At the 2019 BET Hip-Hop awards, Sarkodie picked up the inaugural award for Best International Flow. He also participated in the accompanying cyphers, unleashing a blistering, technical dazzling verse. To anyone who’s hip to the Ghanaian rapper, these events were par for the course: The award was less of a validation and more of an acknowledgement of his undeniable skill-set, and his cypher verse wasn’t a showcase as much as it was just another day setting fire to the mic and incinerating another instrumental.

 

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At the beginning of last decade, Sarkodie fully emerged as one of the leading figures of Rap music in Africa, a pedestal he’s occupied and doesn’t look to vacate anytime soon. After months of waiting, he’s finally shared his new album No Pressure, a Teflon statement from the veteran who’s relishing having Ghanaian—and indeed, African—Hip-Hop in a chokehold. The new LP, his sixth official, is out at a time when Drill music is leading the charge amongst the younger generation of Ghanaian rap artists, a trend he acknowledged with the line-up of last December’s Rapperholic concert. At that, he’s secure enough in his accomplishments and position as the torchbearer—“10 years, every time e be me/everyone else is just tagging along,” he proclaims on intro track “Rollies & Cigars.”

Operating in rarefied territory, No Pressure casts Sarkodie in his already iconic light without any hints that he’s coasting, continuing his streak as a fierce lyrical Phenom and one of the greatest rap hit-makers around. No Pressure was preceded by a handful of singles hinting at Sarkodie’s self-assured candour on the album, including the groovy, unapologetic “No Fugazy,” and the brash, Vic Mensa-assisted “Vibration.” As he’s always done, the 15-song set is graced by a star-studded cast of guest features from both within and outside Ghana, with contributions Kwesi Arthur, Wale, Oxlade, Giggs, Cassper Nyovest and more.

Listen to No Pressure here.

@dennisadepeter is a staff writer at the NATIVE.

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