By John Murph, TheAIJournal.com

Want a glimpse of the African immigrant experience set to a hot hip-hop beat? If so, then peek Blitz the Ambassador’s blazing new disc, Native Sun. The Ghanaian-born, Brooklyn based rapper touches upon various themes surrounding the issues, ranging from optimism of arriving to another land to lamentation of his homeland. Blitz’s fierce political insight offers plenty of sharp critique of Africa’s socio-politics as well as address many misconceptions about the continent.

After a reportedly rousing performance at New York City’s SOB’s, Blitz and his exhilarating band, the Embassy Ensemble, came to Washington, D.C. to spread the word. Right before sound check, he talked with African Immigrant Journal about the new album, the hurdles he faced being a rapper from Ghana, and his explorations into film.

Talk briefly about some of the central themes on your new disc, Native Sun?

Well the main themes that travel through Native Sun mostly revolve around the immigrant experience – recognizing that hip-hop music is immigrant culture. Even though it was born in the Bronx, it was born out of the sound-system culture that had traveled from Jamaica. I journey backwards and take it from the Bronx to Jamaica, and from Jamaica to Accra – that’s kind of the central travel of the album. Besides trying to tell this immigrant story that I feel has been left out of hip-hop; I was also trying to put out a record that would also show that African music is synergetic with hip-hop music; it’s almost kind of the same thing. The differences are obviously the environments that shape them. But if you take highlife music, Afrobeat, suco then expand upon that like the blues, jazz through which hip-hop eventually came out of – it’s just part of the same fabric. Native Sun traces that sonically, not as much ideologically.

Even though hip-hop is now a global phenomenon, as a hip-hop artist, originally from Ghana, do you feel that you have to prove your legitimacy as a rapper?

 Naturally, when I first moved here, I was not trying to rap with an accent, because that’s the first reason for someone to disqualify you. That’s why hip-hop was so close-minded in America. For a long time, if it wasn’t from New York City, it wasn’t happening. Later down the line, you heard accents from the south, the west and the Midwest. But if you really think about it, hip-hop is very nationalistic or territorial. Years gone by, we’ve kind of expanded from that. Artists like myself can exhibit something else that people, maybe 10 years ago, would not be so open to. It also follows a trajectory of hip-hop; we’re reached a point to where it had plateaued. There was very little innovation happening. Hence, people are becoming more curious about other things, because they are getting bored with the same rhythms and patterns. So Native Sun is born out of all of those things. Now, it’s about standing out and being a unique individual. The world is ready to accept that.

AIJ: Talk about your moment of truth, when you decided to embrace your Ghanaian heritage as a hip-hop artist.

 That was something that was sizzling in me for many years. I think it happened after I was done with Stereotype. I really start thinking to myself that I couldn’t just walk into a Ghanaian restaurant and play that record from them to understand it, not just in terms of language but also in terms of rhythm and vibe. I recognized that I was denying a whole people that I’m a part of access to this information.  So it got me to that point where I started thinking: “How do I combine both? How can I make sure that both of these constituents can vibe with what I’m doing?” That was the turning point.

As a rapper, how did you develop your unique flow. Often you rhyme over 6/8 rhythms, which is common in African, jazz and Afro-Latin music. But most rappers spit over 4/4 meters.

 Most hip-hop rhythms are obviously in 4/4. Because of the virtue of my background – being Ghanaian and growing up around these rhythms – those other rhythms already made sense to me. So when the opportunity came to make music with those rhythms, it wasn’t like I had to figure anything out. Throughout my elementary school days, I was also fortunate enough to be in a school dance troupe and drum troupe.  That’s where I learned how to play the djembe. We didn’t even know what those time signatures were. We just knew after a while that those rhythms were: king-ka-king/king-ka king/king-ka-king. When you’re a bit studied, you just go: “Yo’ that was that time signature.”  So that was just in me.

What are your regular listening habits like?

 I’m super into samba – Jorge Ben, Seu Jorge; I’m always digging for classic African material – Super Rail Band, Bembeya Jazz Orchestra. Post- independence in Africa, between 1957 and the early-’60s, a lot of national bands were formed that help propagate this idea of independence. So a lot of fabulous musicians came out of that circle. But I also love electronica. I’m always checking for Björk and Aphex Twins.

 How did you make the leap from being a visual artist to rapper? Also, do you see those disciplines feeding off of each other in your artistry?

Well, how I really got into rapping was that when I was young, I would spend hours just drawing. I have a little makeshift studio in my house. It was a bit of a ritual to create a mixtape the night before then play that mixtape throughout while I was drawing. From doing that, I started memorizing the Biggie verses or Run DMC verses. Out of all of those hours, I started realizing that I was actually pretty good at it, while I wasn’t even paying attention to it.

Even though hip-hop is now a global phenomenon, as a hip-hop artist, originally from Ghana, do you feel that you have to prove your legitimacy as a rapper?

Based upon my visual arts background, I’m really fortunate that I can really build my visual brand. I designed the Stereotype album cover. I went from drawing to graphic design. That album cover ended up being a major hinge point for them getting an album that they could possibly identify with. I designed the logo, the cover and organized the photo shoot. Aesthetically, I think that when those two marrying points [visual and musical] are not together, you miss a major piece of the project. I also took it a step further by delving into film and directing. A short film coming out of Native Sun is about going to Ghana, filming stuff and getting the visual and sonics together in a more living and breathing way.

 I just finished writing a full-length screenplay, Bukom Boys Club. That basically resolves around boxing. This area in Accra called Bukom is where all of our professional boxers come from. So if you know anything about Ike Quartey or Joshua Clottey; they’re from Bukom. Per capita, there are more boxers and gyms in Bukom than in the rest of West Africa. Bukom Boys Club is a narrative film that explores a conflict between two boxing gyms and these poor kids who are trying to come up. That’s the next level for me.