Oldhead alert. Still a fan of the culture so I’m compelled to have thoughts when a project like this Kojo Cue debut “For My Brothers” drops. Took a minute but I circled back to it because the fan and activist in me still has blood flowing through the arteries. We can call it perspective or choose to frame it as wisdom when confronted with the challenges life presents especially in a system that disenfranchises so many that disappointment is as palpable like the sweat tracing the backs of the street hawkers shuffling a quarter mile just to miss the sale anyway because the totro couldn’t slow down enough for them to catch up. The backdrop of our music is our reality and Kojo scores above the crowd of artists by attempting to address these realities.
The task of examining the lives of our parents with our appraisal pads is a cautionary revelation in the Akan proverb “wu b3 yin ab3 tu”. So it’s with so many real and relatable emotions and thoughts that I receive Rich Dad, Poor Dad — the opening track. The sincerity and generosity of pulling back the curtain into your real life vendettas, regrets and traumas in the name of art is commendable. Manhood has been on trial my whole generation and to hear the culmination of it in this trial of our fathers on this record has me wrestling with the concept of good fathering. Is the role to provide the environment for kids to thrive or is it to give them financial wealth? Has the present, involved and engaged father failed if he doesn’t achieve wealth? That’s the question our generation of men have to answer. In the era of women empowerment and so much education on feminism constantly trending on our relevant platforms, it is refreshing to hear a brother reclaim some of the narrative because left to social media warriors, manhood ain’t nothing but a bed of roses and privileges. It gets real dark when Cue spits “Mi papa bor mi dua”. The soft and balanced advice from momma contrasted against the harsh and blunt reprimanding of his pops sets the tone for the supposed lesson in mom’s style being constructive and pops’s destructive. There’s an interesting opportunity to observe the evolution of these relationships and dynamics throughout Cue’s career and I’m here for it. The first two tracks heavily set the tone for the entire record and a serious conversation about Cue filling the void left by legends of kasahari like Obrafuor.
Cue is serving a full dish on this record plate and words can’t do justice to the effort put into making this album. Sonically a dark and soothing production for a record covering adolescent male transitioning to manhood struggle with the social dynamics of success, responsibility, love and inadequacy to depression and subject matter so dense and uncommon in the current musical landscape that it’s tempting to proclaim it a classic as I go through the motions of giving a sincere assessment of the project. Dzo is just the vibe of our ancestors descending in the fractal spaces that built our old civilizations written off by history. Worlasi provides the most haunting hook on this incredible piece. Smiling is a question to the status quo — what does our vote matter? On Muddy Story, Mayaa(love you! :)) is a lovely addition to the feature-lite project and this record definitely stands to be a monumental presentation for now and posterity. Wo Nsa Be Ka is highlife stepping out bare chested and screaming at us that we can’t deny our origins. Listen to the record, replay value is through the roof so for fear of taking away the essence of listening to the record and processing the vibes authentically, I exercise brevity.
For My Brothers is a record for the ages. Cue is making a very compelling case for the album in an era of throwaway singles made for the clubs and the hype. Survivor’s Guilt, Shii the Song…… BBnZ and the production team on this album have an offering that is one nuanced approach to the realities of the Ghanaian condition. I smoked a little and drank a little cos the moods are heavy on this piece. “Nananom mungyinsa” for speaking through a griot in Cue in our evolution. 5Mics.
80griots 