In 2025, a rapper from Cape Coast, Ghana delivered a verse on the first-ever global Hennessy Cypher and stopped the entire continent cold. Nigerians, who do not easily hand out rap compliments to anyone outside their own market, openly praised him. Sarkodie, who has worked alongside him for over a decade, reduced the whole thing to one sentence on social media: “Glide on em beat like it’s nothing.”
The rapper was Joey B. He had been rapping since 2009. Africa was just arriving at the party.
Where It Started
Darryl Paa Kwesi Bannerman-Martin was born on August 20, 1989 in Cape Coast, Ghana. He discovered music early, forming a group at age six and writing most of their material himself. By 2009, he had signed to Skillions Records, a label run by Ghanaian producer Jay So. He later moved through the orbit of Hammer of the Last Two, one of the most respected producers in Ghanaian hip-hop history, recording material and appearing on a track with Edem, Hammer’s first signee.
The early years were movement without a breakthrough. That changed in 2013.
Cigarette and Tonga
“Cigarette,” released in 2013, was the record that first gave Joey B a name in Ghana. Weeks after the release, he had gone from underground figure to someone people were actively seeking out. The song landed him six VGMA nominations the following year, covering Best New Artist, Best Hiplife Song, Most Popular Song, and Best Hiplife/Hiphop Artist.
He won Best New Artist at the 2014 VGMA. That same year, “Tonga” with Sarkodie became one of the most played songs in Ghana. A working relationship that would span the next decade had begun.
In 2015, Adidas Ghana named Joey B their brand ambassador, making him the first Adidas ambassador in Africa. The brand partnership put him in a conversation beyond music, but it did not translate to the kind of mainstream name recognition his talent warranted.
The Records That Did Not Break Through
“Darryl,” his 2017 album, arrived with craft and intention. “Lava Feels” followed in 2020. Both projects confirmed what people who followed him already knew: Joey B is one of the more complete rappers Ghana has produced. He raps in five languages, English, Ga, Twi, Fante, and Pidgin, a range that reflects how deeply embedded he is in the cultures he draws from. Neither album produced the commercial moment that matched the quality of the music.
That gap, between the standard of the work and the scale of the recognition, is the story of Joey B’s career and the frustration of anyone who has watched it closely.
The Hennessy Verse That Changed the Conversation
The 2025 Hennessy Cypher was the biggest edition in the event’s history. For the first time, it went global. The lineup included South Africa’s Kabza De Small, Kenya’s Femi One, UK rapper Ms Banks, Nigeria’s Blaqbonez, Tanzania’s Jaivah, and Ghana’s Joey B. On paper, he was the least-known name to audiences outside Ghana. On the record, he was the most-discussed verse when it dropped.
The reactions came from everywhere. Fans across the continent called him an “underrated GOAT.” Nigerian listeners, a market that has long defined what counts as a credible African rap voice, took to social media in his favour. Sarkodie, who has never been known for excessive public praise, posted “Glide on em beat like it’s nothing.”
It was a fair summary. The verse was not effortful. It was the product of someone who had been doing this long enough that nothing on a rap platform can rattle them.
What the Moment Reveals
Joey B’s story raises a question that Ghanaian music regularly produces but rarely answers directly: why does talent consistently outrun recognition in this market? He has been putting out records since 2009. He was Adidas Africa’s first brand ambassador. He has collaborated with Sarkodie on some of the most enduring Ghanaian rap tracks of the last decade. He raps in five languages.
None of that gave him a continent-wide conversation until a liquor brand’s annual cypher handed him a two-minute window in 2025.
The argument is not that platforms like the Hennessy Cypher are the only route to recognition. The argument is that for a rapper of Joey B’s calibre, it should not have taken sixteen years of consistent output to reach this moment. The fact that it did says as much about how African markets consume rap as it says about anything Joey B did or did not do.
He is now operating under his own label, World Records. He has the continent’s attention. The next step is entirely his.
More About This Person
The Tema Rap Pipeline: Why Two of Ghana’s Sharpest Rappers Came From the Same City
The Line in “Eno Easy” That Has Everyone Asking Whether Sarkodie Just Responded to Samini
Ghana Walked Into AFRIMMA 2026 With 21 Nominations. Black Sherif Took Four of Them.
Sarkodie Built a 15-Year Career Without a Major Label. African Rappers Are Finally Listening.
Strongman Has Been One of Ghana’s Best Rappers for a Decade. His Bank Account Did Not Always Reflect It.
