Blitz the Ambassador

Blitz the Ambassador is a diasporic rapper. The Ghanaian born artists incorporates references about other locations in the “black world.” Through his lyrics he speaks about other African nations including Ethiopia, Somalia, South Africa, Nigeria, and Egypt to name a few. His song, “Hello Africa” is a “call and response” to other African nations. Lyrics such as “Nagen def menga fils rollin in Dakar / Cruisin highway Cheikh Anta Diop to Accra / Ugali —- we party in Nairobi / All across the continent you know my people know me” evoke images of a Pan-African identity. Blitz the Ambassador goes beyond rapping about his home in Ghana. Instead, he appears to have a sense of pride while mentioning different cities and villages across Africa. His song, “All Around the World” provides references about members of the African diaspora who exist outside of Africa. The music video’s opening scene takes place in a capoiera circle in Bahia, Brazil. Other images include scenes from a race riot and a militarized police force. Both of these serve as powerful references to the black experience in the western hemisphere. Similar to Hello Africa, All Around the World also employs the names of people, cities, and events in different countries to highlight the black experience there.

Blitz the Ambassador’s song, “Ghana Black Stars” celebrates Ghana’s soccer team and the pride that it brings to being Ghanaian. The music video opens with scenes from a Ghanaian soccer victory. Both verses are spoken in one of Ghana’s indigenous languages (Twi?). He incorporates videos of children in Ghana playing games and people driving in a market place. Clips of large Ghanaian crowds cheering and celebrating something flash briefly between images of soccer players and children. Although I am not able to understand what is being said, it appears as though Blitz is implying the significance of Ghana’s soccer team and that many people take part in it. The images of children playing soccer, the large cheering crowds, and people in the market place selling soccer balls insinuates how significant this sport is to Ghana, its people, and their sense of nationalistic pride.

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