With ‘NO PRESSURE,’ Ghana’s most famous rapper makes a spectacular comeback.
What do you expect from a professional with more than a decade of expertise in a field where remaining on top for years is regarded as a remarkable achievement? Then to do it for thirteen years in a developing sector, while continually performing at the top of your game and earning several awards is an achievement that even the ancient Greek gods would praise.
So it was evident that when Ghanaian rapper Sarkodie declared, “I’m not a human/I’m a deity,” on “Angels and Demons,” off his 2019 EP “Alpha,” it wasn’t a declaration based on arrogance.
Anyone who has followed Sarkodie’s career knows that he has a method to his releases, especially when he is in album mode. Regular appearances in features, more social media interactions, and the eventual release of promotional singles are all telltale signals.
Following a series of teasers, fans have been expecting the release of an album by the Ghanaian rapper for almost a year.
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When he started giving exclusives to his planned products out during the 2020 pandemic, the excitement skyrocketed.
Sarkodie had already produced a handful of tracks by the end of the year, including the Joey B-assisted “COLD,” when his core followers SarkNatives encouraged him to join the local Drill music trend, widely known as Asakaa.
Following that, a slew of singles was released, including “Happy Day,” “Hasta La Vista,” and “No Fuzagy.”
By the time the Kwesi Arthur-assisted “Coachella” and “Vibration” featuring American rapper Vic Mensa were released earlier this year, it was clear that an album was on the way.
His seventh studio album, ‘No Pressure,’ is possibly his most well-rounded work to date. The 16-song album, which is split into two sections, contains enough genre-mashing tracks to appeal to his wide range of admirers.
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It’s a mash-up of his two prior 2019 efforts, ‘Alpha’ and ‘Black Love.’
The former was a blistering barest hinged on self-apotheosis while the latter followed conventional pop-rap songwriting tropes with bright hooks sung by an array of guest vocalists.
In its amalgam execution, ‘No Pressure’ comprises tauntingly good, all-caps RAP slappers, as well as several bops in conversation with contemporary Afropop.
Ambitious rappers on the continent have long been charged with finding a balance between lyrical pyrotechnics and modish Pop trends, so this dualistic approach is nothing new.
These characteristics are mirrored in the song ‘No Pressure,’ which provides insight into his current state of mind.
Sarkodie does not feel the pressure that comes with staying at the top, nor does he feel crushed by the weight of regular criticisms hurled at him by a segment of the business regarding repetitious topic matters, now that he has reached this new elevated level.
In Rollies and Cigars Sarkodie flexes on smooth sound, supported with clear visuals, at the beginning of the visual, he made it clear that he doesn’t encourage smoking.
Ratings:
Production quality
Tracklisting
Songwriting
Intro
Outro
80%
75%
80%
75%
80%
Mid = 0.00
Average = 0.01
Good = 2.5
Excellent = 2.5
Conclusion:
Mp3bullet gives the project an 75% (Excellent) general rating