‘I Am No More Called Obrafour’

Rap Sofo

Renowned hiplife artiste Michael Kwabena Okyere Darko says he does not want to be called by his stage name, ‘Obrafour’, anymore. The rapper, who rose to fame with the release of his much-acclaimed album titled ‘Pae Mu Ka’ in 1999, has decided to drop his stage name. Speaking with Franky 5 on This Is Gospel on Hitz FM, the artiste revealed that he prefers the name ‘Rap Sofo’. “Now I wouldn’t want to be called Obrafour anymore. I am saying this for the first time here,” the rapper said. When asked why he decided to let go of the name ‘Obrafour’ and stick to ‘Rap Sofo’, he stated that he was divinely influenced to use the latter name. “I don’t know. There is something pushing me. I have said that I wouldn’t want to do anything in my own will and accord but wait to hear the voice of God,” he added. The rapper also revealed that the Twi word ‘sofo’, which means pastor, has had an effect on him ever since the accolade ‘Rap Sofo’ was added to his stage name, ‘Obrafour’. Michael Kwabena Okyere Darko indicated that he chose the name ‘Obrafour’, which means executioner, at the beginning of his career, though he had first been referred to as ‘Rap Sofo’ because he wanted to sanitise hiplife music. He explained that the genre had been regarded by many, especially the elderly, as one that lacks meaningful content. “I realised that hiplife at that time was just for the youth. The elderly were not part of it because the words in the songs at that time did not convey any meaning. People thought it was empty noise. So I told myself it will need somebody in the calibre of the executioner at the palace to bring sanity into hiplife,” he said. The rapper said his friends initially referred to him as the ‘Rap Sofo’ because the content of his songs ‘cut deep’. He said he opted to add ‘Obrafour’ to ‘Rap Sofo’ at the time due to his urge to purge the genre of all negativity. But he has gone past that stage now and wishes to be known only as ‘Rap Sofo’.
- myjoyonline