What's On Ghana magazine

UNLESS you’ve been stranded on a desert island over the last year you probably think you’ve heard all there is to know about Sway, the award –winning rapper who defied the odds to nab the Best Hip Hop gong at this year’s MOBO’s. Well, think again because the Hornsey-bred rapper has only just begun in his quest to make a mark on the notoriously fickle music industry. In January Sway will release his highly-anticipated debut set This Is My Demo. The comical and charismatic star took time out of his busy schedule to let us in on the world according to Derek Safo.

Q: Were you surprised when you won the MOBO Award?

A: Very surprised. I didn’t expect it at all. When you’re in a category with big acts like that you obviously assume that it’s gonna go to the big acts straight away because it would be more beneficial for the event to have 50 Cent win the award.

Q: What would you say to people who criticise the fact that you won the award because you haven’t yet achieved the success of those who were in your category?

A: I don’t blame them because right after I won it, in my first moment of clarity I knew I was gonna get the “How the hell did he get this award, he hasn’t even signed a record deal?” But I knew there was another side like “If Sway can do it, I can do it.” People need to realise that over the last three years I’ve worked really hard. Everyday of my life has been geared towards doing something musical. I’ve grabbed a lot of opportunities and I don’t really get a lot of time to rest. I’m a grafter and after people listen to my music or they see me at a live show they realise why the attention on me has been as big as it has been because I’m bringing something new to the table and I’m messing with subjects that people wouldn't usually talk about but in a way where it’s entertaining.

Q: What would you say to people who say you’ve peaked too early? You haven’t even released your first album yet.

A: There’s a lot left for me to do. I’ve always been a person that if I do something I like to do it properly and if I’m gonna do something and I chose to do it I need to do it all the way. There’s nothing saying that I can’t come back next year and win Best Album. Awards are not given to people to get them out of the way. They’re given to people to recognise their achievements within that period of time. So the whole thing of me peaking too early, Nah, not at all. I haven’t even pulled all the cards out.

Q: What can we expect from the album? Now that you’re trying to reach a broader audience are you gonna commercialise?

A: No. The music hasn’t changed. The subject matter’s changed. I change my subject matter every project. From the first mixtape I was talking about Flo Fashion and credit cards and debt. With the second mixtape, on Magic Roundabout I was talking about interracial relationships. And on this third album I’ve got tracks about domestic violence and really serious issues. That’s probably one of the most shocking tracks on my album.

Q: Have you worked with any high-profile producers on the album? Any collabos?

A: There’s nobody big out there. A lot of more established artists tried to muscle their way on to this album but I feel like that way a way of trying to keep them afloat, using my new buzz, getting that young blood and trying to align themselves with it but I didn’t allow that. I’m my own entity.

Q: Where do you get your entrepreneurial spirit from because you could’ve just gone to a label and had all this done for you?

A: A major label would’ve flopped me by now. My combination of characteristics is like no other. Nobody has been born in London, taken to Ghana, brought back, brought up in Hornsey. Mum’s a Christian, Dad’s a Muslim. Have the West African culture in me, at the same time being out there and getting the Western culture in me. Nobody has that exact combination and no record label can tell me how to bring those elements out of me. Only I can do that.

Q: How long were you in Ghana for?

A: Two to three years.

Q: Would you say its been beneficial for you?

A: Definitely. It’s helped build me up as a person and as a character. My parents are really no nonsense people and that’s something I’ve taken on myself. I don’t wait around for nonsense.

Q: Where does your pride in being Ghanaian come from and how do you reconcile your two identities, Ghanaian and British?

A: When I came to the UK I couldn’t hide being Ghanaian so from early on I had to work it to my advantage. I had to see all the good qualities in being African and promote that amongst my friends. I had Jamaican friends, white friends, Indian friends that all loved jollof rice. They all wanted to be Ghanaian by the time I was 10. I was proud of it. When I used to go to friend’s parents’ house they used to be like, “How come Derek’s so well-behaved? How come he respects so much?” The things that I used to do, things that were normal to me, like saying Hello to people’s parents before walking in to the house. So there was a lot of positives coming out of being Ghanaian and I’ve carried that all the way through. And at the same time

I’ve realised that there’s a lot of people like me in the UK of Ghanaian descent and there’s no real voice for them. No British-born Ghanaian that’s like, “Look, there’s a lot of us out there and it’s something to be proud of.” When you go to Ghana independence there’s loads of young urban kids, not children that were born in Ghana but British-born who wanna be in to the culture that want something to be proud of because they’ve had enough of lying about where they’re from and people taking the piss out of fufu. They’re not having it no more. Even the Ghanaian boys in this country, they’re going crazy now. We’re running everything.

Q: I hear you’re going to Ghana at Christmas. Are you going to be doing any shows out there?

A: I might do one or two but this is a relaxing mission cos I’ve had a hectic 6 months. I just wanna chill with my family and look at things from a bird’s eye view, decipher what’s going on over here when I get back and go out with a fresh face, a fresh mind and ready to start the year off with a bang.

Favourite club: Aphrodisiac.

Because it’s comfortable, not like a nightclub but more like a house party.

Favourite restaurant: Papaye.

The portions are massive, even my friend Turkish couldn’t finish his plate there.

Favourite city: Accra.

Because it’s the capital but big up to my Kumasi peeps.

Favourite hotel: Novotel.

Favourite hip/high-life artist: I’ll have to say three—Tinny,Tic Tac and

Kojo Antwi. I’d like to do a track with him.

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