The untold story behind the making of popular song 'Cobra'

You might have been mindlessly scrolling through TikTok, SnapChat or Instagram, then you stumble across a song, probably a background to a skit or with someone dancing. It's funny at first then the lyrics catch on, then it becomes relatable to you.

“Cobra” by Obaapa Gladys has taken over the Ghanaian airwaves (on social media at least) and doesn't seem to be slowing down.

Starting on TikTok, the cobra challenge, in which users dance and sing along to the song, usually referencing someone in their lives they believe has a snakelike attitude, trended with celebrities like Shatta Wale and Nana Ama McBrown joining in.

But what is the story behind the song? Why did it blow up all of a sudden? The producer gave an in-depth narration of the origins of the song.

Fred Kyei Mensah, also known as Fredyma is a legendary music producer and artiste manager, as well as the CEO of Fredyma Studios. Boasting about 39 years in the game, Fred Kyei Mensah is accredited with helping train several producers, including JQ and Appietus.

Fredyma is the producer behind the Cobra song currently trending. Taking to his Facebook page to tell the story behind the song, he narrated his first encounter with Obaapa Gladys. According to him, in 2022, he was introduced to her by a colleague who stated that she had an idea for a song about the similarities between human behaviors and those of snakes, particularly the cobra.

“Somewhere last year, my colleague in the music production business, Flash Da Sikk Beatz, introduced this lady, Obaapa Gladys to me that, she has a very interesting lyrics about the behavioral patterns of human nature and likened it to a Cobra. I listened to it and within some few minutes, we created a rhythm for her,” he posted.

He revealed that he initially wasn’t feeling Obaapa Gladys’ vocals in the song and had suggested that she get someone else to sing the chorus for her, a suggestion she refused vehemently.

Fred Kyei Mensah further added that the song was released early in the year but went under the radar. Until the last hours of September, when he got calls and notifications that the song had blown up.

“She released the song early this year on the various music portals and didn't hear from her again only for me to be receiving tags on my Facebook, Tik tok and Whatsapp since last Friday about a trending video about a song I have produced only to realize that it was the COBRA song,” he added.

He linked the rise of the song to the widely publicized resignation of presidential aspirant Alan Kyerematen from the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the brouhaha involved. Adding that the song was used to troll significant individuals in the party.

“Boi! I think, the song resonated and connected to Alan's resignation and his formation of his Movement for Change and Kennedy Agyepong's unpleasant and unprintable insults on his party so, a lot of social media freaks, used it to troll them” he said.

Attesting to the significance of the lyrics of the song, Fred Kyei Mensah said that indeed, Cobra-like humans existed in every nook and cranny of society.

The story of “Cobra” is a story of creativity, a relatable message, luck and, like a Cobra waiting for the perfect time to strike, patience. Freydma in his Facebook post disclosed all the personalities who played different roles in the making of the song.



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