Captain Planet Discussing Possible Duet Album With Babashanti

Producer and singer, Nana King is preparing for what he describes as ?a hostile takeover of the Ghanaian music industry?. After several years on the quite, King, who is the CEO of Ashanti International, says he will soon step back in the fray.

Nana King, who shot himself to fame with his hit album ?Champion? in 2001/2002, is almost ready to release two albums simultaneously in the next few months.

The albums (with about forty tracks in total) are due to be launched to coincide with Ghana?s 50th independence anniversary celebrations. ?Slave no more? will target the local market and ?Never say die? has been produced for the international scene.

The albums feature a number of collaborations with the likes of Mac Tonto of Osibisa fame, Batman, Tinny, Kwao Kesse and Ex-Doe. King also plays some gospel tunes on the albums, featuring the Youth Choir of the Dansoman Exhibition Assemblies of God Church.

Apart from working on his album, Nana King and Ashanti International are also producing a movie due to premier by the end of this year. ?By Christmas you?re going to see what movie making is all about,? Nana King says.

Sitting in his dark studio in Dansoman and watching one of his newest and ?tightest? music videos -- ?Akroma? -- the Kinino (as he?s sometimes called) told JIVE that Ghana?s music industry is almost dead ?considering the fact that anyone can go to any ?gee? place and record any crap and call it music.?

?Industry is a standard. If you?re mixed and your music is not to a standard, you?re not played in America because they don?t care how much money you have?, he says. ?We don?t have a music industry and if you think we have a music industry, you?re wrong. Most of what we hear on radio is wack.?

He explained that he and his company (Ashanti International) decided to lay low for a while to enable them concentrate on developing strategies to ?go international?.

?We want to take artistes in Ghana and push them out.? Already, he says, he?s been working with big international superstars such as Akon and Nigerian actress, Omotola on some projects.

Nana King, whose music career took off in the United States, plays more than a dozen musical instruments. He started Ashanti International in Los Angeles, California. The company?s headquarters relocated to Accra in 1998 when his father passed away. Nana King says Akyeame, VIP, Ex-Doe, Felix Owusu, Dasebre Dwamena, Batman, Kokoveli and K.K. Fosu are a few of the big names who can trace their beginnings to Ashanti International.