| Emerson | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Emerson Amidu Bockarie |
| Born | December 23, 1977 |
| Origin | Kenema, Sierra Leone |
| Genres | Afropop |
| Occupations | Reggae, Songwriter |
| Years active | 2003-present |
| Labels | Bobo Belle label |
Emerson Amidu Bockarie (born on December 23, 1977 in Kenema, Sierra Leone) better known by his first name Emerson is an internationally recognised Sierra Leonean afropop musician and the biggest and most famous musician from Sierra Leone at present. He uses his music against political corruption in Sierra Leone, while addressing the struggle of poor Sierra Leoneans. He sings mostly in Krio and English.
Emerson Amidu Bockarie was born in Sierra Leone's third largest city of Kenema to parents from the Mende ethnic group. In 2003, he recorded his first album titled Borbor Bele. His first single ‘U Go See Am’ was an instant hit as he directly called out Sierra Leoneans to stand against corrupt politicians who never live up to their promises. This song was nominated for best single at the Sierra Leonean Premier Music Awards (PMA) in Freetown in 2004.[1] Shortly after his first single, he released his second album single titled 'Borbor Bele', depicting a corrupt civil servant or non-governmental organization employee who steals public resources. There was an attempt to ban the ‘Borbor Bele’ title track in Sierra Leone, but it was unsuccessful due to public support and it continued to play on the radio. The song received unprecedented airplay. His third song titled 'Tutu Pati' was his most commercially successful song to date. Emerson's album overall was highly successful at home and internationally.
Emerson's regular attack on politicians did not stop after the release of his award winning single Borbor Bele; he went on to release a controversial song titled Tu Fut Arata, which in the opinion of many helped to oust the then ruling Sierra Leone People's Party and eventually ushered in the All People's Congress of Ernest Bai Koroma in 2007. In the first year of Koroma's rule Emmerson released a song, 'We Go Wap', that warns that the people can change the APC government in the next election if they rule like the previous SLPP. True to his words, Emmerson released another song, 'Yesterday Betteh Pass Tiday', which apparently sent shock waves to the government of Ernest Koroma.
Emerson just recently released his debut music video reflecting most of the songs on the Borbor Bele album. The music videos themselves clearly depict vivid scenes of life in Sierra Leone.