Ghanaian rap heavyweight Lyrical Joe marks his tenth birthday with “5th August 10,” an EP that arrives as one of the most anticipated projects in his decade-long “5th August” series.
The series itself is the context that matters. Every year since the beginning, Lyrical Joe has marked his birthday – August 5 – with a body of work. So “5th August 10” is not just another project. It is the tenth chapter of a creative commitment he has maintained annually without missing a year. That kind of consistency is rare in any music scene, and within Ghanaian hip-hop it is genuinely historic.
The EP opens with the title track “5th August 10” – introspective, sharp, and built around the personal growth and unwavering dedication that have defined his entire run. “Dragon” brings fearless energy and commanding flows. And “8 (Outro)” closes everything with honest reflection – a man accounting for a decade of craft and choosing to keep going.
The production across all four tracks stays polished and hip-hop rooted without chasing any commercial shortcut. So the EP sounds like an artist making exactly the music he wants to make, for exactly the reasons he started.
A British university studied his lyrics. No Life Shaq, Lost in Vegas, and other global reactors have flagged his output repeatedly. Tim Westwood hosted him twice. For someone who turned the grief of losing both parents into fuel for craft, the tenth chapter of this annual tradition carries weight beyond the music.
Stream “5th August 10” from top to bottom and tell us – which chapter of the series is your favourite?
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