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Music of Monday, 18 February 2008

Source: ghanamusic.com

Okyeame Kwame tells all

Okyeame Kwame is the name he response to in the world of showbiz and entertainment. His official name is Kwame Nsiah Apaw and has been in the entertainment industry for eleven solid years. Okyeame Kwame is a very conscious, open, intelligent young man who has not being doing very badly for himself since he chose to do music as a profession and a career.


This 32year old guy is an ex-member of the group called Akyeame comprising of Okyeame Quophi and himself. He is now known as a solo artiste who believes he has to do everything all by himself and take the consequences in its aftermath alone.


Showghana’s Ignatious Annor caught up with him at his residence in Accra.


The Rap Doctor as he now calls himself says challenges that have confronted him in the industry are so enormous and according to him, his biggest challenge was about management. He further explained that managing an artiste in Ghana is a very hectic experience because one has to do so much to live like a celebrity and a star.


When asked why he wanted to go solo, he said “basically you grow up to a stage where you have to take charge of your destiny and be prepared to take whatever comes in good faith after the consequences of decisions you take, be it good or bad”.


I asked him what he thinks about the entertainment industry in Ghana particularly when it comes to music and he said, “Basically we have come of age but we still have a long way to go”. He further said, “Take it for instance that we have about ten or so universities in Ghana, private and public, and nobody is teaching music engineering or music marketing as a discipline so I think we still have a long way to go”.


The Rap Doctor has collaborated with some of the nation’s finest artiste such as Tinny, Tic Tac, Nana Acheampong and Daddy Lumba.


On his educational background he said, “I attended Anglican Secondary School, after which I did my sixth form at SDA and later read classical music at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology.


His advice to the up and coming artiste is to seek and find knowledge and after finding the knowledge “use it for the benefit of the society in which they find themselves.”


His role models are Jesus Christ, Bob Marley, and Nelson Mandela.