Blakk Rasta (born Abubakar Ahmed (born 2 September 1974) is a

Ghanaian Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in Ghana–Ivory Coast border, the west, Burkina ...

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...

/ Kuchoko artiste, dub poet and a radio presenter of Zylofon FM. He is best known for the song "Barack Obama" sung in honor of the 44th U.S President. He was honored at a special dinner with

President Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, Obama was the first Af ...

on 11 July 2010.

Musical style

Blakk Rasta does "Kuchoko" which is predominantly reggae music fused with African rhythms and energies pouring out conscious lyrics about love, equal rights and justice, blackness, rasta and spiritual love. Blakk Rasta's current "Kuchoko" sound innovation came about after a long period of research into a new sound, which will ride on reggae music and establish a sound which will cut across indigenous African sights, sounds and spirituality and be accepted worldwide in these fast changing times of musical tastes and preferences. Indigenous African instruments such as the xylophone, talking drum (dondo), kette, flute,

kologo Kologo is a village and seat of the commune of Tiémala-Banimonotié in the Cercle of Bougouni in the Sikasso Region of southern Mali. The village is 25 km south of the town of Bougouni Bougouni is a commune and city in Mali, the admi ...

, kora fused with animal and jungle sounds, and sounds from local markets.

Career

Abubakar Ahmed, aka Blakk Rasta who was born on September 2, 1974, in Tamale to devout Ahmadi-Moslem parents. Growing in the slums of Moshie-Zongo and Aboabo. Blakk Rasta is also a reggae DJ on radio. He was adjudged the best Reggae DJ in Ghana when he was on Happy 98.9 FM. The controversial former host of the midmorning program ‘Taxi Driver’ on Hitz 103.9 FM, revealed via his Twitter account on July 6, 2015 that he has said his goodbyes to the Multimedia-owned Kokomlemle based radio station in Accra. Blakk Rasta then joined Zylofon FM in 2017 to continue 'Taxi Driver'. After four years of working at Zylofon FM, Blakk Rasta Live on air (Wednesday 29 December 2021) announced that he will be leaving the East-legon based radio on Friday 31 December 2021. According to Blakk Rasta, his decision not to abandon the station in spite of financial challenges was purely out of loyalty to his boss, NAM1, who had tasked him to consider the station as his own baby. After leaving Zylofon FM, Blakk Rasta now created a channel on YouTube called 'Blakk Media Empire', to still continue his show 'The Black Pot'.

Inspiration

He was inspired by Jamaican dub poet; Mutabaruka, DYCR and

Linton Kwesi Johnson Linton Kwesi Johnson (born 24 August 1952), also known as LKJ, is a Jamaica-born, British-based dub poet and activist. In 2002 he became the second living poet, and the only black one, to be published in the Penguin Modern Classics series. His ...

Honors and awards

* In June 2011, Blakk Rasta was voted and confirmed as the 'Radio Reggae Show Host of the Year' by the Ghana Radio And TV Awards. He has won other awards such as the BASS Awards in 2013, with a reggae song with Jah Amber titled "Our Africa".

Discography

Selected singles

* "Dede" * "Barack Obama" * "Gaddafi" * "Mallam Tonga" * "Gaddafi, My Hero" * "52 Ambulances" ( Knii Lante ft. Blakk Rasta, 2018) * "Naked Wire" (2008) * "Caro Caro (Corona Virus Lamentation)" *Mpumalanga * "Camaroon" * "Piano Logoligi" * "Bloody Museveni" *Raggamuffin com * "Mr President" (2021) * "Kwame Nkrumah"

Albums

* ''2000: The Rasta Shrine'' * ''2002: More Fyah'' * ''2004: Ganja Minister'' * ''2006: Natty Bongo'' * ''2008: Naked Wire'' * ''2010: Voice of the African Rebel'' * ''2011: Born Dread'' * ''2014: Ancestral Moonsplash'' * ''2016: Kuchoko Revolution'' * ''2019: Timbuktu By Road''

References

External links

iTunes
{{Authority control Living people 1974 births Ghanaian Rastafarians Ghanaian musicians People from Tamale, Ghana T.I. Ahmadiyya Senior High School (Kumasi) alumni