NewsRapperholic Kumasi review, a full stadium and a royal entrance let down by a slow night at the gates
Sarkodie's second Kumasi edition ended with him on his knees at dawn. Fans praised the crowd, the guest artists and the Daddy Lumba tribute, and complained about wristbands, traffic and timing.
Sarkodie's Rapperholic returned to Baba Yara Sports Stadium in Kumasi on Saturday, 24 October. It was the second Kumasi edition, after a rain-soaked first visit in 2025, and the show did not end until after 6 AM on Sunday. By morning, the reviews online were split. We went through the clips, comments and reports to look at what worked and what did not.
The build-up
In the week before the show, Sarkodie walked through Kumasi with fans. Pulse Ghana reported that when his security pushed a woman aside, he stepped in to help her. On the day of the show, he made a donation to the Mother and Baby Unit at Manhyia District Hospital.
The night
Tickets gave the start time as 6 PM. Around 4 PM, a notice went round that there would be no ticket scanning at the stadium, and that ticket holders had to collect wristbands from partner outlets first. One fan who bought online said his ticket code had not arrived by 9 PM. One fan told QMS he arrived at 10 PM after an hour in traffic, parked near a school and walked, and that even getting in was a struggle. Our earlier story covers the hour-by-hour filling of the stands.
The MC, Big Paradise, kept the night moving. Kwaku Smoke, Sista Afia, Wendy Shay, Oseikrom Sikani, DopeNation, Lasmid, OliveTheBoy, Ypee and Kwesi Dain were among the artists who performed.
At about 3:30 AM, an image of Otumfuo filled the screen, Nwom Kron played, and Sarkodie walked out to sparklers. He brought out Kweku Flick for "Messiah" and King Promise, and performed "Adonai". He spent several minutes on a tribute to Daddy Lumba, playing his songs, and on one fan clip he is in tears. Atinka reported that the show ended at about 6:30 AM, with Sarkodie kneeling on stage to thank the crowd. His post afterwards read: "Thank you, we are the state."
What went right
Kumasi turned out in numbers. Fans praised the number of fellow artists who came to support him, and told Atinka TV they loved the Lumba tribute. When two fans collapsed, officers of the Ghana Prisons Service attended to them quickly.
What people complained about
The main complaints were wristband redemption on the day, traffic and parking around the stadium, and a headliner on stage more than nine hours after the ticket time. In May, Sarkodie told Graphic Online his energy is highest until about 1 AM. VVIP seats near the front were still half empty at 1:46 AM while the stands behind them were packed.
Some reports also overcounted. Atinka's headline said Sarkodie thrilled "over 80,000 fans". Baba Yara seats about 40,500. No official attendance figure for the night has been published.
Kumasi gave Rapperholic the crowd. Next year, Rapperholic has to give Kumasi the clock. Scan tickets at the gate, publish the running order, sort out parking and put out a real attendance figure, and this show becomes the best night on the calendar.
- VeeTickets: Rapperholic Kumasi event listing, 6:00 PM start (24 Oct 2026)
- Pulse Ghana: Sarkodie helps a woman shoved by security in Kumasi (20 Oct 2026)
- Yen, Ghanamma and halmblog: donation to Manhyia District Hospital's Mother and Baby Unit (24 Oct 2026)
- Atinka and Ghanamma: artists, Otumfuo projection, Nwom Kron, Daddy Lumba tribute, two fans attended to by Prisons officers (25 Oct 2026)
- @sarkodie on X: "Thank you, we are the state" (25 Oct 2026, 06:29)
- Graphic Online: Sarkodie on performing after 1 a.m. (25 May 2026)
- Fan videos and posts on X, TikTok and Facebook from the night, checked by QMS
Every factual line in this story is checked against at least two independent sources, unless the text says it comes from one report.