Ghanaian reggae artist and political commentator Blakk Rasta has revealed he faced threats following his viral performance at the Nkrumah Fest.
In an interview with Accra-based 3FM, he explained that he was initially invited to speak at the event, but the enthusiastic crowd encouraged him to perform instead.
He kicked off with “Kwame Nkrumah,” followed by an impromptu rendition of “Barack Obama,” and wrapped up with the controversial “Thief President.”
This final song ignited a backlash, and clips of his performance quickly circulated on social media.
Despite his efforts to clarify that the song wasn’t aimed at any individual, the reaction was intense.
“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 said.
He shared that he received several threatening calls, leading the event organisers to offer him additional security.
“I got a couple of calls. People called me with phone numbers that were not existing 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,” he said.
“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,” he added.After the event, he received threatening phone calls, prompting the organizers to increase his security.
Reflecting on the incident, Blakk Rasta stressed the need for accountability among leaders and urged them to combat 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 stated.