Asking Sarkodie to apologize for ‘Free Press’ song is going too far – Reggie Rockstone

• Posted on August 19, 2014August 19, 2014
• by Nana Kwesi Coomson
• 1 Comment

The originator of Hiplife, Reggie Rockstone has thrown his full support behind Sarkodie for speaking his heart out in the ‘free press’ song. The controversial song did not go down well with media men in Ghana taking offence in the fact that Sarkodie generalized the attack instead of being specific.

Reggie Rockstone who understands Sarkodie perfectly because he went through similar ordeal says he does not see any need for Sarkodie to apologize. Speaking to www.233times.net , Reggie Rockstone said “there is a way that you can say something; is like when they talk about gentlemen, if a woman’s breast is showing there is a way that you can tell the woman that, yo, your breast is showing. I think they know well, perhaps, but is the way that they put it.” Reggie Rockstone’s reaction to how the media have been unfair to Sarkodie which magneted the ‘free press’ song.

“I’ve been entertaining Ghanaians for years, over a decade and I know how Ghanaians are. They can be really cruel, you know. Is not even about the beef or what what, he has the right to express his sentiments. He’s (Sarkodie) not crazy, he’s not making it up. He can’t just wake up all of a sudden and be vexing everybody, no! Because prior to him writing the song, he had a conversation with me the night before, what prompted me to write what I wrote (his tweet about Sarkodie making Ghana proud)”

Revealing to www.233times.net , Reggie Rockstone says his tweet was blown out of proportion by Reporters and that is a pure validation of the very sentiments that Sarkodie has. “I actually wrote, it was a figure of speech, I didn’t say go and build a statue. I got the original tweet; I can send it to you. I said “If Ghanaians knew how passionate Sarkodie was about taking Ghanaian music to the next level, (now listen to this) they would build a statue of him #Proud”

The surprised Reggie Rockstone did not understand why such a tweet could attract anger from Reporters and asking him why he said Sarkodie deserves a statue. In his own words, “the media went crazy. Why should I say they should build a statue for him (Sarkodie). You see this attitude point to explain what the guy is saying. Because I never even said they should build a statue, it was a figure of speech. Listen Uncle, how can somebody get mad at somebody for complimenting somebody? Only in Ghana.”

The grandpapa of Hiplife refuted claims that he heard the song before it came out that is why he tweeted about the statue. Asking him if he had heard the song before it came out, what he would have told Sarkodie, Reggie Rockstone said “I actually agree with what he is saying. I would have said put it in music form. I can explain that, I have been through that, I am a recipient of that.”

Asking Reggie what he sees missing in Ghanaian media, the grandpapa asserted that “sometimes I read things and I wonder how these things are even able to be printed. It’s crazy! Like KOD is leaving his wife, I mean there was not an iota of truth in it and it was out there. And the people out there follow stuff and they said the pen is mightier than the sword, I guess Sarkodie is a pen man as well so if you write about him he can write about you as well. I wish the people (media) will have sensitivity to human being”

“Ghana is a small place, everybody knows everybody. And already we’re suffering. It will just be nice to idolize the stars. You should see the way the Nigerians write about their Artistes, it is just beautiful, they idolize the stars. When you inspire, you become inspired. If I should tell you what I went through to start Hiplife, if I was weak I would have stopped. I would have dumped that and went back to New York, straight up! My father also went through the same thing and strengthened me in the fact that Kwame Nkrumah’s statue was even pulled down. It’s the way of our people” Reggie Rockstone shared his experience.

According to Reggie,” sometimes the Journalists excuse me to say they come out very trivial and almost bitchy. Has the boy done anything to you? My father used to say the truth told with a bad intent beats a million lies you could ever invent”

Asking him if Sarkodie owes the media men apology, Reggie Rockstone didn’t agree. “I would not say apologize, that is going too far. Because nobody has ever asked those who write whatever they write to ever apologize. Nobody has ever said that.”

Reggie Rockstone applauded the media houses doing great job and said whoever the ‘free press’ cap fit should wear it.

Author: Nana Kwesi Coomson (www.233times.net)