:: OUR GHANA HIP HOP :: Crews A-L Crews M-Z Stop Aids Reggie Rockstone Me Ka Dj Kofi Dj Rab Ex-Doe Soulatidoe Channel O -------------- CREWS (M-Z) Mensah Nananom Native Funk Lords Natural Bornz Nature Nkasei Obrafo Omahene Prickie Rhyme-Bo Root-I Roots Imagination Sass Squad Short Regime Talking Drums TH 4 Kwages T-Blaze Tic Tac Traditional Rulers VIP

Hip Hop in Ghana: all crews (M-Z) Mensah Album: not available Label: D'KayBee Base: Accra, Ghana He is definitely the next kid to shine for Ghana when his solo album drops. Due to some conflicts with the label and management of Lifeline Family, he decided to leave them for business reasons. He re-invented himself as Mensah. (This is a common Ghanaian name). Besides his work on The Lifeline Family's first album; he has made some important guest appearances. Most noticeably, is the blazing, hot verse off Reggie Rockstone's 'The Mapouka Dance' produced by Rab 'The International'. Check out these lyrics in English: "…How many times do I gotta remind ya/ That I think you got a great future behind ya/ tellin' ya Pa/your melon could get a swellin' from banging it hard!/ I swear! It could blind ya/ Yo mapouka, I'm glad that I found ya!/ heard about this dance, but I called it proproganda/ 'til I saw you do it on Kanda Bongo's veranda/ shaking your waist straight from the under/ you are about to blow up like a banger…" Hot single: 'Who U gonna Call?' Nice one with the English verses. Natural Bornz Members: KD, Flip, Richie Rich & Killa-Cee Label: Slip Music Album: Suro Nipa ('scared people') Base: Stockholm, Sweden Hot single off album: 'Lost In Darkness' (Looking for Survival) Featured artists: Mark Mwuara known as Mark-One (from Poland/Kenya), Daddy-Boston (from Jamaica) Hottest single known as "Bone Bi......" (Twi for 'Something Bad'). Nananom Members: Sidney Ofori (Okyeame), Jyoti Chandler (Ohema) Albums: Nana Kasa (1998), Nana Nono (1999) Label: Ahenfie Records Base: Accra, Ghana Nananom (nah-nah-num) (The Chiefs) One of the first rap groups to record a second album after Reggie Rockstone. Consists of two emcees. There used to be three but Omahene Pozo has gone solo. He has recorded a succcesful album. The male female duo consists of Okyeame Sydney (Chief linguist Sydney) and Ohemaa Jyoti (Queen Mother Jyoti). Both are known for their large Twi vocabulary. They are true "Hip-Life" (Hip Hop/Hi-Life hybrid) artists. They use Akan parables and weave interesting stories to very commercial beats. First featured on Reggie Rockstone's 'Makaa Maka in 1997 on a track solely featuring the group. The song was entitled 'Agoro' (Twi for games). They have split up. Okyeame Sydney is planning to release a solo album. He recently featured on Reggie Rockstone's cut called 'Me Ka Ama N'ahye Wo' (I Will Say It so it hurts) Two albums to their credit: Nana Kasa (The chiefs Speaks)- Jan 1998 Nana Nono (The Chiefs are all that!) (1999) Hot singles off Nana Kasa: 'Wo Kyere Wo Hu' (wuh-cher-reh -wuh -huhn) (You're Too Proud!) 'Ofie Ne Fie' -(oh-fe-eh ne-fe-eh) (House and Home ) 'Ewuradoa' - (eh-wrah-djoo-ah) (a girl's name) Hot singles off Nana Nono 'Alright' 'Washada Anaa' (You did it on purpose) 'Wone Hwan' (Who be you) Native Funk Lords Members: Eddie Blay, CIL, Jake, Tinney Quaye Album: Africa 2000, Vote for me Label: Kay's Frequency Contact: kaysfreq@ghana.com Rap quartet consisting of EDDY BLAY, CIL, JAKE and TINNEY QUAYE. They are known exclusively for their Pidgin English rap style. They represent for Osu, an area in Accra. Currently CIL has left the group to embark on a solo career. Two albums to their credit: Africa 2000 (Jan. 1999) Hot singles of the album: 'Kolomashi' - (Ga slang for a jamming party) 'Yen Kan Bom' (Twi for 'Let us Unite together!'). This track possesses a NY/NJ-USA House beat. 'As E Come Be So' (Pidgin English for 'this is how it is'). This track is similar to 'Dirty South' sound of the southern part of the United States. 