The rapper posted a short clip of himself on Sunday, lip-syncing and rapping his way through the presidential corridors with his entourage, at one point standing at the presidential lectern. The video, produced for a currently unnamed song, has since been removed from Meek Mill’s Instagram following significant backlash.
Ghana’s former education minister and current MP for the North Tongu district, Sam Okudzeto Ablakwa, was among those criticising the video, demanding that: “All those responsible for this despicable desecration of the Jubilee House by Meek Mill must be fired immediately.”
“How do those explicit lyrics from the president’s lectern project Ghana positively?” he added, adding to a chorus of concern around the presidential office’s security. “Is Ghana’s seat of government no longer a high security installation?”
Meek Mill shot a video to a new somg while in Ghana🇬🇭 https://t.co/q9ilza0B1S
— Wave Check🌊 (@thewavecheckk) January 8, 2023
All those responsible for this despicable desecration of the Jubilee House by Meek Mill must be fired immediately.
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? pic.twitter.com/Wwo2rbGIjl
— Sam Okudzeto Ablakwa (@S_OkudzetoAblak) January 9, 2023
Ghana’s former deputy Chief of Staff Alex Segbefia, meanwhile, added that the incident was “unnecessary and is unacceptable in any shape or form”.
The US rapper (born Robert Rihmeek Williams) had been visiting the country after learning of his 18% Ghanaian heritage through an ancestry test. Following the backlash, he has since issued a public apology.
“To the people of Ghana no video I drop is ever meant to disrespect the people of Ghana,” he wrote. The fastest way to make connection is thru music and I wanted to do that with displaying art [sic] … im in my 30’s from America and didn’t know much about the lifestyle here.
“What I’m trying to do is more than a video,” he further explained, “and you should see coming soon! My apologies to the the office also!
To the people of Ghana no video I drop is ever meant to disrespect the people of Ghana …. The fastest way to make connection is thru music and I wanted to do that with displaying art … im in my 30’s from America and didn’t know much about the lifestyle here
— MeekMill (@MeekMill) January 9, 2023
When questioned about his accompanying group in the video, and why they didn’t advise against it, Mill explained: “I don’t think they knew it was video footage when we asked to shoot its a small camera and one kid … in America we didn’t know this existed and was excited to show because they don’t show Ghana on our media much! So I’ll take responsibility for my mistake! Not intentional.”
