Menu Menu

Meek Mill criticised for filming at Presidential Palace in Ghana

American rapper, Meek Mill, who recently learnt he is part Ghanaian, has faced backlash from West Africans after filming his music video at Jubilee House – the official presidential office and home.

Hip-hop artist Meek Mill is popular among African Millennials and Gen Zers.

The love for the genre in Africa has grown considerably over the years as Gen Z welcomes international influences within their culture. Most upcoming rappers from the continent are young people.

Last month, the US-based rapper visited Ghana and performed at the Afro Nation concert in the nation’s capital city, Accra. He was later invited by the country’s head of state President Nana Akufo-Addo to visit Jubilee House. With his crew members, Mill later filmed a music video inside the president’s residence without permission and posted it on his official Instagram account.

The video received online criticism from West Africans, activists, and government officials who termed it as ‘disrespectful’ and posed a potential security risk.

Member of Parliament and former deputy education minister Sam Ablakwa took to Twitter, “How do those explicit lyrics from the president’s lectern project Ghana positively? Is Ghana’s seat of government no longer a high security installation?”

Ghanaian critics, led by renowned activist Julius Kwame, blamed the president’s administration on being lenient to foreigners. Since the incident, the president’s office has not released a statement concerning the situation.

Mill later pulled down the video and issued a Twitter apology to Ghanaians together with the government.

A number of Ghanaian youths directed their anger online to the government concerning the rise in unemployment rate and harsh economic times suppressing their livelihood.

Young people make up more than 50% of the country’s population. Despite the government’s efforts to empower Gen Z with access to capital, training, technical skills, and mentorship to enable self-employment and independence, most continue to struggle and look for easier alternative means to survive.

International influencers such as Mill tend to resonate with young people who hope their dreams of success can come true.

During his visit, Meek took his love for bike riding to the streets of Ghana to showcase the beauty of the country to the rest of the world. In his apology, he said, “In America we didn’t know this existed. They don’t show Ghana in our media much! So I’ll take responsibility for my mistake! Not intentional.”

The artist is expected to release his new music later this month.

Accessibility