(via FOKN Bois)
Emmanuel Owusu Bonsu (Wanlov the Kubolor) and Mensa Ansah (M3NSA) are FOKN Bois, a Ghanaian hip-hop duo now based in Budapest, Hungary, that specializes in socially conscious and satirical raps about Ghanaian and international African culture. One of Ghana’s more internationally well-known groups, FOKN Bois has performed at Glastonbury and has shared the stage with Snoop Dogg, Femi Kuti, The Gorillaz and more.
You can compare them to other hip-hop duos such as Outkast, Flight of the Concords, and Run The Jewels, but Bonsu and Ansah insist that these comparisons are misguided. Instead, the music is self-described “Gospel Porn,” as if the music is some form of enlightened debauchery through sensual hymns and rhythms.
The duo just released its third album, FOKN Ode to Ghana, which is a remix of Hobo Truffles’ instrumental hip-hop album, Ode To Ghana. The original Hobo Truffles album mostly samples older Highlife music, the Ghanaian jazz-dance style that reached its peak across West Africa between the ’50s and ’70s. Highlife is recently seeing a retro-induced comeback among young artists, including Wanlov and M3NSA, who both rap over the original dancehall beats with 2016 storytelling.
The album was made with help from Yoyo Tinz, a Ghanaian hip-hop collective documenting and promoting the country’s growing scene.
