It was gratifying to see that Blitz is a very humble person, focused more on the purpose of his music, than on the glory of celebrity.  He is also a very articulate brother (easy to see why rap comes so easily to him). When asked about how he helps new artists who are trying to make it, he was effusive, mentioning Baloji for whom he provided a platform and band.  “It is important to pair with artists who are ready and professional.  If they are not professional, then they obviously don’t consider it a livelihood,” he said.

We at Jamati Online were curious to know why he would make a film that complemented his upcoming album of the same name.  Was it for marketing purposes or just to add more creative skills to his growing resume.  Here’s what we found out.

Jamati Online:  Thank you very much for granting us this interview.  You have just completed the filming for ‘Native Sun‘ and are just raised money to do the editing. What was the reason for the film?

Well I thought that the album, ‘Native Sun‘ was sonically a bit out of the norm and I didn’t think that people would get it, so I decided to do the film to visually show the intentions of the words.

Jamati Online: You did the filming in Ghana.  Did you use a local production team or were they all from the U.S., or was it a little bit of both?

It was a mix of both.  The production team was my production team from here in the U.S.–Terence Nance, Shawn Peters and James Bartlett.  The actors were all from Ghana and we had one producer from Ghana.  It was interesting.  We used a little social media, a lot of word of mouth, and folks that I grew up with who chipped in to help.  The University of Ghana was a huge help and a wonderful resource.  Their dance program was wonderful and we used the dancers from the school in the film.  It was challenging, but we managed to shoot the entire film in 10 days.

Jamati Online: Your style is unique, and seems to be along the lines of the great rappers (Jay Z, Kanye West).  Have you been compared to any rappers and do you feel that the comparison is accurate?

I guess I have been compared to some artists.  I don’t mind as long as they are good artists who are trying to advance the arts.  I think as artists we are all trying to show a new paradigm (like Black Thought from The Roots), and we have the same ideologies.  Unfortunately I think that Africa’s story has been lost in all of this.  We have been there from the very beginning.  We have been in hip hop since it started, singing the songs, and listening to the lyrics.  We have also done our own rap although it has gone largely unnoticed.  It is gratifying to see K’naan and Nneka become more mainstream and help advance our story but more of us need to go out and tell our own stories.

Jamati Online:  Stereotype was an album that talked about issues in general  and now you are coming out with Native Sun.  What are the differences between the two?

‘Stereotype’ was more about  other people’s issues whereas ‘Native Sun’ is more of a personal journey. ‘Native Sun’ deals with the strange place that we as Africans are in, in the Diaspora. It deals with the journey we are on, the open contradictions we deal with, and the fact that we are, in a sense, strangers in both places.  As immigrants we are two people and we are always trying to deal with that.

I think that I have matured lyrically and am trying to forge two identities into one–African and contemporary music–and create some great synergy between the two sounds.

Jamati Online:  Well, your gift is also in the storytelling.  Where did you get that talent from?

I have to credit my teachers in Ghana with that.  On days they would have to leave the class, they would pick someone to tell the class stories.  I was in front of the class a lot and told many stories.  When I ran out of stories, I started making up my own, and embellished them to make them vivid enough to be believable.  I also think that the hip hop culture is much like a griot culture, telling stories to help teach and raise awareness.

Jamati Online: Any likelihood that you will be collaborating with some African artists on the album?

(Laughs) I have actually collaborated with Les Nubians (Cameroon), Baloji (Congo/Belgium), Corneille (Rwanda), and Shad (Rwanda) on ‘Native Sun‘.   It definitely adds a lot to the album with different formats and styles, and we have Portuguese, Spanish and French on the album.

Jamati Online: We often notice that people from the continent don’t seem to have the same marketing skills that artists in the Diaspora have.  What are your views on that?

Well, I have a degree in Marketing from Kent State University, so whenever I put my albums together I am already thinking of additional components that will have strong visual appeal. Most artists are just artists and not business people so they don’t always think of things in that vein.

The other thing they struggle with is quality.  Too often [in the industry]we have people who are looking for reasons to decline a project, and it is easy to use a lack of quality as a reason.  We in the diaspora can transfer our knowledge to them so that we can help lift them up.

Blitz the Ambassador will be traveling on several tours.  His album, ‘Native Sun‘, is scheduled to drop on May 3, 2011.  Visit his website, Embassy Movement,  to learn more about his tour schedule and find out where to purchase his new album.  He is also associated with Okayplayer, an online community featuring recording artists whose official Internet sites reside there.  Social media junkies can keep up on Facebook, Myspace, and Twitter.