Why Sarkodie was constantly ‘passed over’, eventually became ‘used to’ being independent

He spoke on the Way Up show hosted by America’s Angela Yee, a clip of which has resurfaced following his debut appearance on the Hennessy Cypher on Tuesday, June 25, 2024.

“To be very honest, in the beginning, I wanted to,” sign a record deal, Sarkodie confessed, noting not much had changed because “I still would love to, I think partnership is good. It just has to make sense to you.”

In the beginning, he stressed, “even in Ghana, I was looking for a label.”

He gave the impression he was not successful in this regard because “the type of music I was doing, as I said, people did not believe that would sell, so I had to do stuff on my own.”

Soon, he “got used to” being an independent artist who developed the habit of “flipping” his music money “back to back” into the business. He added he was then “being stubborn,” not allowing outsiders to come into his business.

Looking back, however, he had no regrets, remarking, “it was meant to be that you’re supposed to be in charge of what you’re doing – you can’t fight it.”

The Afrobeats legend recalled how, at the time, he “did not understand why people did not want to sign me,” knowing that “I could have done better than a lot of people around them [label bosses], but I always got passed [over].”

This, he said, led to his resolve “to do it myself.”

For instance, he cited, he settled the bill for his first music video with his first cheque: “I remember, it was [from] a beauty pageant in Ghana.”

This episode, and others that followed, Sarkodie explained, helped him “build” the habit of “flipping money” or reinvesting proceeds back into his stream of income as a rising rap star.

The two-time BET winner acknowledged this was not an easy road, however, “and I’m not saying that’s the best way all the time.”

“Sometimes, you need the weight off you,” he explained, underlining an advantage of record companies and their deals. “I feel sometimes… I wish I could have a backbone that could take care of certain things [so] I don’t have to think about too much [things] because it’s a lot.”

“Being a creative person,” and navigating the maze of show business as an independent artist, he intimated, is a lot of “pressure.”

“Sometimes, I enjoy it,” however, the SarkCess Music boss concluded, unsurprisingly.

On the 2024 Hennessy Cypher, Sarkodie, representing Ghana, dedicated his verse to highlighting his struggles and consequent success as an independent artist. He then proceeded to slam voluminous record deals – which he dodged – that, in his view, leave artists feeling “caged” and scammed.