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UK grime pioneer Novelist touched down in Accra on Thursday night. By now, he and Ghana's Afro-drill collective Savage4 are deep into recording sessions for The 7 Days Tape, having already completed 2 days of the intense seven-day recording process. You're not reading about something that happened, you're catching it as it unfolds
The tape drops November 2. With seven days to fuse grime with Afro-drill, the clock is ticking. The sessions are being broadcast live via Balamii Radio (UK) and YFM Ghana, with a launch event at the Free The Youth store in Accra when it's all done. We caught them on Friday October 24, just before they locked in the studio for their first session.
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What does it mean to bring grime to Ghana, especially given your Ghanaian heritage?
Novelist: It's an extension of myself and a reflection of something the diaspora has built. Africa is the homeland and the music resonates here just as much as it resonates with our people abroad. Being part of the UK diaspora, we've built many things here, and it's my pleasure to come home and build as well. I want people to see we're not so different. We are one. Whether you're born here or there, it's something we have in our blood. So come home and connect with these guys and bring the vibes. I think it would be very impactful for people to see.
How did you connect with Savage4? What drew you to their sound?
Novelist: I've been building riddims and making good music for a long time. Someone these brothers work with made me aware that they like my music, so that made me interested in what they do. This is a very young relationship, but we all recognize the value in good music. People talk about “levels,” but I look for the vibe — and these brothers have it. There was no question, I wanted to work with them.
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You've been vocal about maintaining grime's original sound. How does that translate in a collaboration with Afro-drill?
Novelist: The special thing about grime is it's very creative. You never know exactly what you're gonna get, but there's a certain feeling to it. A new branch from the tree of creativity, we've never seen anything like this before. I'm looking forward to hearing how Savage4 approaches the music. It's exciting because you don't know until you’re in the room.
How important is your relationship with Balamii, and why was it important to have them broadcast this?
Novelist: I've been instrumental since the early days of Balamii Radio. I did some of my first shows there. Even before it became a station, James Browning, (the founder), would come to live shows and record sets. I’ve watched Balamii grow and it’s been part of my career landmarks. This is the right time to merge both worlds as I come home. Balamii is very grassroots. You don't have to be some known artist or superstar for them to give you the platform to do your thing.
What does it mean to collaborate with a UK grime pioneer as Ghana's drill scene emerges?
Savage4: It's huge for us because UK grime and Afro-drill literally come from the same place, same raw energy. This shows how far our sound can travel and how connected the streets are to our music.
How does Tema's vibrant underground music scene influence your sound?
Savage4: Tema is everything. We grew up in it. We live Tema, we breathe Tema. That's where the foundation was laid for us. The underground scene was a necessity for us. We didn't choose to be underground, we were underground. That's where we've been. Tema has brought out so many huge names: La Meme Gang, Asakaa Boys in Kumasi, and now Savage4. Tema shapes us and our sound.
What do you want international audiences to understand about Ghana's street culture through this project?
Savage4: Don’t just hear the music, feel the raw energy, culture and originality. See the fire and the pain. We are writing lines that make sense beyond music itself. Music is our lifestyle and it's in our bloodstream. It's either you're born with it or you adapt to it. That's how it is.
For a lot of young artists, getting airplay on YFM is a rite of passage. How does it feel to have your work showcased there, and what kind of community do you hope to reach through YFM?
Savage4: It’s a dream come true. We literally grew up listening to YFM. The audience is the youth, us, coming up from Tema, from Ghana and beyond. YFM has been able to tap into the streets enough to provide that kind of audience where we can showcase our music. We grew up listening to YFM, and now we finally get to share our sound on YFM. We're very grateful. It's big for us.
Why "7 Days"? What are you hoping comes out of working under that kind of time pressure?
Novelist: Seven days is perfect because they say pressure makes diamonds. When you do something under pressure, it leaves no space for hesitation and no space for confusion or doubt. I feel like we're guaranteed to make good songs because we're under a time constraint and the vibes can't lie in seven days. I think the pressure of the timing will bring the best out of everybody.
Savage4: Seven is a special number. It doesn't need to take much time. It's about our mindset and how we see the project. Greatness. That’s what we're about to create within these next few days.
Why Free The Youth as the launch venue?
Novelist: They've been known to consistently contribute to the community. To me, anyone who has that standpoint, whatever you do with them is legacy stuff. At the end of the day, that's what we're trying to do. We're trying to free the youth.
Savage4: Exactly. They represent the culture. Real recognizes real. We’re telling the same story, connecting to the streets, and Free The Youth does that too. Their flagship store is the natural home for this. It’s family.
What does "UK to Ghana" mean to you, beyond geography?
Novelist: To me, it means Novelist to Savage4 right now, but on a grand scheme, it's building a spiritual bridge that we can walk back and forth from. That's what we're really doing. We're no different from each other. We're both linking up to make the music and enjoy the vibes. There's so many Ghanaians back home who have never even been to Ghana. I just want to be an example of embracing our roots.
Savage4: It's a spiritual thing. Like Novelist said, we're bridging the gap, bringing music to the other side and bringing theirs to our side as well. Music is the bridge. That's what we're doing right now.
How are you feeling going into the recording sessions? What's the vibe?
Savage4: We are gassed. Really gassed. Expectations are high. When Novelist touched down at the airport, the energy was like we've been together for 10 years. We're just glad we started. It's forward, with love.
Novelist: It felt immediate, like meeting my brothers. No funny vibes, and that will translate in the music. We’re open to the unexpected, but know that we're gonna have fun with it. That's the main thing. The fact that people get to be a part of the process with us, that's exciting for me. We will probably preview some snippets before some of them even come out. We're doing the whole thing in real time.
As this interview wrapped on Friday, Novelist and Savage4 headed straight into the studio for Day 1 of 7. Now on Day 3, the sessions are well underway. Over the next few days, they'll preview snippets and share the process in real time. As Novelist put it “the vibes can't lie”. Pressure makes diamonds. In seven days, we'll find out what happens when two sides of the diaspora — Uk Grime and Afro-drill lock in, and create something new together.
The 7 Days Tape. Nov 2, 2025. Free The Youth, Accra.
