Before their re-branding two years ago, the music group VVIP was known as VIP. They were made up of Friction, Promzy, Prodigal and Zeal (formerly Lazzy).
In the early 2000s, VIP was responsible for smashing hits such as ‘Ahomka Womu’ and ‘Daben na Odo Beba’.
Friction, however, exited the group first, then Promzy followed suit. Ghanaians woke up one day about two years ago and were told that hiplife self-acclaimed ‘Grandpapa’, the ageless Reggie Rockstone has joined the remaining duo, and are to be known as VVIP.
With that collaboration, hit songs like ‘Selfie’ and ‘Skolom’ were birthed.
Their most recent hit, “Skolom”, was immediately accompanied by a video directed by Xbills Ebenezer. The instant attraction to “Skolom” indicates a certain distinctness of the track. And without the video, one would never pin-point the secret behind this distinctiveness.
The song and video both feature Afro sensation Sena Dagadu who comes out as the first and most recognizable pleasure act throughout the video. Physically, she stands out; vocally she slays!
The video starts with a shot of a local palm-wine seller, Sena, setting up for the day’s business, except that it was night! “Palm wine is here—Nsa fuo w) ha” reveals the setting, in bold inscriptions on the screen. Customers then start to troupe in for a night of partying and drinking Sena’s “nsa fuo”. While everyone appeared in an almost all-white apparel, Sena proved she was indeed boss: She was clad in a bold-colored African print jumpsuit while her long locks swayed in unison with the very catchy beat.
Zeal and Sena start the song off with some sort of duet after which Sena emerges in a rap feat—I am still in shock over the fact that she is flawlessly female. Not to border on male chauvinism but Sena’s rich and bass-like voice didn’t clue me in when I first heard the song. It’s that kind of voice that could sound perfect on either sex and there would be no qualms about it. Her voice and lyrics are musically appealing too with vibes like “Sena never expires.”
Forever-ageless, legendary Reggie Rockstone is next on the spotlight! Hardly ever disappointing, more so with the remnants of a group that have earned their place among the top musical acts in Ghana, he delivers with a swag that can only be uniquely his, and his larger than most personality oozes forth.
“Skolom” on screen is not only a wonderful diversion from the night-club-atmosphere of most rap music videos Ghanaians are force-fed with but also a relief from the cliché of seeing half-clad young women gyrating. Oh, there is some gyration alright in two or three shots, but its entire traditional scenic nature, takes away the lecherous and sensual meaning of the song. It makes it demure even! How they achieved that is baffling considering the lyrics in the chorus “Somebody enter” and “Make I enter". If those two are not sexual innuendos, I don’t know what else is. Yet, the video is anything but that. There is a quick flash with Mensah of FOKN Boys’ fame, together with a white guy making suggestive signs with their fingers. Well, so much for subtlety.
Anything that goes up, however, must surely come down. An obvious blunder in the storyline of the video is when, nearing the end of his rap, Reggie ushers in uniformed personnel by saying “Here comes the cops”.
Only they were not policemen but army personnel. The confusion is still not lost on me. That was also Prodigal’s cue to feature in the video. His part was to be a spoilsport by singing “No party for here”. He and his army troupe numbering of about four were defeated though, as they soon succumbed and joined the rest in partying.
In its entirety, I liked this video. It depicts the core rich traditional setting of the Ga people that also resonates with most parts of the country. The almost all-white dress code adds a certain angelic touch to it. This takes the debauchery twist out of the lyrics!
With its fusion of classic jazz, Afro-pop and traces of traditional Wulomei sounds, I tip “Skolom” to be creeping into its own genre in Ghana’s music industry. Thus, it gets four and a half stars from me.
