Biography of Sarkodie

Sarkodie, whose real name is Michael Owusu Addo, was born on July 10, 1988. He is a renowned Ghanaian rapper, songwriter, and entrepreneur from Tema.

Early Life and Education

Sarkodie, the fourth of five children, was raised in Tema. He attended Tema Methodist Day Senior High School and later proceeded to IPMC College of Technology, where he earned a degree in graphic design.

Career

Sarkodie began his music career as an underground rapper, participating in Adom FM’s popular rap competition Kasahare Level. He met his former manager Duncan Williams of Duncwills Entertainment while participating in the competition. He also met musicians Edem and Castro, who introduced him to Hammer of The Last Two, an established record producer. Impressed by his rap flows, Hammer allowed Sarkodie to record two tracks for his album Volta Regime.

Following his collaboration with Hammer, Sarkodie recorded his debut album Makye. Its production was primarily handled by Killbeatz and Jayso. The album features guest appearances from Kwaw Kese, J-Town, Sway, and Paedae of R2Bees. Makye received positive reviews from critics and fans.

Sarkodie’s second studio album Rapperholic was released in 2012. It features guest appearances from Efya, Chidynma, Mugeez of R2Bees, Obrafour, Jayso, and EL. The album was supported by five singles: “Good Bye”, “One Time For Your Mind”, “You Go Kill Me”, “Living Legend”, and “Onyame Nhyira”.

Achievements

Sarkodie’s contributions to the Ghanaian music industry have earned him numerous accolades, including the Vodafone Ghana Music Award for “Artiste of the Decade”. He was announced the first winner of BET’s Best International Flow act at the 2019 BET Hip Hop Awards. He is also considered one of the major proponents of the Azonto genre and dance.

Sarkodie is often referred to as a “multifaceted rapper” due to the variety of musical genres he can perform in, and he frequently raps in his native language, Twi.