Lyrical Joe Drops 'Road To 5th August 9' Ahead of Anticipated '5th August 9' Release

Ghanaian hip-hop rapper Joseph Gamor, professionally known as Lyrical Joe, has made it a tradition to release a track on his birthday every year. For nearly a decade, this birthday track titled '5th August' has become a mind-blowing rap series, with each installment running between 7 and 12 minutes. These tracks are filled with intricately crafted wordplay, rhymes, punchlines, bars, tongue-twisters, and double entendres, literary devices frequently used in various genres, particularly in rap and some pop music.

This purely rap-driven series isn't intended for everyone but rather for fans who genuinely appreciate hip-hop and lyrical craftsmanship. Not everyone has a preference for long-form rap, and a track exceeding seven minutes may not appeal to casual listeners. However, for those who value lyricism and flow, '5th August' has become a yearly highlight.

Ahead of each '5th August' release, Lyrical Joe drops a lead-up track titled 'Road to 5th August' in July. Today, he released 'Road To 5th August 9,' the ninth installment in the series, accompanied by a music video directed by Nii Josiah. The video features cameo appearances by his longtime producer, Phredxter, and Korley Black, a fellow rapper whom Lyrical Joe featured on "Crisis," a rap cypher. This build-up creates anticipation, sets the lyrical and thematic tone, offers insight into his artistic direction, and keeps fans engaged leading up to the annual drop.

Lyrical Joe’s '5th August' series has played a significant role in shaping his career, earning him Best Rap Performance at the Telecel Ghana Music Awards (TGMA, formerly VGMA) in 2022, and again at the 3Music Awards in 2024. Notably, last year's release, '5th August 8,' marked a major milestone, garnering over a million views on YouTube, an impressive feat for a pure rap track that runs over 10 minutes.

On Friday, May 16, 2025, Lyrical Joe released 'I AM,' his 13-track sophomore album, following his 2023 project 'Photo Album.' One standout track resonating with many on the 'I AM' album is 'Take Me Home.' In a recent interview on The Awkward Angle YouTube channel, the rapper revealed that a music video for "Take Me Home" would be released after the "5th August 9" project.