Don’t call me Obrafour anymore, says renowned hiplife musician

Hiplife legend, Michael Kwabena Okyere Darko has said that he does not want to be called his stage name, ‘Obrafour’, anymore

Speaking in an interview with Franky 5 on ‘This Is Gospel’ on Hitz FM, The rapper disclosed he now prefers to be called ‘Rap Sofo’ instead of ‘Obrafour’.

“Now I wouldn’t want to be called Obrafour anymore. I am saying this for the first time here,” the rapper said. 

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’. 

He also 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 sanitize Hiplife music.

He explained that hip life had been regarded by many, especially the elderly, as a genre of music that lacked 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. 

Rap Sofo rose to prominence following the release of his much-acclaimed album titled ‘Pae Mu Ka’ in 1999.