New Guy (song)

"New Guy" is a song recorded by Ghanaian rapper Sarkodie featuring American hip pop artist Ace Hood. Although intended to be included on his first live album, Mary (2015), the inclusion was ultimately scrapped. It was released for digital consumption on 10 June 2015 through Sarkcess Music and Ivy League Records. Written by the two artists and produced by CedSolo, "New Guy" is an African hip hop and hip hop song that contains alternating rap verses, while its lyrics deal with Sarkodie's desire and motivation for success.

"New Guy"
Single by Sarkodie featuring Ace Hood
Released10 June 2015
Recorded2015
Genre
Length4:12
Label
  • Sarkcess Music
  • Ivy League
Songwriter(s)
  • Michael Owusu Addo
  • Antoine McColister
Producer(s)CedSolo
Sarkodie singles chronology
"Dumsor"
(2015)		 "New Guy"
(2015)		 "Ghetto"
(2016)
Ace Hood singles chronology
"New Guy"
(2015)		 "4 a Minute"
(2015)

After its release, "New Guy" received a mixed response from music critics. Some argued that the artists' rapping abilities were impressive, while others found its production to be too noisy. An accompanying music video for the track was released on 14 June of the same year and directed by Justin Campos. The clip displays the duo performing the track in various rooms with dark scenery and ends with them approaching the outside world.

Background and composition

Development for "New Guy" began in early 2015 when Sarkodie paid a total of $25,000 to cover the production fees associated with recording.[1] He also wanted American musician Ace Hood to appear on the track because he considered him "one of the world's most powerful rappers".[2] A sneak peek of both the song and its official music video were shared with the public on 15 May 2015 via Ghanaian music website NYDJLive.com.[3] According to Ebenezer Donkoh from the aforementioned website, the single was extremely sought after by radio stations shortly after being available for digital consumption.[1] "New Guy" was originally intended to be a part of the track listing for his first live album, Mary (2015),[4] but its inclusion never occurred.[5] Sarkodie reflected on the unexpected success of "New Guy":

That is one of my biggest records ever, hype-wise, the music itself, I love it to the core. I don't do songs thinking this has to be a hit. I do music based on how I feel from my heart and that is typically New Guy. New Guy is like a heart fulfilling type of record and to me, I think it actually hit the major impact that I wanted it to hit and people are loving it . My fans love it.[1]

An African hip hop and hip hop song,[6][7] the track was written by the two musicians while production was handled by disc jockey CedSolo.[8] The recording lyrically finds Sarkodie discussing that he's the "new guy" in the music industry.[9] "New Guy" displays Sarkodie and Ace Hood alternate verses atop several synth chords and military drum-like sounds, which drew comparisons to the works of the track's producer, CedSolo.[4] Sarkodie sings during the track's refrain: "Ace, let me take you to Africa / My people, they'll love you".[10] He also believes that his music is for the Ghanaian people and has the motivation to become a leader in the industry: "So I grind Sunday to Monday / Because there's no role models, there's no true leaders left / So it's up to me to make sure the world know that I'm that new guy / I'm that inspiration".[7]

Critical reception

"New Guy" received a mixed response from music critics. Jimmy King from tooXclusive claimed that Sarkodie "killed it with his trademark fast rap" and concluded with: "'New Guy' is a song you should have on your playlist."[11] Ovie O. from NotJustOk claimed that the track proves that Sarkodie is "better than your best African rapper".[12] KC Roberts from Hip Hop Honesty furthered the praise for the singer having his "own style and sense of deliverability"; he also predicted it to be successful in the United States and compared it to several songs on American rapper DJ Khaled's second studio album, We the Best (2007).[13] David Mawuli from Pulse awarded the single four out of five stars and declared "New Guy" to be extremely impressive.[7] Multi Media Outfit Luv FM, a radio station in Ghana, reported that "New Guy" was too loud: "It's either I'm not good at appreciating rap music or Sarkodie's new song [...] is just noise." She concluded by saying that she does not qualify that as music.[6]

Music video

An accompanying music video for "New Guy" was released on 14 June 2015 through Sarkodie's official YouTube account;[14] a sneak peek of the video's production was released one month prior to create hype for its release.[3][15] It was directed by Justin Campos from Gorilla Films, while its production was administered by his wife, Candice Lee Campos.[14] Much like the song, the two singers take turns performing their verses while standing in dark-coloured rooms.[16] Ace Hood appears without a shirt and stands next to Sarkodie while visual of female dancers performing choreography are randomly displayed. Towards the end of the video, they appear outside wearing black and white suits; Sarkodie's T-shirt from earlier is shown and displays: "They got money for wars but can't feed the poor", which is a lyric from 2Pac's 1993 single "Keep Ya Head Up".[17]

References
  1. Donkoh, Ebenezer (14 April 2016). "'New Guy' is one of my biggest records ever – Sarkodie". NYDJLive.com. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
  2. Mawuli, David (18 May 2015). "Sarkodie: Rapper explains why he featured Ace Hood on "New Guy"". Pulse. Retrieved 22 October 2016.
  3. Donkoh, Ebenezer (15 May 2015). "Sneak Preview: Sarkodie ft Ace Hood – New Guy". NYDJLive.com. Retrieved 22 October 2016.
  4. Killakam (10 June 2015). "Sarkodie Teams Up With Ace Hood For 'New Guy'". Okay Africa. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
  5. tooXclusive staff (23 June 2015). "Sarkodie – Mary (Album Art + Tracklist)". tooXclusive. Retrieved 22 October 2016.
  6. Donkoh, Ebenezer (10 June 2015). "Mixed reaction as Sarkodie's "New Guy" single hits the internet". NYDJLive.com. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
  7. Mawuli, David (12 June 2015). "Sarkodie's "New Guy" is a revolutionised African Hip-hop". Pulse. Retrieved 22 October 2016.
  8. "New Guy" (Digital media liner notes). Sarkodie. Sarkcess Music, Ivy League Records. 2015.CS1 maint: others (link)
  9. Adinkra, Filfi (10 June 2015). "Sarkodie – New Guy (Feat Ace Hood)". Ghana Ndwom. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
  10. Killakam (15 June 2015). "Sarkodie And Ace Hood Share The Video For 'New Guy'". Okay Africa. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
  11. King, Jimmy (10 June 2015). "Sarkodie – "New Guy" ft. Ace Hood". tooXclusive. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
  12. Okie O. (10 June 2015). "Premiere: Sarkodie ft. Ace Hood – New Guy". NotJustOk. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
  13. Roberts, KC (17 June 2015). "Sarkodie Is Africa's Tech N9ne – Ace Hood Drops Bombs (Full New Guy Video Review)". Hip Hop Honesty. Retrieved 22 October 2016.
  14. OfficialSarkodie (14 June 2015). "Sarkodie – New Guy ft. Ace Hood (Official Video)". YouTube. Retrieved 22 October 2016.
  15. Batimoore, Tyler (14 June 2015). "Video Premiere: Sarkodie – New Guy ft. Ace Hood". tooXclusive. Retrieved 22 October 2016.
  16. lalaboiy (14 June 2015). "Video: Sarkodie – New Guy ft. Ace Hood". NotJustOk. Retrieved 22 October 2016.
  17. PostBourgie staff (28 January 2010). "They Got Money For Wars/But Can't Feed the Poor". PostBourgie. Retrieved 22 October 2016.
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