My Brand Can Never Die

It’s been eight months since he quit radio angry over perceived betrayal but controversial Blakk Rasta maintains he set such a high standard that the void he left on the airwaves cannot be filled by any other radio personality.

Waxing lyrical about a unique and strong brand he built based on his fearless character and audacity to touch on the most controversial subjects, the outspoken reggae musician and radio presenter told Showbiz that he was peerless in his field and also left a legacy that would never die even if he never returned to broadcasting.

“I am one of the few radio presenters who spoke his mind on any issue. I have dealt with serious issues that many radio presenters will never dare to discuss or talk about,” he told this paper in an interview on Tuesday.

Blakk Rasta, whose hit song, Barack Obama is a tribute to America’s first black President, said in as much as some people either disliked or took offence to some of his issues he tackled on air, he believed a majority of Ghanaians were in favour of his position on the subjects, hence his large listeners.

“I treated serious issues on gays, legalising of wee, bashed politicians which I believed my listeners love so much and wanted to hear more.

He was convinced no other radio presenter could fit in his shows because he had built a unique brand that has grown with him.

“Although there are other reggae presenters in Ghana, Blakk Rasta’s name comes first because of my heard work and consistency on radio.”

A former presenter of Taxi Driver on Hitz FM, he quit the job citing betrayal and a lack of support from his employers in the wake of his summon before

Parliament to defend his comment that 80 per cent of Parliamentarians smoked Indian hemp.

Many months later, he drops the strongest possible hint that he could be returning to radio by the end of the year without giving clues about his next destination.

“I get a lot of calls and messages on my social media asking when I am coming back on air and all I tell them is I am coming very soon. My dedication, hard work and the topics I treated is probably the reason Ghanaians cannot do without me,” added Blakk Rasta, real name Abubakar Ahmed.

During his months away from radio, the reggae star channelled his energies into his music with his latest song Serwaa Akoto and is working on an upcoming album to be released later this year.

Blakk Rasta was nominated for the Reggae/Dancehall Artiste Of The Year in the 2015 Vodafone Ghana Music Awards(VGMA) while Serwaa Akoto received nominations in the Reggae/Dancehall Song Of The Year category.

He has been touring Europe in the past five months with his Herbalist Band, which won the Best International Band award at the Festival Imagem-Movimento International Music Fair in the Italian city of Genova, last year.

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