Blakk Rasta, a reggae musician cum radio presenter who uses most of his airtime to criticise people especially politicians, has declared his intention to drag the main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) to court for using his song on the party’s political platform without his approval. Watch Video: Barack Obama by Blakk Rasta feat Nii Lante (Crunk version)
“I went to court and the papers are being processed. My lawyer thinks we have a good case. I am seeking to put some sense into those who are using my song by force. I have said it several times on radio that nobody should use the song at any political rally but that is not adhered to,” he said in an exclusive interview with Beatwaves over the weekend in Tamale.
According to Blakk Rasta, the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Convention People’s Party (CPP) and the NDC approached him on different occasions with big offers to use the song he did for Barack Obama, the newly elected American president, on their platforms but he refused.
However, he said, the NDC ignored him and went ahead to use the song on its political platform with the explanation that the song was public property. This, Blakk Rasta who is known in private life as Abubakar Ahmed, observed was a sign of disrespect to him as a musician. “If you are dealing with somebody’s music you show some respect. Much as the song is meant for the public, if the song is used in a pornographic movie I will not be happy with it. This is because that was not the reason why I made the song.So if the NDC is doing its political thing and they said they wanted to use my song and I said no, they don’t have to go ahead to use it by force. That did not show any respect.” The Obama album, he disclosed, “sold more than any music ever produced in Ghana. I am saying this again; it has sold more than any music in Ghana. It is the first ever African song to be played on CNN.”
Blakk Rasta cleared the air on the argument that he was displaying double standards with his support for politicians.
He supported Obama, an international politician but chastised his colleague musicians who also support local politicians. “It is a shame to say Blakk Rasta supports a politician. I don’t do that. I did not support any politician. I did not join the Obama thing because he was a politician or a democrat. I did it because of the skin colour; you can say I am racist. Marcus Garvey said race first and that makes sense to me. You don’t see tilapia eating with whales.”
For the past 200 years or more, he said, the black race had been relegated to the background in the USA when it was blacks who built the White House, hence the need to support a black man for the US presidency.
