All 4 Real Opens 4Reez Music School

To many people, there is nothing more satisfying than to give back to society what one has taken. And that's exactly how Ofori Amponsah a.k.a. Mr. All 4 Real feels upon opening a school which aims at training musicians in various aspects of music making.

The school, 4Reez Westside Music Academy, located at Asafo a suburb of Accra, train people in sound mixing, engineering process, and voice training among others.

Talking to Graphic Showbiz, Ofori Amponsah said the course duration is six months and students will go through three stages to complete. "At the first stage, the students will be introduced to general knowledge in music.

They will then go through voice training and machine operation. How well a student performs in the first two stages will determine his promotion to the final stage. After completion, executive producers will be contracted for the students", he added.

He said the school currently has four students who are taking practical lessons from him at the recently built studio. "The four currently under my tutelage are Kofi B, The Camp, Chorus and Richie'.

Ofori Amponsah said he decided to establish the school to ease the struggles up and coming musicians go though to come out with their works.

"I really went through a lot before I came out with my debut in 1993. Although I was talented I wouldn't have made it without the help of Charles Kwadwo Fosu a.k.a. Daddy Lumba. And this is exactly what I don't want to happen to up and coming musicians".

"It was very difficult for me in those days and nobody was ready to listen to me. I had to roam from place to the other in search of manager, producer and a director. I even got tired at a point in time but with perseverance. I was able to make it. I don't want the younger generation to face such problems. I therefore took this opportunity given to me by God to save more talents from drowning".

Ofori Amponsah who swept seven awards including the prestigious Song of the Year and Producer of the Year Awards at the recently Ghana Music Awards said he hopes his school will go a long way to help boost the standard of music in the country.

Mr All 4 Real was born Samuel Ofori Amponsah on March 2, 1974 to Mr. Johnson Kwado Ofori Amponsah and Mrs. Georgina Ofori Amponsah.

He started formal education at Agogo Practice School when he was five. His mother who was a trained teacher knew her son had a special gift.

Ofori Amponsah said he loved reading and listening to stories. "My mother even thought I would be poet. But when I began showing the musical traits in me, she got skeptical thinking I may go wayward. I was always practising my break dance and imitating Michael Jackson doing the Thriller".

At age 13, Ofori Amponsah enrolled at the Konongo Odumasi Secondary School. It was at that point that young Ofori Amponsah started translating his poems into songs and his mates turned their spoons into drum sticks to generate beats for songs like 'Anti Ataa'. This song became a hit on Daddy Lumba's 'Woho Kyere' album on which he featured. In 1993, the first term of upper six, he was dismissed from school for skipping classes.

"I skipped classes because of music. You will not understand why I did that but you see, I just love music. I love singing but my superiors would not allow me to perform at functions even when I asked for permission", he added.

After featuring on Daddy Lumba's album, Ofori Amponsah went solo in 2001 with 'Asew' and wrote most of the songs that came out on Kofi B's 'Moborowa' album and has never looked back since. He has performed and has written 50 songs in five years.

Ofori Amponsah is married with four children - Serena, Wesley, Lydia and Ekua Ofori.