this in Ghana with no electricity. My advice is to connect to the true essence of the culture – connect to the basis. If you can’t create it out of nothing then you don’t deserve hip-hop in my opinion.
I would love to come to Saudi Arabia and connect with the artists and people there.
Have you ever collaborated with an Arab hip-hop artist?
I would collaborate with an Arab hip-hop artist in a heartbeat. Hip-hop has evolved on a level where we can understand our diverse cultures. Hip-hop is all about sampling cultures –as we speak today – any form of music has made its way into hip-hop from (Indian, East Asian, Arabic, Latin, etc..) they have sampled all sort of instrumentals/records; you don’t need to understand the lyrics – you can tell from the passion that its being performed at. For me, hip-hop is all about giving people the space to air out their emotions, grievances and all their other issues.
If you have a MIC that is broadcasting through Ghana now; what would you say?
I would say – nobody is going fix us – we are going to fix ourselves and for the youth, I would tell them this is our land, people can help, but at the end of the day these are African problems and the solutions lay in Africa; no one will understand our issues better than us. Africans in the diaspora are doing great things, however it is time for us to return to the homeland and contribute to solving our own issues.
