Fresh Voices in Hip-hop: Wanlov the Kubolor

One of Ghana's more playful poets, Wanlov the Kubolor's head may be in the clouds but his feet are planted on the dusty African road.

Staunchly committed to walking barefoot, eschewing trousers and life's other non-essentials—the rapper wears a large sheet of mud cloth around his waist instead—and cultivating a healthy pouring of dreadlocks that rasta-ratify his “One Love” moniker, the half-Romanian, half-Ghanaian Kubolor's rhymes are down-to-earth, witty and modest. Bars like “I'm always on the low donkey, never on high horse" perfectly mirror his easy-going, jocular, humble persona.

"Kubolor" roughly translates as “truanting vagabond” in Ga, one of Ghana's dozen major languages. In the video below, the self-described “African Gypsy” walks and talks as he voices his frustration with his village's “Kokonsa,” or “gossip,” pandemic to a percussive and pleasantly infectious chorus. His friendly flow is cheerful and celebratory rather than fearful and inflammatory. Never has a rant sounded this happy.

Describing his sound as “pidgin music,” Wanlov tells stories in broken English, reasoning that it's a language everyone can understand, from “the carpenter to the bank teller to the managing director.”

“Kokonsa” is taken from his brilliant debut album Green Card. Wanlov is currently touring Europe with his inspired follow-up album Brown Card.

After playing this 12 times in the last day or so (and many more times in my head) I want to go to Ghana and hang out and chat beats and drink Sprite with Wanlov next time I have a free afternoon.

Until that happens I'll get acquainted with more of Wanlov's music on his Facebook page and follow the Kubolor's latest vagabonding on Twitter.