When an act is still coming up, he sometimes fast and pray that he gets noticed by the media and the general public.
This
is one of the aspirations of most people in the entertainment industry.
However, when God finally answers such prayer, it becomes another
request; ‘God, please this is getting too much for me to handle’.
For
those in showbiz, fans are a very vital part of the business. When an
entertainer does not get noticed whenever he goes out, it then becomes a
thing of worry to him.
At a recent event in Lagos, popular comic
actor, John Okafor, better known as Mr. Ibu, was virtually not given a
breathing space as overzealous fans disturbed him for photographs, which
they will probably flaunt on social media with the message ‘hanging out
with Mr. Ibu.’
The actor, at a point, almost lost his temper,
but quickly realized that some ‘busybodies’ in the media were around and
he quickly comported himself.
The fans did not even bother
whether the star comic actor was busy discussing some issues with his
colleagues. They kept asking for photographs until he finally succumbed.
BET has announced the nominations for
the “BET Awards” 2014 and Ghanaian Rapper Sarkodie has been nominated
again for the "Best International Act: Africa".
It will be recalled that Sarkodie was nominated in 2012 in the same category and he won with Nigerian singer Wizkid.
Nominations
were announced in 20 categories, selected by BET’s Voting Academy
comprised of a group of respected entertainment professionals in the
fields of television, film, music, social media, digital marketing,
sports journalism, public relations, creative arts and fans.
The
“BET Awards” 2014 will take place on Sunday 29 June at th Nokia Theatre
L.A. Live in Los Angeles, CA. The 2014 BET Awards will premiere on BET
International in Africa on 1 July at 21:00 CAT.
“This year’s
nominees represent the best of the culture,” said Stephen Hill, BET’s
President of Music Programming and Specials. “It’s great to see our
talented new artist’s right alongside our more beloved ones with long
careers. We appreciate our BET Awards nomination committee, over 300
strong, for their efforts and congratulate all the nominees.”
The complete list of nominees for the “BET Awards” 2014 are:
Best International Act: Africa
Davido (Nigeria)
Diamond Platnumz (Tanzania)
Mafikizolo (South Africa)
Sarkodie (Ghana)
Tiwa Savage (Nigeria)
Toofan (Togo)
Best International Act: UK
Dizzee Rascal
Ghetts
Krept & Konan
Laura Mvula
Rita Ora
Tinie Tempah
Best Female R&B/Pop Artist
Beyoncé
Janelle Monáe
Jhené Aiko
K. Michelle
Rihanna
Tamar Braxton
Best Male R&B/Pop Artist
August Alsina
Chris Brown
John Legend
Justin Timberlake
Pharrell Williams
Best Group
A$AP Mob
Daft Punk
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
TGT
Young Money
Best Collaboration
August Alsina f/ Trinidad Jame$ - I Luv This
Beyoncé f/ JAY Z – Drunk In Love
Drake f/ Majid Jordan – Hold On (We’re Going Home)
JAY Z f/ Justin Timberlake – Holy Grail
Robin Thicke f/ T.I. & Pharrell Williams – Blurred Lines
YG f/ Jeezy & Rich Homie Quan – My Hitta
Best Male Hip Hop Artist
Drake
Future
J. Cole
JAY Z
Kendrick Lamar
Best Female Hip Hop Artist
Angel Haze
Charli Baltimore
Eve
Iggy Azalea
Nicki Minaj
Video of the Year
Beyoncé – Partition
Beyoncé f/ JAY Z – Drunk In Love
Chris Brown – Fine China
Drake – Worst Behavior
Pharrell Williams – Happy
Video Director of the Year
Benny Boom
Chris Brown
Colin Tilley
Director X
Hype Williams
Best New Artist
Ariana Grande
August Alsina
Mack Wilds
Rich Homie Quan
ScHoolboy Q
Best Gospel Artist
Donnie McClurkin
Erica Campbell
Hezekiah Walker
Tamela Mann
Tye Tribbett
Best Actress
Angela Bassett
Gabrielle Union
Kerry Washington
Lupita Nyong’o
Oprah Winfrey
Best Actor
Chiwetel Ejiofor
Forest Whitaker
Idris Elba
Kevin Hart
Michael B. Jordan
YoungStars Award
Gabrielle Douglas
Jacob Latimore
Jaden Smith
KeKe Palmer
Zendaya
Best Movie
12 Years a Slave
The Best Man Holiday
Fruitvale Station
Kevin Hart: Let Me Explain
Lee Daniels’ The Butler
Subway Sportswoman of the Year
Brittney Griner
Lolo Jones
Serena Williams
Skylar Diggins
Venus Williams
Subway Sportsman of the Year
Blake Griffin
Carmelo Anthony
Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Kevin Durant
LeBron James
Centric Award
Aloe Blacc – The Man
Jennifer Hudson f/ T.I. – I Can’t Describe (The Way I Feel)
Jhené Aiko – The Worst
LiV Warfield – Why Do You Lie?
