By Francis Kamara
Sullaiman Sidi Warritay, known professionally as ‘SIDI’, is a ‘Whiz-kid’ Sierra Leonean rapper, songwriter, and aspiring record producer from Freetown, currently based in Germany – Sidi has captivated the hearts of fans on the international stage due to his high level of musical intelligence and consistency.
Despite growing up in a ‘thuggish’ and violent community (Susans bay), a society which houses street criminals and thugs, the rapper refused to embrace the negative energy around him, as that in itself shaped him into becoming a beautiful individual with an outstanding character.
The rapper got his musical inspiration in 2019 – after his mom passed away, and that unfortunate turn of event kick started his musical career in which he used music as a therapy, and also his escape from the ills and sadness of life. With his Dad being his admiration, he decided to adopt the name ‘Sidi’ as a way of maintaining his energy and positive perception.
Young ‘Simba’, as he is being regarded by his peers, Sidi is trying to bring his thoughts into life and change the narratives. With meditations and reading his hobbies, the young and energetic rapper is also a poet who uses poetic languages to communicate and express himself through his music.
He dropped his first single ‘FLEX’ in October 2021, which gained national recognition in Sierra Leone. As fans demanded more from the young rapper, he dropped another single ‘LEVEL-UP’ in November, followed by ‘BEST TIME OF THE YEAR’ and ‘MONARCH’ in December (2021) and January (2022) respectively. The rapper’s thirst for making beautiful music every day automatically paved the way for developing his first EP album which was aired in March 2022.
“I don’t do music because I aspire to become rich or famous. I do music because I am a poet, I preach what I perceive, and eager to bring attention to mental health in every aspect. I do music because I have to! Because my nation depends on prospects like me to unlock doors and rewrite the musical concept for the next generation and the ones after!”, he asserted – this is one of his many quotes that tells a lot about the rapper not only as an individual, but also as a visionary.
Sidi is a ‘solo artist’ currently not signed to any record label, he practically creates his music single handedly. The young rapper is currently working to establish a musical group “THE FUTURE IS GREAT” (TGIF) as part of his future goals to help break the cycle of struggling young artists in Sierra Leone and beyond – as he envisioned a society where upcoming artists won’t have to rigidly battle their way into the spotlight.
As he aspires to become the most influential and the greatest Sierra Leonean rapper, Sidi is being influenced by the likes of Kanye West and locally based rap sensation Shadow Boxxer. Sidi is a rapper who mixes his flows, emulating the likes of Kendrick Lamar in terms of lyrical content.
Despite the struggles of life, Sidi is also a philanthropist and an ‘empath’ who is blessed with the gift of connecting with the emotions of those around him and tries to serve the society in his own way by helping people get through emotional, physical, and psychological challenges.
The young rapper has suffered from bouts of depression and failed relationships, but with strong support from uplifting and caring friends that have played and are still playing a pivotal role in the rapper’s career, Sidi developed his inspiration from such support to create “The Devils and the Angels” EP album which consists of 10 tracks.
The Devils and the Angels is the rapper’s first studio album and it has been hitting the waves not only in Europe, but in Sierra Leone and some parts of Kenya, Ghana, and Nigeria, to name a few. The EP has served as a therapy session to most people that are suffering from depression and emotional challenges – it consists of tracks such as “a tale of joy and heartbreak”, “we all die”, “depression and anxiety” etc, that speaks to ones’ soul and sends out a message of hope and provide a solution for developing a positive mindset.
In 2017/19 he received a Diploma Certificate at a Vocational integration school in Bad-Kissingen Germany. He is currently enrolled in Berufsbildung Zentrum Münnerstadt college hoping to become a well trained and qualified psychologist.
The rapper is currently working on his next album titled “purple hearts” purple hearts is for the culture and opening hands to new creations. Building a sound and create an impact.
Stream his newly studio album “The Devils and the Angels” on Apple music https://music.apple.com/de/album/the-devils-and-the and on Audiomack https://audiomack.com/kidd-370/album/the-devils-and-the-angels
Grab your headphones and listen carefully to the lyrics, I promise it will be an eye opener.
