Daddy Saj

BIO

Joseph Gerald Adolphus Cole, better known as Daddy Saj was born in 1978 in Freetown, Sierra Leone to Creole parents. In his teens he found inspiration from some American Hip hop artists. Daddy Saj fled Sierra Leone as a refugee and moved to Conakry, Guinea in 1997 when the government of the then-president Ahmad Tejan Kabbah was ousted by a group of soldiers in the Sierra Leonean army. While in Guinea, he became more engrained in music, and became friends with other musicians from West Africa. Upon his return to Freetown, he linked up with Jimmy B (born Jimmy Bangura), a producer who signed him to his Paradise Family label. Daddy Saj recorded several hit songs with the Paradise Family before leaving in 2003 to start his own label called Daddy Saj Entertainment.

His debut album ‘Corruption’ was released in 2003. Many Sierra Leoneans welcomed the song ‘Corruption E Do So’ (meaning in Krio “Corruption Enough is Enough”) at a time when corrupt practices by authorities had become rampant in the country. Some top government officials, including some members of parliament and ministers publicly announced their opinion that the song contained words which did not reflect the reality of the government of Sierra Leone. They warned that the song could become a catalyst for public unrest.

His second album is titled Densay Densay (meaning 'Rumours, Rumours' in Krio). It was also aimed at changing social attitudes such as those towards sexual harassment. His third album was named 'Faya 4 Faya’.