Wale f/ Sam Dew – LoveHate Thing
Stephen
G. Hill, BET’s President of Music Programming and Specials, Lynne
Harris Taylor, BET’s Vice President of Specials, will serve as Executive
Producers for the “BET AWARDS,” along with Jesse Collins, CEO of Jesse
Collins Entertainment.
The “BET Awards” will take place along
with the BET Experience at L.A. Live in Los Angeles from June 27-29th.
BET.com/Awards is the official site for the BET Awards 2014 and will
have all the latest news and updates about this year's show.
All
information about the BET Experience at L.A. LIVE presented by
Coca-Cola can be found at BETExperience.com. The BET Experience VIP
Package offers the only way to purchase a BET Awards ticket, great seats
to 3-nights of concerts at the Staples Center, and exclusive access to
events at the free Fan Fest. For more information and to purchase
tickets, go to BET.com/BETX.Follow the Experience on Twitter
@betexperience.
His rise in the Ghanaian music
industry has not been a surprise to keen observers, Okyeame Kwame showed
signs of his creativity in the early days as a member of the duo
Akyeame.
In one of his songs, he rapped about being the favourite
rapper’s favourite rapper. Few can begrudge Kwame Nsiah-Apau for making
that statement because over the years his music has fueled the emotions
on many.
His lyrics have spoken volumes to the masses and the rhythms he churns out has kept Ghana and the world dancing.
Born on 17th April 1976, the rapper has had an exceptional career and personal life, making him a role model for many.
An
exceptional musician, Kwame has gradually cemented his position as one
of the finest music moguls in Ghana. His philanthropy has transformed
lives and the mention of his name lights up dull souls.
He has so
far released 7 albums (4 while with the group Akyeame and 3 solo) and
is currently working on his next album. As Akyeame, Nyansapo in 1997,
Nkonsonkonson in 1998, Ntoaso in 2000 and Apam Foforo in 2002.
His
solo albums include Bohyeba in 2005, M’anwensem (My Poetry) in 2008 and
The Clinic in 2011. His records were also featured on the Sony Africa
Music Compilation in 2010.
Early Life
Okyeame Kwame comes
from a family of eight, with a father who was an accountant and a mother
who was a teacher. His junior brothers make up the award winning
hiplife group Bradez.
According to Okyeame Kwame, his musical journey began when he was five years old.
“I
remember that my mum taught me a poem when I was in class one. I went
from house to house and I recited the poem so well that everybody in the
neighborhood wanted to hear this five year old tell this poem that he
did not understand. So they picked me from one house to the other and I
developed an affinity to poetry. That type of satisfaction that the poem
gave people made me want to understand poetry more so as early as five I
learned so many indigenous poems. As I grew, I was only interested in
poetry, nothing but poetry so I would take my Twi and English classes
seriously because I had the opportunity to read literature and
understand poetry more.”
Even though Kwame became a ‘neighborhood champion’ early, he had some disappointments ahead of him later in life.
“When I finished form five, I broke my father’s heart because I failed
most of my papers. From 1991, hiphop had became the gem and everybody
had caught the fever…I was small and they used to call me whizz kid. It
was almost impossible for anyone to beat me in a rapping competition. It
was around that time that I realized that the elements that make up RAP
(Rhythmic African Poetry) was the same elements in the poems I loved.”
According
to Okyeame Kwame, he “used to ran from school to go and rap and my dad
would beat me.” Along the line a radio presenter, Lovin Cee, managed to
convince his father to watch him perform. After that, his father
accepted the fact that he was good at what he did and decided to help
him develop his talent.
