Yaw Tog’s deep husk singing “Yɛbɛ soreeee, eeeeehu” which translates to “We’ll rise up, be scared” on his viral hit song Sore was a herald for his rise. Yaw Tog who’s full name is Thorsten Owusu Gyimah, went from being an underground street artist in Kumasi to becoming one of Ghana’s biggest stars and the face of drill in West Africa within the space of a few months.
The last quarter of 2020 saw the emergence of Ghana’s underground drill scene popularly called Asakaa – a subgenre of rap that blends heavy beats that originated in Chicago in 2010 and have been made popular by the UK with Kumasi’s rappers deft touch tapping into their roots and youth culture.
While the gritty and eye-catching video to Sore went viral on social media, it caught the attention of the UK’s rapper Stormzy, who while performing at a festival in Ghana previewed the remix to Sore which featured Kwesi Arthur. Within months, Yaw Tog had worked with two of the biggest names in Rap and gained global acclaim. Following Sore Remix, Yaw Tog dropped his debut project Time with the remix serving as the project’s lead single.
With productions from, KhendiBeatz, who worked on Sore Remix, Juiczx, DG Productions, Doosis, and ChrisRich, Time is a statement about how Yaw Tog feels about it being his time, showing more to him and his diversity, as a singer and rapper, delivering over drill productions with a mix of afobeat and soul in his delivery.
Time is rooted in Ghana’s Kumerica scene and tells stories of brotherhood and friendship, a theme touched on in most of the tracks on the project but most noticeable on the opening track Gold Friends, where Yaw Tog is seen giving back and being appreciative of his friends, for their support and love as he grew.
Boyz has a skittish synth with Yaw Tog delivering his own unique style of drill, taking a slower and soulful approach to creating the music. Fake Ex continues with this approach aided with a guitar riff as he raps in his native Twi, his verse breaking the borders of language and with its somber melody.
Sore Remix featuring Stormzy and Kwesi Arthur is the energetic uplifting track. Followed by Mood which features Sean Lifer, a major figure in Ghana’s drill scene and is considered the Godfather of Ghanian Drill.
Y33gye is hard and energetic in the same way Sore is, with Yaw Tog leaning heavily into his rap side and showing his knack for keeping up with fast-paced beats and crafting catchy melodic rap choruses.
Closing the project is the somber reflection of Time, with its slowed but heavy production which incorporates elements of Afrobeat and the raw emotion of Yaw Tog’s voice as he basks in his achievements.
