The answer to what to do to get an assured hit song or breakthrough in the music industry has not been definitive; different strategies have worked for different artistes at different times.
Therefore, finding what works for you, is the code of enjoying success in the music terrain.
Ghanaian rapper Derrick Sarfo Kantanka, known in showbiz as Amerado, has introduced a weekly release of songs that tackle all the top trends in the country.
The songs which come with videos are tailored along the model of newscasting but delivered in rap fashion.
Since he started about 14 weeks ago, he has gotten a lot of following and won the heart of many music lovers.
The concept
The concept is not really new. Asem, Obrafour, Gallaxy, and Wanlov have all used it before, in one way or the other.
For Asem, he only composed songs yearly to talk about what had happened in the entertainment industry.
Obrafour did Kasiebo with Guru. A piece that took the model of a news bulletin.
Wanlov, just like Asem, also has tried his hands on updates in the industry.
Asem had actually tweeted that he would sue Amerado for replicating his concept without his consent. Amerado and his management replied him with a statement, intimating that ideas and concepts are not patented.
The wow factor
Amerado has a very endearing personality and style which makes it easy to watch him perform on any day.
He has explained that, just as journalists glean stories for their bulletins, he also keenly follows happening in the country, takes note of them, and puts them together to make meaningful music.
One of the things that make his ‘Yeete Nsem’ songs nice is the versatility in beat, instrumentation, arrangement, and style.
His beat producers are awesome. At least he has never sounded boring for riding the same beats. So far, he has rapped to beats with different rhythms.
Even though he weaves the stories to sound entertaining, he tries not to over-embellish them. According to him, he is very careful not to distort any of the facts in his bid to make the song interesting to the listener.
Monetisation of content
Obviously, from the outset, it was clear this was going to fetch the young rapper more followers and money from his YouTube views.
It’s a big deal for a musician who is struggling to get the top to get about 150 K views for his weekly episodes. The cumulative views are more than what he would have had for an ordinary song.
One of the smartest moves he has made to bring on board sponsors. He plugs items and services in the songs. In fact, what would have been known as Live Presenter Mentions (LPMs) by the broadcasters is fused into his rap delivery. So while he is presenting his news in rap, he is also advertising for his sponsors.
He told Ghana Weekend in an interview that he gets paid for the adverts he runs in his episodes.
The challenges
The ‘Twa So’ rapper has also noted that he has had concerns from some people who think the episodes won’t help his brand.
While he believes people are getting used to the episodes, he also believes that they would not take people’s attention from his real songs.
The creative process is a very tiring one. According to Amerado, because he does not want to miss any big story, he is always ready to add and subtract before he shoots the video on Fridays before they get released on the same day.
He has said that it is more stressful when he wants to feature another artiste. That takes a lot of hard work and creativity, especially when the other party is not forthcoming with their verses to the song.
When will Amerado stop Yeete Nsem?
Amerado is not thinking of stopping ‘Yeete Nsem’ anytime soon. According to him, the idea was conceived to get active during the coronavirus season but he has fallen in love with it and would want to continue.
However, he might not be doing it as frequently as it is now because when he starts playing gigs, he would be constrained and that would not permit him to do it on a weekly basis.
He rather plans on doing it periodically even if he realises his schedules are tight that he cannot do it every week.
Other works
Amerado released the ‘Rapmare’ EP in 2017 and is getting ready to release another one next year.
Apart from featuring on Sarkodie’s ‘Biibiiba’ song, he has songs like ‘Coming for Your King’s Head’, ‘Juju’, ‘I Am’, ‘Twa So’, ‘Mempe’, ‘Beast Attitude’, among others.
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By: Kwame Dadzie | ghanweekend.com
