Assistant Commissioner of Police and gospel musician, ACP Kofi Sarpong, has joined the ongoing conversation about gospel musicians collaborating with secular artistes.
Speaking on The Career Trail program on Joy Learning TV and JoyNews, he expressed that he would not hesitate to collaborate with secular artists should the opportunity come.
“If the opportunity comes, I will not hesitate or if the time comes, I will not hesitate at all,” he said.
According to ACP Kofi Sarpong, music is simply a combination of words and rhythms, and these words cover a wide range of experiences, proverbs, advice, motivation; things that are part of everyday life. He therefore sees no reason to draw a hard line between gospel and secular music.
“All these words that we put together, and put rhythm on it to become music, are all languages that we speak or things that we experience. If it comes to marriage and how couples should live, we get them from songs of Solomon. Motivations and proverbs are all there. So I don’t know why we should even say that we have gospel and we have secular, that we have drawn the line,” he submitted.
He also pointed out that some secular songs are simply irresistible, with beats that make it hard not to dance along.
“Some of these secular songs, when you hear the beat you cannot stand,” he added.
While many view secular artists as being “of the world,” the gospel musician doesn’t share that perception. Instead, he believes in engaging with them and offering the gospel, rather than stereotyping them.
“These people, if we even perceive them to be what we perceive them to be, if we do not go to them, if we do not get close to them, how will you get them to where you want them to be. Because even those that are in the church we are not able to keep them, we allow them to go because of the mindset we have developed about them,” he noted.
ACP Kofi Sarpong clarified that while he respects others’ reservations on the topic, he chooses not to judge. For him, collaborations with secular artistes that inspire and motivate the youth especially are always welcome.
“If we are to do something that will especially encourage the youth and motivate others, I will do,” he affirmed.
He however emphasized that, while he is open to collaborating with secular artists, the lyrics would be a key factor in his decision.
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