Top SL Musicians Lament on Societal Ills
By Ibrahim Alusine Kamara
Popular Sierra Leonean rapper Boss LAJ has just released the most anticipated social commentary song titled ‘Complain’. He features Akman, Rap Gee and I-Tribe in a 16 minute long track, where they detailed the daily realities in the country, including bad governance, police brutality, injustice, human rights violations, corruption and more.
A teaser of the song was released in late 2020, but due to the delay of its release, many people thought it will never come out. But here it is with a bang across Sierra Leone and beyond. ‘Complain’ is the most trending song in the country since it was released on Wednesday night.
According to Boss LA, he feels obliged as a citizen of Sierra Leone to advocate and educate his people through his God given talent – music. “It is my responsibility and I owe obligation to always speak about things happening in my country. I have done it during the previous government and I will continue to advocate and educate my people.”
“This is not about personal gains or personal interests, it is about the greater good of the people.”
The controversial rapper is known for his stance on bad governance, human rights violations, injustice especially from state institutions. He was very vocal on such issues in the previous government and it seems he has maintained this position so far, and that’s the difference between him and other artists who care about personal gains and personal interests.
The other featured artists – Akman, Rap Gee and I-Tribe are also strong voices in addressing the ills in society. All of them spoke on notable human rights violations by the state.