Who is who - Sarkodie or Okyeame Kwame

When Okyeame Kwame said in his 'Woso' song that, "they say am the'Best Rapper Alive', many were those who held and expressed diametrically opposing views against the expression.

One of those artistes was Obrafour, who in his 'Kasiebo' registered his displeasure at  the expression, saying that it was rather egotistical on the part of Okyeame to have conferred onto himself such a gargantuan title.

Many were those who said Obrafour did that with sour grapes; because to them, Obrafour who also has a self-conferred title 'Rap Executioner', would have loved to have Okyeame's 'Best Rapper Alive' title.

This stoked a lot of controversies to the extent that Okyeame Kwame called for a rap battle between him and Obrafour to decide who really wields the clout in the rap world. In the just ended Ghana Music Awards, Sarkodie won 'Best Rapper of the Year' award walloping co-nominees Obrafour, Kwaku T, Tinny and Stone. And immediately after the award was presented to him, some people were like,"yes,Okyeame Kwame can shut up now. We now have the official best rapper".

Sorry, you are making a grave mistake if you also share this view. There are yawning differences between Sarkodie's 'best rapper' and Okyeame Kwame's 'best rapper'. Sarkodie's is an "award" given him by Charterhouse in Ghana Music Awards but Okyeame's is an "accolade" conferred on him by his fans. Other artistes with accolades conferred on them by their fans or themselves include Nana Kwame Ampadu (King of Highlife), Michael Jackson (King of Pop), Reggie Rockstone (Hiplife Grandpapa), Sarkodie (Fastest Rapper) among others. Mind you, these have nothing to do with awards in their regard.

Also, Sarkodie's 'best rapper' is ephemeral. He may win another next time (that is if we still have that category in Ghana Music Awards) but the one presented to him was just for his performance in the year under review spanning 1st December, 2008 to 31st November 2009. Note that Sarkodie is not the best rapper for 2010. Best Rapper for 2009/2010 music year will be awarded next year. On the other hand, Okyeame Kwame's 'Best Rapper Alive' accolade has no expiry date. It lives on!

Another difference is, Sarkodie's best rapper' is limited to Ghana because it was an award given him by an awards scheme designed for the Ghanaian music industry. This is unlike Okyeame Kwame's accolade 'Best Rapper Alive' which is semantically vague, and so has no boundaries-meaning he is the best rapper alive for the whole wide world.

So which is bigger than the other? Best Rapper of the Year or Best Rapper Alive? Well, it will be illogical to weigh an 'accolade' and an 'award' with one scale. And that will be a case of comparing apple and orange. But we may think of which has more value, the answer to which lies with you, my analytical reader.

For Heaven sake, the Best Rapper of the Year category of Ghana Music Awards should not be a public category because it is as technical as the Vocal Performances. Of course the layperson will not be able to appreciate qualities of rap like rhyme, rhyme pattern, fluidity, meter, pace etc.

All the same kudos to Best Rapper of the Year, Sarkodie and Best Rapper Alive, Okyeame Kwame. To Sarkodie, I say congrats for your award, you truly deserve it and to Okyeame, I say keep enjoying your accolade. You are still the best rapper alive!!!