“I was introduced to a young man called
Lord Marcus who taught me this rap thing properly. Whenever I go to him,
I would ask him the various literary terms like alliterations,
metaphors etc. Before I went to the sixth form I had read so many story
books and I could even speak English. Based on that type of education
and interactions I had with Lord Marcus, I decided to write the exams I
failed again and that made my father so proud.”
They came to
prominence in the early days of hiplife as one of the forces in the
Ghanaian Music Industry. Akyeame was made up of Okyeame Kofi and Okyeame
Kwame. They enjoyed six years of success releasing 4 albums until in
2003, Kwame and his partner in rhyme/close friend, Kofi, decided to try
their hands at solo careers.
According to Okyeame Kwame, Okyeame Kofi was one of the most intelligent guys on the scene when they met.
“His dad was buying cocoa so he travelled to Swedru, Tamale,
everywhere. He was a few month older than me but he was exposed. He
understood Ghana, he could speak languages, he spoke pidgin, he spoke
Hausa, he spoke this, he spoke that. When I met him he was sixteen years
old and had written a book called Rings Don’t Marry. He was an
intelligent guy, he would write the rap and I would go and sing it. It
went on for two year.”
After sixth form Okyeame Kwame failed to
secure admission into any of the universities so he decided to take
music seriously. The industry had been buoyed by Reggie Rockstone’s
revolutionary hiplife.
“When Reggie opened the way we saw we
could do it. But Reggie made a mistake somewhere. He took hiphop beats
and added tight twi raps on it. We were the second group to come out
after Reggie did in 1996 so we were looking for the differentiators. How
were we going to stand out? We decided that Reggie’s thing was
Americanized so let us localize our own so we did a little research into
Dansuomu, Nnwomkro, Highlife music and we took the type of music Reggie
was making, found the exact producer he was using and got him to fuse
it with indigenous elements.”
That was the genesis of Akyeame
which means linguists and that marked the birth of their first album.
They release hiphop music that had true Ghanaian roots.
They
became very popular and rich. They traveled the world and took their
music to a global audience. Unfortunately, they learned so much of the
foreign culture and incorporated it into their music so much that their
third album flopped.
Kwame goes solo
In 2004, he began his
solo career and became an instant success. In 2009, Okyeame Kwame
snatched the much-coveted “Artiste of the Year” in the GMAs.
According
to him, the hardships he went through for three years in the United
States made him think about what he wanted to do and how he would
achieve success.
“When we made money as Akyeame, we didn’t save
and we didn’t plan. As young as we were, failure was difficult so we
moved to America. I washed dishes, I worked in restaurants, I worked at
wholefoods markets and I was going crazy.”
One day there was an issue and he had to walk through thick snow to work and it dawned on him that he had to come back home.
“It
had snowed eleven inches. I was walking, I was cold and I couldn’t feel
my ears, my nose, nothing. So I stopped at under a bridge and I cried. I
prayed and I asked God why he was treating me that way. And God spoke
to me and said ‘you are a fool, I have given you the opportunities, you
were nominated fourteen times. Why are you doing this to yourself in
America?”
When Okyeame Kwame decided to return to Ghana, he was
advised to stay and marry in America to get his green card but he was
bent on moving back to Ghana.
“When I came to Ghana, I had one
one thousand dollars and a plan…My plan was to go solo and start afresh
with a new image. My second plan was to align with all the people who
had held the fort when we were away like Tic Tac, Obrafour, Lord Kenya,
Reggie Rockstone etc. My plan was to put my act on the works of other
acts so that people would notice me so I ended up doing over 270
features with Amakye Dede, Daddy Lumba, everybody. I also realized that
most of the artistes were young and looking hip and I knew for sure that
people didn’t really like those look so I positioned myself as the
gentleman, the aberantie, of the industry with very refined looks.”
He
is currently married to Annica Nsiah-Apau proud father of 2 children
whom he does his best to educate and instill with the same values he
places in his music. Kwame says his wife has been the biggest influence
on him since they met about a decade ago.
“I met her about ten
years ago when I returned from the US. She was so intelligent and so
strong that she pushed me. She urged me to go to school, to be humble,
to be cool and to be a real man. The present Okyeame Kwame you see is a
combination of what I learned from my parents and what my wife wants me
to turn into.”
He founded the Okyeame Kwame Foundation, a
non-governmental organization to administer free Hepatitis B screening,
educate, counsel and create awareness about the disease via
entertainment. He hopes to go beyond just free screening of Hepatitis
but also help to administer free treatment as well.
