I absolutely love Edem!
Edem's music is one that's proud of being African. He started out as 'the Ewe rapper' or 'Ayigbe Edem' when he hit it big in between 2006 and 2008. The amazing thing about his prolificity is if you were not Ewe, or you did not understand his Ewe rap, his charisma and power is diffused through the music. He spoke the powerful language of music and we heard and understood. In 2014, Edem's latest Abulm, Books N' Rhymes is a testament to the versatility of his talent. Edem explores with his art and his rap is not simply how we have known it to be previously. He pushes the boundaries to establish a new sound in every song on the album. It's a mix of hiphop, reggae, House, dancehall, etc.
Despite being in an industry that glorifies the commercial, shallow and fleeting, Edem does not bend to the pressure. He remains a conscious rapper passionate about Africa, passionate about sharing with the rest of Africa and changing the narrative through his art. While other musicians may make music for just Ghana and for just a moment in time, He makes music for Africa and beyond, and strives to make it timeless.
His latest album, 'Books N' Rhymes', is out! It's a definite must-have!
ABOUT BOOKS N' RHYMES
"We created an album that will change the industry that will make people want to rethink their creative process"~ Edem on 30Minitz
"Books and Rhymes are the basis of human's life. Books are what takes us through life, takes us to the greatest of places, gives us power and knowledge; and rhymes are the basis of our childhood where you are taught to learn 'twinkle, twinkle little star', etc to be able to speak properly. So I thought it would be creative for me to use this album to gravitate the African continent towards schooling themselves. I rap more in Ewé because I need to sell the sub-region where I am coming from even though it is very difficult to do it because you have to kick away the stigma of people saying it cannot stand the test of time and you have to do it so well from a marketing perspective." ~ Edem on BBC.
Check out my interview with Edem on 30Minitz! In this, Edem speaks about his hit tracks, 'Only in Ghana,' his humorous documentation of Ghanian quirkies, and 'The One' which dares to reference Ghana's slave history.
