Rapperholic Kumasi: what the 'empty stadium' videos really show

Sarkodie's Rapperholic Kumasi took place at Baba Yara Sports Stadium on Saturday, 24 October. By Sunday morning, two stories were fighting on the timeline: the stadium was empty, or the stadium was full. We went through 39 videos posted on X during the night and checked what each one actually shows.

The 7:49 clock

The clip that started the "empty" story was posted by BongoIdeasHQ at 9:11 PM with a caption saying the stadium was empty at 9 PM. It had nearly 119,000 views by 4 AM. But the video is a screen recording of an Instagram story, and the phone's own clock in the corner reads 7:49. The footage was filmed at 7:49 PM or earlier, a little under two hours after the 6 PM start printed on the tickets.

Hour by hour

• About 9 PM: GHOne TV footage shows rows of empty chairs.
• 10:38 PM: phone torches light up a crowd in the stands.
• 10:52 PM: a fan page posts that ticket redemption is still running, nearly five hours after the billed start.
• 11:48 PM: Big Paradise makes his entrance.
• 1:31 AM: a fan page posts "Empty Stadium". The footage under the caption shows a packed stadium. It was a joke.
• 1:46 AM: the honest gap. A video shows the VVIP chairs at the front mostly empty, with the stands behind them busy.
• 2:01 AM: a "still isn't full" clip goes up. The phone clock in it reads 9:56, which suggests the person posting it was not in Ghana.
• 2:16 AM: a wide shot shows a full stadium.
• About 3:30 AM: Sarkodie walks on, more than nine hours after the start time on the ticket.

Baba Yara holds around 40,500 people. The organisers have not published an attendance figure, and claims that the show "sold out" come from fans, not from ticket data.

"1 a.m. max"

In May 2026, Sarkodie told Graphic Online that his energy on stage is "at its highest level until about 1 a.m. max", and that he gets tired performing at around 4 AM. On Saturday night, he came on at half past three.