Sarkodie Mourns Javits Frimpong, Speaks on Safety of Ghanaians Abroad

Sarkodie has added his voice to the grief over the death of Javits Frimpong, the 15-year-old Ghanaian student who was shot dead in the Bronx, New York, last week.

In a long Instagram post on Saturday, 31 October, the rapper sent his condolences to the teenager’s family and spoke about how differently Ghanaians react to murder compared with what he sees in some parts of the West.

What Sarkodie said about Javits Frimpong

Sarkodie opened the post by saying that whatever difficulties Africa and Ghana face, he is proud of how children are raised at home, “even in rough and tough neighbourhoods.”

“Murder is a big deal out here,” he wrote. He explained that killings in Ghana usually become major news, are discussed widely in the media and leave people shocked and saddened. According to him, such incidents seem to have become almost regular in some parts of the West, which makes it scary for Ghanaians living there to feel safe.

The rapper also questioned the kind of upbringing that shapes children to commit such acts, and said some of his “fellow Black brothers and sisters” abroad need to do better in raising their children and teaching them the right values.

He ended the post with prayers for the teenager and a message of strength to the family, especially his mother and father. “It’s very unfortunate that we had to lose Javits this way,” he wrote.

On X, Sarkodie also shared the Government of Ghana’s statement on the killing, quoting Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa’s post with a prayer-hands emoji.

What we know about Javits Frimpong’s death

According to Pulse Ghana, Javits was shot on the morning of Thursday, 29 October, while walking to school in the Bronx, and later died in hospital. His father told the outlet that the boy had moved to the United States about a year earlier. As of Friday, no arrests had been announced.

Mr Ablakwa said on X that he had spoken with the boy’s father, Mr Thomas Frimpong, and conveyed the condolences of the Government and people of Ghana. On Saturday, New York City Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani wrote on X that President Donald Trump had agreed to grant the boy’s mother a visa immediately so she can say goodbye to her son in person. Mr Ablakwa welcomed the decision and said he had also spoken with the mother.

A busy season for Sarkodie

The statement comes during a busy period for the rapper. He recently released the ‘Cold’ visualizer with OliveTheBoy, the second single from his Deja Vu EP, and is coming off Rapperholic Kumasi 2026, where he used his thank-you message to call for more investment in the creative economy. Next up is Rapperholic UK at The O2 in London on 6 March 2027. You can also read how Sarkodie announced ‘Cold’ as the follow-up to Deja Vu.

Keep following ghanasong.org for more updates on this story and the latest from Sarkodie.