The Hip Hop African

Ep. 110: Mutombo Da Poet & 20 Years of Spoken Word in Ghana

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Mutombo Da Poet joins The Hip Hop African Podcast to discuss his long-awaited return to recording, the evolution of Ghana’s spoken-word movement, and why he now describes his music as “melodic spoken word.”

A pioneer of contemporary spoken word in Ghana, Mutombo reflects on more than two decades of performance, the lasting impact of Photo Sentences, and how hip hop has shaped his artistic identity. He also opens up about fatherhood, social media, documentary photography, procrastination, and creating deeply personal work on his new project, B50.

In this episode we discuss:

• How Def Poetry Jam inspired his journey into spoken word
• Why he considers spoken word and rap “first cousins”
• The making of Photo Sentences and its lasting legacy
• Developing his new sound: melodic spoken word
• The responsibility of artists as storytellers and social commentators
• Growing as an artist after twenty years
• Social media, criticism, and protecting creativity
• Why Ghana’s spoken-word scene needs more open mic spaces
• Fatherhood and how it transformed his writing
• The story behind his return with B50
• What’s next, including two more EPs

Connect with Mutombo Da Poet

Follow Mutombo and listen to B50:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mutombodapoet/
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/MutombodaPoet
• X: https://x.com/MutomboDaPoet
• Bandcamp: https://mutombodapoet.bandcamp.com/
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2pS2rDcLNDizifz9mZeFAI

If you enjoyed this conversation, subscribe to The Hip Hop African Podcast, leave a review, and share this episode with someone interested in African hip hop, spoken word, and creative storytelling.