Kumasi-based rapper Kweku Darlington has made it clear that he does not plan to follow in the footsteps of other musicians who record campaign songs for political parties.
With the 2024 elections approaching, several artists have been looking to profit by endorsing parties and creating music for them.
However, Kweku Darlington, who has struggled to achieve a hit song recently, has made it known that he won’t turn to politics as a way to earn money.
Instead, Darlington emphasised that while he is open to performing at political events, he draws the line at recording campaign songs.
He believes that associating with a single party through music could limit his career, putting him in a restrictive position.
However, he is not opposed to performing at events hosted by political parties, as long as it involves his own songs. For him, this approach allows him to earn money without aligning himself permanently with any particular political group.
He explained that if he were asked to perform, he would happily charge a significant fee, seeing it as an opportunity to capitalise on the event.
Darlington’s focus remains on growing his music career without being boxed into the confines of partisan politics. He also acknowledged that if he ever reached a stage where his music career had achieved its full potential, he might consider such offers, but for now, his priority is keeping his options open and remaining flexible in the industry.
“I could say, ‘Your Excellency, since it’s you who is asking for this service, give me only GH¢80,000 or GH¢90,000 to perform. I’ll go perform and if another party calls, I’ll do the same. The only thing I will not do is the campaign song because in that case you’ve limited and put yourself in a box. If I’ve concluded all I have to do in music, I can take huge amounts, 40 billion, 50 billion, and do a campaign song. However, I’m not yet where I need to be and I would not like to put myself in that box. If you book me for a performance where I will sing my own song, I will definitely make an appearance.”
Source: NewsandVibes.com