'Feel Alright' - Samples an old Hi-Life tune of the same name from Glenn Warren. Vote For Me (May 2000) This is a concept album. The year 2000 is a presidential and parliamentary election year in Ghana. Elections can get pretty shady in Africa, but NFL puts some humor in it. The title track hook goes like this: "Vote For Me, Make I Chop president. Vote for me, I make you vice president." The album inlay cover is reminiscent of the founding fathers of Ghana independence. I assume Tinney, Eddy & J.A.K.E. are representing Kojo Botsio, Kwame Nkrumah and Gbedemah on the eve of independence from Great Britain; 6 March 1957. The track even includes a sample of Dr. Nkrumah's voice from that famous independence speech from that memorable day in 1957; "Ghana is free forever!" This includes the actual crowd cheers from that day! Other noticeable hits include; 'Balls, Balls' & 'Akpatse'. Natural Bornz Members: Kd, Flip, Richie Rich & Killa-Cee Album: Suro Nipa Four artists; three are Ghanaian, one is Nigerian. They are based in Stockholm, Sweden and have an album out: Suro Nipa (meaning 'scared people'). Hot single off album: 'Lost In Darkness' (Looking for Survival). Feaftured artists: Mark Mwuara (a half-Polish, half-Kenyan guy, a.k.a. Mark-One), Daddy-Boston (of Jamaican origin). Hottest single known as 'Bone Bi......' (Twi for 'something bad'). Nature & Agony Rap duo Album: To Infinity Hot single: 'Edwaaso' (Marketplace) Nkasei Rap duo whose name means 'bones' in Twi. Album: Bisa (Ask) (2000) Label: Abib Records Base: Accra, Ghana Hot single: 'Anajo Nkwai' (Night Soup)- Literally translated; you might think they are talking about food. Ghanaians have a habit of relating sexual situations to food. What they are basically saying is that they want something to 'chop' at night after the club or whatever. Ladies! Listen up! The hook says it all with a girl sexually asking; 'Do you want me?' In Twi; It's infectious! These guys got skills in flipping metaphors in Twi. They got one English track on their album called 'Don't envy me'. Obviously, that one is for all the player-haters in the 'Hip-Life game. Obrafo Album: Pae Mu Ka (September 1999) Label: Noize Records Base: Accra, Ghana Perhaps the most promising Twi lyricist yet to emerge on the Hip-Life scene, Obrafo (translated as 'the Executioner') has burst onto the airwaves with a burning series of straight-up hits such as the title track of his debut album "Pae Mu Ka" (Twi for break in and say it), as well as "Kwame Nkrumah", a sentimental tribute to the late Pan-African and founding father of the Ghanaian nation. He has also featured Cy Lover on "Agoro No Aso" (The Party is On) - a smooth combination of Twi and English that marked the first demonstration of sheer talent in production by "The Last 2" a.k.a. Slim and Deep. Other artistes also featured were Alhaji Flesh, Ayewaa, Dr. Poh and Funky Functure. Album: Pae Mu Ka (Twi for 'break in and say it'), September 1999. Hot singles: "Agoro No Aso" (The Party is On) and "Kwame Nkrumah". He is probably the most successful rapper in Ghana next to Reggie Rockstone because of lyrics, tight production, massive airplay and huge unit sales. Not to mention some good videos. He has had numerous shows in Europe also. He dropped a single in May 2000 paying homage to his mother and the mothers of Africa. It did well on the airwaves. It will probably be available on his highly anticipated album. Okyeame Album: Wednesday, Dec 2000 Label: Pidgen Music Base: Accra, Ghana Formerly of Talking Drums. Released an underground track called 'Toto Mechanic' (see Talking Drum). Hot singles: 'Locations_- This track is in English. He is talking about representing from Ghana. The lyrics are mad tight! He has a video to this one. Here are some excerpts: "My Location be zero degrees on the meridian/ My people be those that are considered as the Ghana Men/ I be flowing like the 'O'-2 blended with the hydrogen/ I'm being to blow up like the bullet from a Mac-10…". 'Shege Boys' -(foul motherf***ers!) is another single that will cause some controversy in Accra. The tracks were produced by Pidgen. Omahene Pozo Album: Nana Reba (The King has come'), June 1999 Label: Edwen Paa Records Base: Accra, Ghana Paramount Chief Pozo is known for his exploits with NANANOM, and more recently for his "Miami Bass" style. He kicks his lyrics in Twi with 'dirty-minded' (sexually-inclined) choruses. One album to his credit: NANA REBA (The King has come), June 1999. Hot singles off album: 'Adei Yi Bekuwo' (Ah -day-beh-koo-wuh) (Twi slang for 'The vices will kill you, but what do we do about it!) 