Ghana: Mensa drops new track Forward

‘Forward’ follows the musician’s selection in September as a grantee of the PRS Foundation's Open Fund for Music Creators and Organisations, along with 19 other musicians.

Thematically, the record, which blends hip hop with indigenous Ghanaian rhythms, is centred on the need to persevere despite the circumstances one is faced with. The track’s video was shot in Dansoman, Accra, and directed by Mensa and Irene Donati.

“For a song that was written before the entire planet literally came to a halt, it’s awe-inspiring to see my art reflecting life as the world looks for the way ‘Forward’ ­– so to speak,” Mensa told Music In Africa. ”Everything has changed in just a year, some for the better, and for the rest it’s pure uncertainty, but it is an interesting journey that I feel I’m about to embark on. Exciting but all the same a little scary.

“Right now it’s more important than ever to lend our platforms to those who really have something to say, and those who need to be seen. I’m constantly thinking about how I can inspire a movement through the music, the visuals and my words. How do we collectively find our way forward?”

Apart from being one-half of rap duo FOKN Bois alongside Wanlov the Kubolor, Mensa is also the lead vocalist and co-producer of Afro-electro band RedRed, which he co-founded with Budapest-based producer Elo Marto.

Bondzie-Speak Up will consist of a live recording and documentary due for release later in 2021. Mensa says the project was created to render his personal journey as a collective expression. It will reimagine sounds that make up Ghana’s heritage and celebrate music’s ability to heal.