Ghanaian rapper Lyrical Joe has pushed back against claims that rap music doesn’t pay, insisting that the genre remains profitable for artistes who master their craft and build loyal audiences.
Speaking exclusively to Ghana Weekend, the award-winning lyricist said:
“It does pay. Anything you put on instrumentation and music, you put it out there. How does music pay now? It’s by shows and by your streams.”
He explained that while performing gigs may not always be consistent, steady revenue comes from streaming platforms and catalogue deals.
“Good figures come from it. Catalogues are being bought now , and you can’t imagine how much people offer for that,” he revealed.
Lyrical Joe, however, admitted that rap demands far more effort than most genres.
“Rap is complicated. It’s like the elective maths of music , hard to put together and stay fresh every year. That’s why people struggle.”
He cautioned that switching genres doesn’t guarantee success.
“If they tell you to switch to Afropop, go there , you’ll still grind your way through. It’s not easy anywhere,” he added.
Lyrical Joe’s comments come amid growing debate about the sustainability of rap in Ghana’s mainstream scene, as many rappers explore Afropop and dancehall sounds for commercial appeal.
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