Ghanaian rapper and celebrated music icon, Sarkodie has shared the thought process behind his seventh studio album, “Jamz”.
According to him, after taking life very serious over the last couple of years, he needed to switch his dynamics and ease up with fun moments with his family and team.
For him to create that ambience with loved ones, he needed a perfect soundtrack to match the occasion. Hence the production of the “Jamz” album.
In an interview with Akosua Hanson on Y107.9 FM’s ‘Y Lounge’, he shared, “I’ve been taking trips to some beautiful places. I went to Zanzibar and I barely do these things. I think I take myself too serious but then I took time for myself. Just went out there to have time with the team and family for a while. I was inspired by just having fun. I just needed the type of soundtrack that would suit those moments.”
Sarkodie indicated that he never pictured himself producing an album or a song during the family time. However, just after returning to Ghana, a visit to Ghana’s SkyBar sparked the desire to mine his craft.
“So, in the moment I didn’t think about recording. But when I came back it was all kind of like playing in my mind, these beautiful places we’ve been to. Oceans, resorts and nice beautiful scenery. Then the icing on the cake was when I went to Sky Bar. I usually wrap up my day and go to sky bar. I was there one of these nights and I think there was an SA female DJ and she killed it back-to back Amapiano,” he said.
“I know Ampiano but that was the night I was literally sold because it was like back to back. The lock drums were crazy. So then I started hitting up producers to send me productions. I gave them all the directions, this is want I want to hear and then the album just formed itself. It wasn’t something I was trying to do deliberately. It just came and flowed,” he added.
Sarkodie on Friday, November 11 released the “Jamz” album which features a blend of the current crop of African artistes. It has features with the likes of Cina Soul, Black Sherif, Oxlade and Lojay among others. His seventh album debuts no.1 on Apple Music Ghana and currently charting in 13 different countries on Apple Music including the UK, Liberia, Iceland and Nigeria.
By: Jude Tackie
