Kwaku DMC has very often shouldered the responsibility of charting a new course for asakaa—the Kumasi-inspired interpretation of drill music that went global near the end of 2020. The slight departure from the underground trap-adjacent flows that had previously brought Kwaku DMC (born Derrick Okyere Brobbey) regional fame on 2020’s “Off White Flow” caught the attention of the late, great American Ghanaian designer Virgil Abloh, leading to a co-sign and creative synergy that continued until the tragic passing of the designer in 2021.
Additionally, “Off White Flow” set the stage for the explosive scene from Ghana’s second city to take the world by storm with a series of gritty cuts like “Condemn”, “Sinner” and “Y3 Y3 DOM”. Kwaku’s 2022 album, Road to the Jungle, was a full-throttle immersion into the life of the rising star in tandem with a close-knit cast of friends and collaborators as they adapted to life in the fast lane while ducking opps and trying to protect their energies. On his new album, Party in the Jungle, Kwaku DMC continues to be forward-thinking and versatile.
Across 13 tracks, King Kong Nyame takes a journey beyond the edge of the sound he helped pioneer, opening its boundaries to influences from Afropop, soul and dancehall to create a new vision for the sub-genre that is both familiar and transcendental.
Listen below.