'Wei Na Mo Ye' (Weh-nah-muh-yeh, Twi for 'This is what y'all do'). Features female hype artist Joyce B. Prickie Album: none Label: D'KayBee Base: Accra, Ghana Hot single: 'Obaa fEfEEfe' (Fine honey as in Lady). I would not consider this guy a rap artist but he definitely shows skills as a raga deejay. His song about 'fine chicks' is blowing up the airwaves in Accra. All in all he is part of the Hip-Life movement sweeping Ghana at the moment. Rhyme-Bo Album: Asem Aba (Trouble has come) Label: Miepo Records Base: Accra, Ghana Hot single: 'Asem Aba ' (Same as album title) braggadocio rap similar to LL Cool Jay's early releases, but all done in Twi. Heavy promotion in Ghana, but the cluttered rap market is beginning to weed out the wack from the potential classics. He used heavyweight producer; Zapp Mallet on all of his tracks. Zapp gives it a funk feel with a lot of live bass guitar instrumentation. Root-I Root-I (real name: Kwesi Nyarko) in a ragga style can be heard on Rockstone's Sweetie, Sweetie and more recently Mr. Adwenbone. He actually raps on this track. He has been dropped from Kassa Records. He went to Slip Records and recorded a song called 'Odo Sanbra' (Love come back) for the Slip Music dance Compilation. Roots Imagination Members: Zonto 'The Black Prophet' & Shockey, produced by Sammi Helwani Album: Release The Chains Base: Accra, Ghana Black prophet is another ragga deejay/turned rapper because there is no outlet for Ghanaian dancehall music. The crew has disbanded to to artistic conflicts with the label. Look for Balack Prophet's appearance on the star-studded 'Stop aids, Love Life' charity single. Sass Squad Members: Scooby, Atsu, Sane Dog, Shorty Album: Slavery, Ahondze-Pa Nkasa Label: True Dreams Productions Base: Takoradi, Ghana Four emcees who were all solo artists. They have come together to flip lyrics in Fante ( language related to Twi.) Currently they have broken up due to artistic differences. One album to their credit: SLAVERY Hot singles: -'Serwa' (a girl's name) -'Odopa (aw-duh -pah) (Fante for Good Love) -'Salasi -I' The rappers Shorty and Sane Dog now have laid claim to the name Sass Squad (which used to mean Scooby, Atsu, Sane, Shorty). They rap in Fante & Nzema. The album title 'Ahondze-Pa Nkasa' is a proverb that loosely translates to ' good beats don't make noise'. Hot single: 'Bubi' featuring Gyedu Blay Ambolley on the chorus. Typical Hip-Life record with its sing-song chorus and sharp lyrics from the rap artists. Short Regime Duo from St Louis. They recorded in 99 with Atonga Simba on his single Back To Life. Talking Drums Members: Witchdoctor (Abeeka Rebeiro), Okyame Kwaku Tutu Known for their pioneering acts in 1994/1995 with underground hits such as 'Akwaaba' (Twi for 'welcome') and 'Aden? (Twi for 'why?') Consisted of rap duo WITCHDOCTOR and OKYAME KWAKU. Witchdoctor has relocated to the USA to pursue a college degree while Okyeame has remained quiet. He is soon to release an underground album under a new stage name with long-time producer Panji Anoff. Song is called 'Toto Mechanic' (Ga) for 'Pussy Mechanic', released on the underground compilation called PIDGIN MUSIC Dec 1999. This is great stuff! This compilation also includes lost tracks such as 'Akwaaba' & 'Aden?' See Okyeame. No albums to their credit under the title of Talking Drums. TH 4 Kwages Rap duo consisting of Scooby Selah & Atsu Koliko Album: Taxi Driver Label: Soul Records Base: Takoradi, Ghana Former members of The SASS Squad. They broke away from the other two for artistic reasons. Their sound is different from their SASS squad counterparts. They incorporate the slick production of Zapp Mallet and Sarge. Hot single: Taxi Driver' - This tale is done in a reggae style. The story is about a taxi driver who fell in love with a lady but whose parents did not favor the relationship. There was trouble when the lady was discovered to be 3 months pregnant and the parents thought that the taxi driver was not in a position to look after her and the baby. Another gem is 'Tadi' where they big-up their home base. T-Blaze Album: GyE Nyame (Except God) Lyrical Coup d'etat Part 1 Label: Lifeline Records Base: Accra, Ghana Contact: lifeline@tupac.com Hot singles: 'Secretary' - This one announces the return of the kid who blazed the 'Wosisi' track from the LifeLine Family album. He used the same formula that worked on the last single. The melody of the chorus is similar; even the beat. (both tracks were produced by Dj U-Bert) He talking about how the career girls in Ghana are looking good in their mini-skirts but they are not giving any brother any time of the day! 