EXCLUSIVE: discussing the best BAR mixtape yet, highs, lows and the future of the franchise with E.L

Unadulterated Hip-Hop has been at the heart of Ghana’s – we dare to say – longest serving music franchise to hit mainstream and after 6 iterations in, it’s time we ask the questions you always wanted to ask.

If you are privileged like us, you get to call and interview some of Ghana’s biggest stars week-in week-out just to simply boss them about with a plethora of questions, mostly about their releases and call it a day. Fun right? We know.

Well, this week we got to strike the Best African Rapper, E.L off our bucket list with lots of questions. But above all, our most awkward yet, “BAR BAR on the phone, who (BAR mixtape) is the BARriest of them all” stole the show and sparked a very in-depth discussion with the artist.

Now, of course we didn’t ask that. Unfortunately for you we didn’t intend to come off as corny, though we did ask E.L about his big six BAR mixtapes and what he feels about them in retrospect. Hell, we even got him to tell us his personal favorite – OK, we were quite close – amid other bits of juicy information which you’d never see anywhere. All from the horses own mouth too, so you best believe it.

Enjoy the most revealing aspects of our conversation.

Q: Hello E.L. What’s good? Thanks for making time for us to to grill you this hot afternoon. It’s all about your BAR Mixtapes today and we hope you’re ready?

Good vibes. Yes sir, let’s do it.

Q: You’ve put a lot of love into your BAR franchise – I and everyone can tell. And after 6 iterations in we can’t help but ask, why is it so special to you?

It’s just a type of journaling exercise for me. Each BAR tape represents a place where I was at that point in time and speaks about my mind-state. So, to me it’s a resource that I feel I can look back at and reflect on what I was feeling at that point in time, it’s good for retrospection.

Q: Personally, BAR II is my favorite pick and one I keep going back to till this day – such a terrific mixtape. Which iteration is your favorite of the 6 and why?

My latest offering is always my favorite. It’s a reflection of who I am today, I’d like to think with time and effort comes improvement. New and improved BAR will always be my favorite!

Q: What songs off BAR 6 would you say are your personal favorites? Mind ranking them?

It keeps changing. I love ‘Frodo Baggins’ because of the rhyme simplicity and the bounce, I love ‘Dracula’ because it’s grungy… and an aggressive sound. I love ‘This Country’ too because of its sincerity. Depends on the day and my mood. One of my deepest challenges is putting my creations into rank and file.

Q: What BAR mixtape could’ve been better in retrospect?

They’re all perfect pieces of art. Wouldn’t change a thing.

Q: Your Top 3 BAR intros?

BAR 3 INTRO

BAR 4 INTRO

BAR 6 INTRO

Q: Beef and Hip-Hop culture go hand in hand. Have we unknowingly got a taste of it in any of the BAR mixtapes out there? Mind sharing the song?

No. Not to my knowledge. I am aware of the negative and positive effects of beef in the industry. I just choose to mind my business.

Q: We know every project runs on a tight budget – shoutouts to you for keeping the production fresh and feature list even fresher. But any chance other rap artists across Africa feature on the next BAR project, should there be one?

Possible. But that depends on how I feel and the responses I get. Maybe I’ll work more on my relationships.

Q: Which African rappers inspired you to don your gauntlets and go on this Best African Rapper rampage?

I have great respect for legends like Reggie Rockstone, Hammer, Obrafour and a lot more, but no one. My incentive to begin the series came from the need to prove that I was still a rap n*gga at heart and didn’t sell out to other genres just stay go commercial.

Q: There’s a variety of new rappers in Ghana today. This is not an endorsement. But which one of them gets a nod from the BAR himself?

I like Kev the Topic, Maurice Omario, to name a few.

Q: The franchise went cold after BVR dropped in 2018 – many of us, myself included – thought you had put it to rest. What happened?

Nothing really. I just had to go get my mind right.

Q: 2020 was the year of ‘’Leaks’’ and I don’t know about fans, but there were talks among my friends if it was the spiritual successor to the BAR franchise. Is it?

It almost was. ‘’Leaks’’ was a means to release more music, more constantly. Might go back to it. But then again, it all depends how I feel.

Q: 2022 is one quarter down already and still no single yet. We know you’re pushing some serious P’s in the studio. What’s up?

I’ve got one ready to go in April! Then much more afterwards. Watch out.

Q: Great things – like this conversation – do come to an end. But it must be asked, how many more BAR mixtapes do you have in you? What’s the future of the franchise?

I’m going for 16 tapes. Hope I don’t burn out.

There you have it. All there is to know about the rapper’s dedication to Ghanaian Hip-Hop served to you on a silver platter. And with no end in sight, why not revisit it all this weekend (seriously, you should) before his new drop hits the streets?

#theBestBAR let’s know your favorite of the six!

Listen here: https://music.apple.com/gh/artist/e-l/1162251042 or  https://open.spotify.com/artist/3mUnqlNBdoohi6s287lxel or https://audiomack.com/elrepgh