We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Sankofa. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Sankofa below.

Sankofa, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

When I spent a post college graduation year in China, my friends would send me mixtapes. Included in these mixtapes would be songs my friends had been crafting. Those friends from message boards were actually rapping and here I was, in China with plenty of time for self-reflection, becoming increasingly intrigued by the possibility of turning my ideas into songs.

Sankofa, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Once upon a time, there existed a new world called the internet, a magical realm accessed by a particular gangly Minnesota by way of Australia kid who loved rap but didn’t find much beyond one person in their high school a fan of. The internet had message boards and it was there this fellow found a screen name, only to ditch it for another which eventually would become his official rap name. That final answer name was Sankofa, an Akan term meaning learning from the past and building for the future. From posting “raps” on message boards, this fellow then connected with friends who would assist him in navigating the immense chasm between what he wrote and what could become a rap. Kashal-Tee, a bow legged barrel of East New York accented punchline-oriented rapper who called Sweden home, was Sankofa’s first mentor, guiding him through the ways of how to take ideas and craft them into song. The song they recorded was eventually pressed to vinyl, becoming that distributor’s best selling record. Later, Sankofa visited San Luis Obispo to seek tutelage from a then long-hair hiding under his Kangol having wordsmith named JON?DOE. After many flights and different places called home, Sankofa landed in Fort Wayne, a place where he grew roots, found love, landed a rewarding career, and even became, twice over, a father.

From wanting to be the best rapper ever and getting vinyl pressed so he could tour Europe (a dream unrealized), to relishing the opportunity to create songs and albums with an ever-growing group of good friends and collaborators, Sankofa found joy. Language, particularly English, is rife with opportunities for misunderstanding, and thus wordplay. Being a voracious inhaler of books in a household overseen by an intense high school English and French teacher, language became a focus. A child raised in an American household in Australia, Sankofa was ever aware of the sound his voice made, it differed from peers because the mixture of accents was such as to catch people off guard. The value of silence was learned. The value of observation combined with an innate curiosity carries him to this day.

At the end of the day, what is success? Success is having fun making music with friends, to the tune of an album a month being released from September of 2023 through at least the end of 2024, with approximately seven projects in conceptual stages being workshopped for 2025.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

I find value in freedom, being an artist provides the opportunity to examine and recontextualize a core element of society, in this case language, and utilize it how my friends and I see fit. Collaboration with friends provides a framework in which we can essentially create our world. So much of life feels preordained, that to engage in a process where we make the rules is incredibly liberating and exhilarating. Making music with friends (be they graphic designers/producers/engineers/videographers) is a tangible signifier of friendship and accomplishment.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

The mission of my creative journey is having fun with my friends. At the day’s end, I want to do things with my dope friends simply for the sake of WE CHOSE TO DO SO. The unlikely moment I feel I’ve achieved mastery, I imagine this realm will no longer interest me. Jeff Spec once said to me “forever a student,” and I’ve taken that to heart. There is a childlike glee in that which I do, even when the musical output veers into darker/more intense fare, there is always at its core the beating heart of a little kid excited to play with his friends in this sandbox where words and music combine. When I listen to music, just as I seek to be present within my day to day life, there is always something to be gleaned. Sometimes, those observations or linguistic connections will make it to song; other times, those scattered thoughts will chill in an ever growing stack of notebooks.

Contact Info:

• Website: sethros.com
• Instagram: @sankofafw
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sankofafw
• Twitter: @sankofafw
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@sankofafw

Image Credits
Bambi Guthrie Photography (both photographs) Shane Joines for somechampion.com (collage) Max Rodgers (Sonny Kovah art) EDS (Most Anything of Value art) P-R0 (12 Crows on a Wire art)