Behind The Scenes: BLITZ THE AMBASSADOR’S “Make You No Forget”

Story by NANA OSEI KWADWO | Photography by MANTSE ARYEEQUAYE

Ghanaian-born Brooklyn-based rapper Blitz the Ambassador is out with a new banger, “Make You Know Forget” featuring Seun Kuti – son of Afrobeat legend, Fela Kuti.

Blitz leads a pack with “Boys Abr3”

“Make You No Forget” blends old school hip-hop with energizing highlife guitar strings and amazing classic horns. Typical of Blitz, the lyrics fit perfectly in to the rhythmic beats and send a wild message to Africans, and everybody around the world not to forget where they come from.

Blitz rides with the ‘Visionary”

These guys are by far the fiercest bikers in Accra

FLAT LAND BOYS take it up

He releases this song ahead of his upcoming “Afropolitan Dreams” album, which drops on April 28. ACCRA [dot] ALT produced the video in association Embassy MVMT with all the scenes shot in James Town Accra. A good amount was shot against mural backdrops from last year’s Chale Wote Street Art Festival inside the old Kingsway building in Ussher Town. We get to see some rising boxing heroes in the heart of Accra plus the crazy bike stunts by local BMX crew Flat Land Boys.

Put one in the air for this biker

The song basically talks about things that surrounded him whiles growing – like school, Children’s games, and nightlife in Accra. Blitz says “You dey kai the time we be kiddies anaa/ the chaskele, pilolos and the pampanaa…” he is saying “Do you remember the time were children? The Chaskele, the Pilolo and the Pampanaa…” Blitz remembers some of the games children in Ghana play, “Chaskele” is sort of a Ghana-style cricket, and Pampanaa is a local name for Cops and Robbers.

Blitz and his James Town Mass Choir

Let the Mass Voices be heard.

In this song Blitz tells the world that he’s really not forgotten where he’s from by citing the names of some popular children TV shows such as “By The Fire Side” and “Kyekye Kule” that were showing on Ghanaian TV in the late 80s and 90s.

For football fans he reminds us of famous football events like the flag pole dancing by Cameroon football legend, Roger Miller in the 1990 FIFA world cup in Italy, and Senegal 92’ where Ghana played Ivory Coast in the final and lost. It was alleged that the Ivorian goalkeeper used Juju (voodoo).

Blitz on some Bike Stunts

Hear me Africa!

“Make You No Forget” narrates how Blitz learned to survive in Motown (Achimota Senior High School), “ Me I go Motown where you learn to survive. Gari and Shito was the ish that kept us all alive.”

Seun Kuti’s brass line, and the djembes run through the music, whiles an appeasing female voice sings the chorus “Make you no forget where you’re from.”

Bikers take time to see how they look on Camera.

Blitz always builds vivid narratives of Ghana and the continent in his music Here he does it by taking listeners through his infant life in Accra where he grew up through to Brooklyn, New York where he lives now.

This is his third studio album; AFROPOLITAN DREAMS is out on April 28^th via his management Embassy Ensemble. The Album will feature Grammy-winning “queen of African music” Angelique Kidjo, German/Nigerian soul/Hip-Hop songstress Nneka, Brazilian Hip-Hop star Marcelo D2, French/Malian lyricist Oxmo Puccino and more.