Ghanaian artiste Kwesi Arthur has found a spot on Billboard US Afrobeats chart with his song ‘Drama’.
The song off his recently released album ‘Son of Jacob’ debut number 39 on the chart. The album is undoubtedly the most anticipated debut album by a Ghanaian artist in recent times.
On ‘Drama’ he collaborated with Bigg Homie Flee and produced by Rexxie.
Kwesi made his official debut back in 2017, and from then on has commanded a core fanbase that’s immensely loyal and closely follows his every move. His debut project, the 5-track offering Live From Nkrumah Krom, hosted a breakout single “Grind Day” which launched the young rapper brimming with zeal and talent into the limelight.
Although he has dropped further projects since then—such as his sophomore EP Live From Nkrumah Krom, Vol II: Home Run as well as two instalments of This Is Not The Tape, Sorry For The Wait EPs—Kwesi Arthur fans have been fiending for a full-length project from the award-winning rapper all the while.
The unforeseen delay in the album’s release still had its advantages, particularly when it came to its bearings on the rapper’s creative output. “I feel like us slowing it down and pushing it to this point made perfect sense because it helped us put it together better. Throughout all that period I went through other experiences that inspired certain songs even on the album now,” he mentions. In other words, the delay gave him more time to do what artists need to do in order to create: experience life—and from the rapper’s perspective Son of Jacob is definitely better off for it.
Son of Jacob represents where Kwesi Arthur currently is creative. Part rap and part Afropop, the binate genre album is loaded with solid collaborations. “Toxic” featuring Nigerian singer Adekunle Gold is one of them. “Adekunle is hard guy, you feel me?” Kwesi remarks. “I connect to his music. Making ‘Toxic,’ we felt like Adekunle with his voice and his approach to songs would fit it best. And he killed it, shouts to him.” Speaking on why the album is more collaboration-heavy than his usual offerings, “I’m not really into collabs like that. But I feel like with this one I opened myself to putting people on my wave, and I feel like it really worked out.”
Son of Jacob portrays the duality of Kwesi. On one hand, he’s rapper with a pop affinity who makes music that would comfortably sit at the top of afrobeats charts. On the other hand, he’s a hard-headed, cocksure rapper who’s ever ready to remind every and any skeptic exactly who he is. A debut album is a rite of passage, and not many recording artists arrive at Kwesi Arthur’s level of stardom without one. It may seem like a long time since he started his career, but having finally crossed that all-important first album milestone, we can confidently say the superstar rapper’s career is just beginning.