Lord Afrixana brings all of himself to his music. In his vibrant tracks, the Ghanaian American rapper and singer draws on his background in African pop and hip-hop, colorful pop, and emotional R&B, a list of genres that reflects a wide-ranging knowledge, taste, and perspective.
Afrixana recently debuted his powerful new single, “No Dey Tire,” which is a part of his project GHANA MUST GO, released on August 4.
How was your experience creating GHANA MUST GO?
That was a blessing. I’ve been a songwriter for so long that I’m so used to being on the sideline, so to put my voice to things and say the things that I think about and what I want to communicate with people, it’s just a blessing. To have people receive it is even better. It’s interesting for me because it’s the first time that I’ve been able to share my perspective as a Ghanaian growing up in America.
How have you seen Afrobeats grow over recent years?
Being in the Ghanaian community here in Worcester, Massachusetts, I get the opportunity to still be entrenched in my culture. A lot of these records that people inherited, we were hearing them months before, because we were just part of the underground build. I got an opportunity to see Afrobeats build organically and I’m excited to see what truly becomes of it because I feel like there are still so many voices and so many nuances of the African experience that aren’t being communicated just yet. People forget Africa is a massive continent, with over 50 countries with different languages, cultures, and upbringings. So I want to see what Kenya has got to offer, I want to see what Somalia is gonna offer to the conversation, and other countries as well. There are so many beautiful cultures that I feel have yet to shake the ground.
What is the message you want to send in your music to people that may not know much about Ghana?
That a Ghanaian on the soil of Ghana and a Ghanaian anywhere is a Ghanaian everywhere. The trap we fall into is creating this separation between Africans that are on the continent, and Africans that are outside of the continent. At the end of the day, Black is Black and African is African. That blood is the same blood that runs in my veins. For me, I want to make sure that in offering my piece to the conversation, I want to make sure that people realize that I am just as much the kid who can eat pizza and make a burger, and I can also eat with my hands. I can make things from my country, as well. I want to be intentional with my culture, intentional with how I share that culture, and genuine in how I offer that culture to people.
