Demi Bailey-Paul
When Ghanaian rapper Yaw Tog dropped his debut single ‘Sore’ late last year, he became a young prodigy and global success overnight. The 17-year-old went viral gaining recognition from some of the scenes A-listers including; Kwesi Arthur and Stormzy to name a few. Fast forward to 2021, which saw the Skengman himself take a trip to his homeland, Ghana - the soon to be legendary remix and video to Yaw's popular hit single, which premiered this Thursday the 4th of March, has surfaced, making waves, featuring all three acclaimed artists, Yaw Togo, Kwesi Arthur and Stormzy.
With the drill scene continuing to expand across the globe, over the last 10 years, music from West Africa has enjoyed a steady flow in popularity and the distinctive sound has been birthing up and coming stars in all different regions. Now a fully-fledged international sound, the scene emanating from the streets of Kumasi, Ghana, known as Asakaa has caught fire not just in his hometown but beyond that.
Yaw Tog is now at the centre of the West African Drill and Hip-Hop movement, with the video for ‘Sore’ being the first within the genre to reach over one million views organically. Featuring members of the Asaaka boys collective (O’Kenneth, City Boy, Reggie, Jay Bhad), ‘Sore’ aptly translates to ‘Rise’. This meeting of great minds happened whilst Stormzy was in Ghana for ‘Beyond The Return’, during which he was hosted in Kumasi by Yaw and the Asakaa community alongside Kwesi Arthur.
Although Stormzy has kept quite a low profile as of recent on social media, he is undoubtedly one of the UK’s most influential and cultural figures. Known for evolving the underground musical landscape, as well as being a true spokesman of black empowerment and social activism. His latest album ‘Heavy Is The Head’ became his second consecutive No.1 album in the UK Official Charts and has since been certified Platinum.
Finding himself amongst some of the most exciting newcomers, vastly becoming know for his fluid delivery, which fuses English with Twi and Pidgin, this is just the start for Yaw Tog who will be releasing his debut, 7-track EP ‘TIME’ on 25th March, pre-save HERE. In the meantime make sure you check out the lit remix of the viral tune on YouTube featuring two of Ghana's finest talent. What British artist could you see Yaw collaborating with next? Make sure to leave a comment below!
Lastly, we at New Wave Mag would like to wish a Happy Independence day to Ghana and can't wait to see what emerging talent comes from there this year!