Though he’s enjoyed considerable success since the release of his first album Live from Nkrumah Krom in 2017, Ghanaian rapper Kwesi Arthur reminds his fans that he came from quite humble beginnings. Arthur was a dedicated scholar in his youth in Tema, about 15 miles away from the bustling capital of Accra. He even began pursuing a college degree at the University of Ghana but he could not pay tuition fees and was forced to drop out. He took a job as a security guard just to get by but ultimately decided to risk financial stability for his dream of a music career. His 2023 single “Pain Interlude” follows a similar narrative to works by other Ghanaian artists, detailing arduous struggles and countless sacrifices to achieve stardom.

Most of Arthur’s bars in “Pain Interlude” remain deeply personal, discussing how his friends turned into foes gradually over the course of his burgeoning career. However, Arthur taps into a different source of pain as well: stereotyping. One of his lines in particular is directed to the Ghanaian police, telling them to look past his dreadlock hairstyle. Locks don’t make him a criminal. He discusses a feeling of being a scapegoat despite following a specific code of behavior. Arthur believes that those around him, whether that be the police or even former friends do not follow such codes with any rigor. “Pain Interlude” serves as a call to adhere to moral conduct and to stand up to those with evil hearts.

A few months after the release of “Pain Interlude,” Kwesi Arthur and other popular Ghanaian artists like Black Sherif, Sarkodie, and Medikal publicly criticized Ghana police for their excessive force against peaceful protesters. Demonstrators at the Occupy Julorbi House protests against corruption and current economic conditions were met with a harsh response from local police, with 49 arrests and numerous incidents of manhandling of protesters. 

Though Kwesi Arthur has not yet released songs directly focusing on police brutality, lyrics in “Pain Interlude” and his subsequent statements supporting protesters point to his intention to use his platform to spark reforms.