Strongman. This name has been on the lips of rap enthusiasts for quite some years now. His authentic style of rap, metaphors and storytelling have secured him a cult following, the Strong Empire.
All these years, the “Charcoal” hitmaker still couldn’t boast of a body of work. Hence, he has decided to end the year in style, gifting his fans a Hip-Hop project.
The Extended Play (EP) dubbed “Still That Ni99a” abbreviated as STN is a collection of songs that prove that he’s still your favourite mic dude. Recently, his major releases have been Afropop/Rap, which isn’t the genre that ushered him into the game. Strongman started solely as a rapper, when he emerged winner at KFM rap competition during his senior high school days. He went further to be crowned as the Next Big Thing in GH Hip-Hop.
With 7 solid songs, the 2018 Best Rapper at Ghana Music Awards – SA echoes that he’s a force to reckon with in rap as a culture. On the last day of November in 2018, Strongman and his team held a media listening session in Kumasi, where most of the stalwarts came together to listen and critique the EP before release. Track after track, the media personnel shared their honest opinions, suggestions and contributions.
The tone of the project is set with “Vision” which features soulful singer Akwaboah. The Kwesi Arthur-assisted “My vibe” follows right after. The emcees drop bars on what keeps their fire alive, and condemn acts of hatred and things that kill their vibe. This song may become a Hip-Hop anthem, and a perfect fit for a Corolla playlist. Strongman had a lot of things to say on the third track “Still That Ni99a.”
Halfway through the sonic experience, Sarkodie steps in to deliver his words on “Monster (Remix).” Strongman has a new verse on this song which was largely slept on by lots of the media personnel, I hope you don’t as well. “Paper” which features Shaker addresses a topical issue, money. Strongman known for his ability to deliver on a substantial track nails it, then King Hook smoothly seals its beauty. When you get to have a dose of “Dose”, kindly take time to analyze every bar.
The media personnel were put in a frenzy when “Paid my dues” featuring Worlasi came on. From the instrumental to the hook and verses, the song ended up as majority’s favourite.
Strongman has entered the next phase of mastery of the art of rap, and STN EP is the project that will be used as a reference.
The album will be released on Dec 5, pre-order here on iTunes and an album signing event will be held at Pinkberry, Kumasi City Mall.
Preorder Link: https://itunes.apple.com/gh/album/stn-still-that-ni99a/1444818036?app=itunes&ign-mpt=uo%3D4
[Written by: Joseph ‘Aqweci’ Ofori ]