Who would have thought that a bar from this kid from Tema’s first song, on his first ever project, would turn out to be the title of one of the most anticipated Ghanaian albums in recent times.
After exactly 5 years of breaking unto the Ghanaian music scene, Kwesi Arthur finally offers his debut album, ‘Son of Jacob.’ Dropping 4 projects that have gone on to become cult classics along the way, the Ghanaian rapper peaks with his sound on this album.
On the first song ‘Drama,’ he communicates that a 5-year run is not a joke, demanding his flowers in the process. How best could he have done that, if not with the help of the ‘Wallahi Shakeback Baby’ himself, Bigg Homie Flee, as they link up once again to replicate what they did on the standout hit ‘Grind Day.’
That fitting intro to the album is then followed by 2 Afrobeats tinged songs, ‘Disturb’ and ‘Baajo’ ft Nigerian singer Joeboy. At this point, one can’t help but acknowledge the range being served barely 10 mins into the project.
Then comes ‘Jungle Music, Pt. 2’ featuring M Huncho, where we see ‘rap Kwesi Arthur’ again. On this song he comes for a past fling and a few fake friends of his, served together with an outro of an elderly Ghanaian woman singing a local church hymn synced with a poetic piece from Suli Breaks.
Still having a feel ‘rap Kwesi Arthur,’ he talks about losing his Grandmum on ‘Silver Spoon,’ among other things like the struggles he’s been through. The same sentiments overlap into the next song ‘Paper.’
On track 7, you see evidence of the careful selection of songs and the order in which they are to appear on the album. Tell me why after talking about his struggles on the 2 preceeding songs, he’s celebrating on the next? He teams up with Nigerian singer-songwriter Teni to deliver this upbeat Afrobeats song ‘Celebrate.’
Kwesi Arthur and Adekunle Gold? That’s a very unlikely combination, but boy did they deliver! ‘Toxic’ perfectly paints the picture of a romantic relationship anyone would be willing to get out of.
‘Rap Kwesi Arthur’ makes a return once again, serving motivation, spanning a 2-track run on drill inspired beats with the second featuring American rapper with Ghanaian descent, Vic Mensa.
We are then ushered into a family affair, where the rapper introduces us to his kid brother, Dayonthetrack for the first time on another incredible 2-track run of ‘Mind Over Body’ and ‘Animal.’
Track 13, ‘Diamonds Dancing’ features UK group NSG, which is then followed by ‘No Regrets.’ Things are beginning to simmer down at this point, as Kwesi Arthur goes full rap mode reflecting on the journey so far.
On the final song ‘Adom,’ we see a mirroring of his 2018 song ‘Woara.’
Kwesi Arthur gives all thanks and praise to the only one who has made everything possible so far, God!
As stated earlier, it is almost impossible to overlook the kind of range served on the project in terms of production and vocal styles; there is something for everyone. This makes the 5-year wait for a full-length project from the Ghanaian rapper worth it.
Dive into the ‘SON OF JACOB’ album.