As the first round of voting for the 67th Grammy Awards begins today, October 4, a group of artistes in Sierra Leone and Kenya, who recorded a song to raise awareness about the rights of disabled persons, are hoping that their campaign can be recognised at the biggest event in the music industry.
The song called Ability; the brainchild of US rapper Chad Harper has been submitted for the Grammy Award for Best Song for Social Change.
The category established in 2022 and first awarded at the Grammys the following year has now been renamed the Harry Belafonte Best Song for Social Change Award, in honour of the American singer, actor and activist who died in April 2023.
Ability was recorded in Freetown with two rappers, 50 Don and Prophet, who are both polio survivors, with contributions from their female counterpart Swadu (Natasha Beckley) and a rap verse by Harper.
The original song was created with an amapiano flavor but when Harper shared it with Kenyan producer Kunta Official Beats, he overhauled it with a fresh urban beat.
Joseck Muzi Asikoye of Grammy nominated Kenyan group Jabali Afrika “jumped” on the track with his trademark robust vocals.
Asikoye says the message of the song resonated with his previous experience of working with disabled creatives, notably multi-instrumentalist Michel Ongaro, whom he calls the African Stevie Wonder. “I know how talented they are, and they usually create from a very spiritual angle,” he says.
He was introduced to Harper through Kunta, who has been working with the legendary Kenyan hip hop group Kalamashaka and has also been a producer for the Hip Hop Saves Lives project, founded by Harper.
“When I first heard Ability, I was mesmerised and I went in and added some vocals and just loved the outcome. The marriage of East and West Africa brewed in the hip hop vibes is fantastic,” says Asikoye.
Harper started working within schools in Bronx, New York in 2012 encouraging learners to pay attention to social concerns and global issues. He then worked on projects in Haiti, Jamaica, Liberia, Ghana and India and spent one year in Nairobi.
“I worked with deaf children in Liberiam, seeing how disabled persons suffer from stigma,” he says via a WhatsApp call from Spain where he is currently teaching at an international school.
“Last September while leaving a restaurant in Sierra Leone, I found a group of disabled people asking for money. I wanted to find out more about the kind of life such people have to endure.” It was through the organization of disabled persons in Sierra Leone that he met rapper 50 Don.
“I like to do what able bodied people are doing,” explains 50 Don. ‘They called me 50-50, meaning they should be equal rights and opportunity for all of us.
“In my verse I am telling the world that we may be disabled but we have a lot to offer. I want to rely on my skills. Ignore our disability and start focusing on our ability,” he stresses.
Swadu, the 2011 Miss Sierra Leone, says her initial skepticism about the project was laid to rest after she spoke to the artistes involved. “Music is a skill, being disabled has nothing to do with the skill. I was so happy to work with the 50 Don and Prophet in this amazing project that just proves that disability cannot hinder talent.”
Harper attended the Paralympics in Paris on a promotional tour for the song and that experience rekindled his personal experience of undergoing an operation to remove a tumor on his knee at the age of 15.
“My dream to be an athlete was shattered because I can only bend my knee to about 50 percent and I have to use a knee brace,” he explains.
To see the Paralympians running, swimming, and playing basketball while on wheelchairs, he says, was a real game changer. The athletes’ performances connect perfectly with the message of the song about the capabilities of disabled persons.
He is hoping that the impact of the song can create a social movement to empower such persons, socially and economically. “There is a community of disabled persons in every country,” says Harper. “This is an issue that touches every country, every demographic; white, black, rich, poor. It is an issue that literally touches everyone.”
Ability is available on the Hip Hop Saves Lives YouTube channel and across all music streaming platforms.
The Harry Belafonte Best Song for Social Change Grammy Award recognises a song that has had a profound social influence and impact by addressing a timely social issue, exploring a topic affecting a community of people in need and promoting awareness.
The winner of this category will be selected by a committee of peers dedicated to artistic expression, songwriting and the power of songs to effect social change.
The nominees for the 67th Grammy Awards will be announced on November 8, 2024, and the awards ceremony takes place on February 2, 2025.
