Meet Sway Dasafo, UK based Music Artist, Executive Producer and Entrepreneur. Sway is on our music promotion roster as well as our sync licensing roster! That means all his tracks, released and unreleased, are now available to license through us! Keep reading to learn more about Sway and what we’re getting up to.
Who Is Sway Dasafo?
Derek Andrew “Sway” DaSafo is a British hip-hop artist of Ghanaian origin. He gained attention through a series of independently released mixtapes before winning a 2005 MOBO (Music of Black Origin) award. This award positioned him as one of the leading hopes for U.K. rap. Sway was born in London – albeit unintentionally when his mother was on a stopover between Amsterdam and her native Ghana!
His carefully constructed rap persona reflects this polarity by combining a literate, reflective approach with a savvy, street-smart sensibility. Together with his broad, cagey sense of humor and often nervously kinetic delivery, it amounts to a fascinatingly complex and undeniably charismatic style. It’s comparable to an intellectual Ludacris or a more ruminative Twista. It’s not hard to hear why he generated an underground buzz that developed quickly into wider awareness!
Focus On Production
Despite his unique and captivating talent on the mic, DaSafo’s initial focus was squarely on production. He got his start in London’s underground hip-hop, at age 15, by making beats for other rappers. This was before his peers encouraged him, on the strength of his battle freestyles, to try his hand at writing rhymes. A pair of mixtapes that he recorded on his home computer and released through his own Dcypha Productions – This Is My Promo, Vol. 1 and Vol. 2, released in 2004 and 2005, respectively – garnered airplay on London’s pirate radio stations and, eventually, the BBC’s urban-oriented digital station 1Xtra.
MOBO Awards And Further Releases
He captured the public eye in September 2005 when he was named ‘Best Hip-Hop Act’ at the tenth annual MOBO awards. A surprise upset over 50 Cent and the Game! This all despite being unsigned and before he’d even released an album. Despite the slew of label offers that predictably followed this triumph, Sway chose to remain independent.
However, his proper debut album did arrive the following year, after the teaser single of “Up Your Speed”. (A posse-cut remix of a track originally featured on the Promo mixtapes), with the release of This Is My Demo. (By DCypha in conjunction with the indie All City Music label). Its title is a continuation of the overarching meta-conceit to Sway’s oeuvre; as he explained it: “my whole career is going to be based on my career.”
Stay Up To Date With Sway Dasafo
Stay tuned on our social media to hear more about what Sway will be up to with us! To enquire about a license on one of Sway’s tracks or enquire about any unreleased catalogue please get in touch with the sync team.
In the meantime, take a look at our music promotion services and follow in Sway’s footsteps. If you’re not quite there yet, collaborate with professionals in the industry and get your music in film, TV and more.
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