Ghanaian reggae artist and political commentator Blakk Rasta has disclosed that he received political threats after his performance at the recent Nkrumah Fest.
During an interview on Accra-based 3FM, Blakk Rasta shared that he was initially invited to give a speech at the event but was persuaded by the enthusiastic audience to perform instead.
He performed three songs: “Kwame Nkrumah,” “Barack Obama,” and “Thief President.” The latter sparked controversy and quickly went viral on social media.
Despite clarifying that the song was not aimed at any specific individual, Blakk Rasta’s performance led to a hostile response from some viewers.
“After I did the song, I was just on my way out and telling myself, I didn’t intend to sing here. I just intended to come and give a speech because that was the original thing. But they were insisting that I should sing something. So when I sang it, by the evening, it was all over the place,” he recounted.
Following the performance, Blakk Rasta received several threatening phone calls, prompting the event organisers to offer him additional security.
He described one such call: “People called me with phone numbers that did not exist and threatened me after that performance.
There was one who called and just said, ‘You! I am coming for you.’ I said, ‘Oh, bro, where do you want us to meet?’ Then he started laughing. We both laughed.”
Acknowledging the tension, Blakk Rasta accepted the security support offered around his hotel area by the organisers, stating, “So the organisers asked me if I needed security and all that. I said, ‘Why not?’ So they had one or two people around my hotel area.”
Reflecting on the experience, Blakk Rasta emphasised the importance of holding leaders accountable and warned against corruption.
“It’s not for me to tell you which one is a thief, which one is not a thief. Just as in every country, I believe that they know who is not treating them well as their president. So, if that suits you, why not? If you are not a thief, don’t ever be a thief. It’s not good. And if you are a thief, change,” he noted.