'Feeling No YE Deep (The feeling is deep) is another hit sweeping the airwaves. Tic Tac Label: Slimmbuster, based: Accra, Ghana Album: Philomena (a girl's name) Label: Noize Records Base: Accra, Ghana Part of Natty Strangers in 1998. The group has disbanded. He got his solo break guest-appearing on Hi-Life/R-n-B fusion singer/producer Slimm Buster's 'Mesan Abo (the title in Fante language means 'I have returned again'). He is called the Busta Rhymes of Ghana. Similar in flow but all in Twi. Has a true 'Hip Hop' hit with 'Philomena'. This is one of the favorites of the Ghanaian Hip-life movement. The beat is dripping with a heavy bass line courtesy of Slimm Buster Productions. Also a hit is 'Mbaa Formula' (Ladies Formula) He's getting plenty of shows in Europe along with label mate; Obrafo Hot single: 'Philomena' VIP Members: Lazy, Prodigal, Promzy, Bone & Friction Album: Bibiri Ba O! (Something is Coming-1998); Ye De Aba (We've Brought It - 2000) Label: Precise Music Base: Accra, Ghana V.I.P. (Vision In Progress). These five emcees are called the Wu-Tang Clan of Ghana. Five emcees with diverse language skills. They are known for Hausa rap but also are fluent in Twi, English , French and Ewe. They represent for Nima; the hardest area in Accra. Consists of Lazy, Prodigal, Promzy, Bone & Friction. Biibiiba O! (Twi for Something is coming!). Hot singles off Biibiiba O!: 'Rana Sallah' (Hausa for Sallah festival). Celebrated at the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan . The beat is similar to Busta Rhyme's 'Dangerous'. Also had a non-human member. A dog named Chicago who recently passed away. He can be heard growling on the intro track to their CD. 'Mame Kwan' (mah-meh-kwighn) (Twi for 'give me way'.) Zamadunia is another hot track off this album. The beats were handled by Nana King of Ashanti International. Hot singles from YE DE Aba: 'Kuzo Muyi Wassa' (Hausa for 'Come on and let us play'). This is a fat track plus a hot video with cameos by Reggie Rockstone. The production is light but the fast tongue of Friction slices through the track in Hausa. Prodigal lends a superb deep voice on the hook. 'Oba Sweetie' is the hidden gem of the album. Considered to be true 'Hip-Life'. It crosses the instrumentation and melody of an old Hi-life hit. They couldn't get the rights to sample so they created a variation of their own with a distinct Hip Hop flavor. Other hot songs include 'Money Lover' and 'Keep Moving On featuring Lttle Kryz. The track is English. Pan African saga: PBS in Ghana In April 1998 PBS from Senegal, that Pan African icon visited Accra for a concert. The best prove that the French/English language borders don't mean a barrier to hip hop, they attracted large crowds. The local scene was present with Reggie Rockstone, Nananom, Root-I and VIP who shared the stage with the Senegalese group. Local dj Rab 'the international' was on the 1200's, a job well done since he was invited to come over to Dakar to produce some tracks for PBS. Ever since, these crews have been meeting at Pan African Hip Hop festivals (see our special report). Ghanaian Hip Hop heads run club in Tokyo KINGS hip hop club in Roppongi, Tokyo: DJ Bill (Tokyo), DJ Larry (Ghana) and the club owner Frank (Ghana). People of many countries are part of the vibrant hip hop scene in Tokyo and other places. Radio "V-103 is one of the biggest mobile sound systems around - its includes its own lighting rig and twenty speaker cabs. "It's the best in the whole of Ghana - I can compete with any radio or nightclub," boasts Frank 'Too Tall', owner and operator. Its three DJs use Technics 1200/1210 decks. "They're the best set-up," says 'Too Tall'. V-103 dubs itself 'The People's Station', though it's not actually one of the five R&B/rap dominated independent stations in Accra. There's indeed a V-103 station in Atlanta, where 'Too Tall' sometimes resides. Like that station, the Ghanaian namesake's music policy is also wide. A typical session, which starts from about 8.30 pm until 4 am, would usually start with Euro-house, then R&B, hip-hop, dancehall reggae, calypso, soca, and finish with the local style known as highlife. V-103's name can be found on posters all over town, either promoting their own gigs or gigs they've been hired to play. Since their rig is too massive for any club, they only play outdoor gigs. Recently they've played a number of so-called '2Pac Nite' gigs - the stars is so popular here, promoters have been using his name to draw punters (cinemas gave 2Pac headline billing on the Mickey O'Rouke starred movie Bullet), though the music played isn't exclusively his material. One such beachside gig held earlier this year wasn't very successful says 'Too Tall' because people prefer to be on the beach during the daytime, rather than night" (written by Kwaku) Previous: crews page 1 (A-L)