[ Review: WANLOV ]
Trotro or Metro
a Universal Struggle
by HipHop African
E
mmanuel Owusu-Bonsu better known
as Wanlov the Kubolor is arguably
one of Ghana’s most unique hip-hop
voices. He has made a career as a
musician, film director, and influencer. He’s
experienced great success and acclaim since
the release of his debut album “Green Card” in
2007 which solidified his place as a force to be
reckoned with. In 2017, Wanlov released his
latest project “Orange card: Fruitopian Raps”
after a five year hiatus from music. One of
the most popular songs from this album was
“Trotro Blues” a catchy tune detailing what it
is like using Trotros, a common form of trans-
portation for many Ghanaians.
When watching the video for Trotro Blues,
which has over 31 thousand views on Wan-
22 | Colossium . March 2019
lov the Kubolor’s youtube channel, I was
immediately struck by the beauty of the the
shots he was able to capture. The video begins
as the camera (which was likely a drone or
attached to one) shows the top of one Tro-
tro then pans up to expose an area with at
least 100 Trotros of various colors and sizes
arranged haphazardly. As it continues, the
shots are equally as breath taking as they
show what is like to use Trotros to get around
in Ghana. I enjoyed how the perspective
changes to really make you feel as if you are
experiencing everything they are experienc-
ing. This effect was created by capturing shots
from the point of view of someone inside a
Trotro, someone waiting in line to try to get
into one, and someone looking from the front
seat into the back where they can see people