Sway (rapper)
| Sway | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Derek Andrew Safo |
| Born | 5 September 1982 |
| Origin | Hornsey, North London, England |
| Genres | Hip hop, grime |
| Years active | 2004–present |
| Labels | Dcypha / Island, New Reign Productions, 3Beat / AATW |
| Website | sway |
Derek Andrew Safo (born 5 September 1982), better known by his stage name Sway or Sway DaSafo, is an English artist of Ghanaian descent. He is also a producer, having established Dcypha Productions, signed to Island/Universal (Label Founder). Safo's 2008 record 'Black Stars' gave kudos to popular Ghanaians across the Diaspora. Sway's first big track 'On My Own' was released under the name Sway DaSafo.
Derek Andrews Safo born September 5, 1982 known professionally as Sway (Dasafo) was born and raised in Hornsey, North London by Ghanaian parents Beatrice & Alhaji. He attended Campsbourne Junior School and then Highgate Wood Secondary School, where he would sacrifice many of his lunchtime breaks learning how to produce music in the schools 'backroom' music facility.
His witty punch lines, storytelling ability and fast flow influenced by his favorite rap group Bone Thugs N Harmony and local drum and Bass MC's such as Skibadee and Shabba D had him constantly stand out as a unique hybrid.
At age 14 Sway joined up with two sixth form students Ace and Mirage GG (Now known as Archer) to form the Phynix Crew. The group would record countless demo's and entered Choice FM's Rapology competition in 1998.
Between ages 16 & 19 Sway played an instrumental role in the merging of rappers from three different schools to form the eleven member local super group called "One". Despite being one of the youngest members of the crew he was appointed as the Rza or Megaman of the collective with Wu-Tang & So Solid being their key Influences. The collective who mainly resided in Tottenham, Wood Green & Hornsey would independently release a hand to hand sold album entitled "Onederful World" which landed them a finalist position in a MOBO unsung competition that would be televised and judged by the likes of Radio 1 DJ Tim Westwood.
Sway continued to enter open mic competitions and landed a solo record on the first ever BBC 1Xtra playlist upon its launch in 2002.
He then attended Westminster College to study sound engineering and then City & Islington College to study Music technology. In this time he had also become an honorary member of 5th Element hip hop/drum & bass collective put together by his cousin DJ Ink. Sway would take payment for his verses in exchange for the group manufacturing his own vinyl which he would then sell and distribute. In order to gain more contacts in the world of music he was introduced to the Sony Street Team by former fellow One member turned actor Alex Lanipekun, where he had met DJ Semtex and Tumai "Turkish" Salih.
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