Michael Owusu Addo (born July 10, 1985) professionally known as Sarkodie,
is a Ghanaian hip hop recording artist and entrepreneur from Tema.He
won the Best International Act: Africa category at the 2012 BET Awards,
and was nominated in the same category at the 2014 BET Awards. In 2015,
Sarkodie was ranked the 19th most Influential Ghanaian by e.tv Ghana. He
is considered one of the major proponents of the Azonto genre and
dance. Sarkodie is often named as one of Africa's greatest hip hop
artists]
MTV Base ranked him 6th on its list of the Hottest African MC's in
2014.In 2013, Lynx TV ranked him 1st on its list of the "Top 10 Ghanaian
Rappers of All Time". In 2015, AfricaRanking.com ranked him 3rd on its
list of the "Top 10 African Rappers of 2015"] In 2015, The Guardian listed him as one of its top five hip hop acts on the African continent.
Early life and music career
Sarkodie, the fourth of five children, was
born and raised in Tema,to his mother Maame Aggrey. Sarkodie started
rapping at a young age and continued throughout his educational career.
He attended Tema Methodist Senior High School. He earned a degree in
graphic design from IPMC. Sarkodie began his instrumental career as an
underground rapper. He appeared on Adom FM's popular rap competition
Kasahare Level. It was through rap battles that he met his former
manager Duncan Williams of Duncwills Entertainment. He also met
musicians Edem and Castro who introduced him to Hammer of The Last Two,
an established record producer. Hammer decided to feature Sarkodie on
two songs off the Volta Regime album after being impressed with his rap flows. After this exposure, Sarkodie recorded his debut album Makye.
His first single "Baby", featuring Mugeez of the duo R2Bees, became an
instant hit and made Sarkodie a household name within the Ghanaian music
industry
Recognition and musical style
Sarkodie often raps in his native language
Twi, and is considered a "multifaceted rapper" due to the various
musical styles he possess. He was ranked 8th on Forbes and Channel O's
2013 and 2015 lists of the Top 10 Richest/Bankable African Artistes.
Sarkodie has had the privilege of performing on the same stage with
international musicians such as T-Pain, Miguel, Movado, Trey Songz,and
Ludacris. He has a large fan base in Africa, and is considered one of
the most celebrated musical icons to hail from Ghana.
Philanthropy
On July 13, 2013, Sarkodie launched The
Sarkodie Foundation which is tasked with the mission of supporting
underprivileged children. He made generous donations to the Royal Seed
Home Orphanage in Kasoa. Sarkodie presented to the orphanage items worth
thousands of Ghanaian cedis. On December 25, 2014, The Sarkodie
Foundation embarked on a feeddakids campaign in Tema, where they
provided thousands of kids with eight sacks of rice, yogurt and beverage
cans. They also gave away school bags, water bottles, hats and other
items. The CEO of Tigo Telecommunications Ghana, Mrs. Roshi Motman, was
also in attendance to support the campaign.
Business career and endorsements
Sarkodie owns "Sark by Yas" clothing line,
which was launched on April 27, 2013.The clothing line has accessories
for men, women and children.In 2012, he was officially unveiled as the
Brand Ambassador for Samsung Electronics at the University of Ghana,
Legon. As part of the event, Samsung unveiled the Samsung Galaxy Pocket
and Chief Hero Phones that had customized wallpapers of Sarkodie and his
signature; users had the opportunity to download exclusive tracks of
Sarkodie.Sarkodie also launched the Obidi Chief headphones.In 2013, he
signed an endorsement deal with FanMilk Ghana. Sarkodie is currently in
partnership with Tigo Telecommunications Ghana, a brand that sponsored
the 2013 Rapperholic tour.
World tours and notable performances
In August 2012, Sarkodie kicked off his
tour in the United States. He performed in several different cities and
states, including New York City, Ohio, New Jersey, Maryland, Atlanta,
Chicago, Texas and Massachusetts. After releasing his Rapperholic
album, Sarkodie performed in five different regions in Ghana as part of
his Rapperholic nationwide tour. On 7 July 2012, Sarkodie kicked off
his tour of Canada. On 16 September 2009, Sarkodie performed alongside
Busta Rhymes at the Busta Rhymes Live in Ghana concert. On 27 August
2012, Sarkodie performed at the Africa Unplugged Music Festival, which
was held at the Wembley Arena in London. He performed alongside R2Bees,
Fally Ipupa and Iyanya.]
In 2012, Sarkodie joined Ludacris on stage at the 020 live concert to
perform the remix of the latter's 2009 single "How Low".On 3 May 2014,
Sarkodie performed at the 15th Edition of the Ghana Music Awards. On 7
June 2014, Sarkodie joined Miguel on stage to perform the latter's
single "How Many Drinks?", at the MTV Africa Music Awards.On 8 August
2015, Sarkodie performed at the Sarkodie History In The Making concert,
which was held at New York City's iconic Apollo Theatre. The sold out
concert was supported by EL, Kwaw Kese, Banky W., The Composers, Bisa
Kdei and John Dumelo, among others. Sarkodie has also performed in
several African countries, including Nigeria, South Africa, Gabon,
Kenya, Benin and Liberia. On 10 October 2015, Sarkodie started his
European tour in Modena, Italy. As part of the tour, Sarkodie performed
four times in Paris. He also performed in Bordeaux, France, as well as
in Frankfurt and Dortmund. Sarkodie held the 4th edition of his
Rapperholic concert on Christmas Day; tickets for the event were sold
out within 72 hours of its release. He was joined on stage by Fuse ODG,
R2Bees, Wizkid, Samini, Vvip, Efya and Shatta Wale.On 11 March 2016,
Sarkodie performed with The Composers music band at the Indigo 02 arena.
The event was hosted by DJ Abrantee. Sarkodie was also supported by
rapper Fuse ODG
Awards and nominations
At the 2012 BET Awards, Sarkodie became
the first Ghanaian artist to win the Best International Act Award:
Africa accolade. He was nominated for the same award in 2014 and 2015. Rapperholic, his second studio album, was the recipient of 3 Ghana Music Awards from 12 nominations.
Sarkodie Picks Award For Best Collaboration At Sound City MVP Awards 2018
Ghanaian rapper, Sarkodie has emerged the
winner in the ‘Best Collaboration’ category for his song ‘PainKiller’
with Runtown at last night’s SoundCity MVP Awards held at Eko Hotels and
Suites in Lagos, Nigeria.
Personal Life
Sarkodie got married to Tracy on 17 July, 2018 in a private ceremony held in Tema. They have a daughter, Adalyn Owusu Addo.
Discography
Studio albums
- 2009: Makye
- 2012: Rapperholic
- 2014: Sarkology
- 2015: Mary
- 2017: Highest