Feature: Former Lynx Entertainment signees now struggling artistes

Lynx Entertainment, one of the contemporary media production outfits in Ghana rose to prominence in 2007 when they unleashed new faces and talents unto the Ghanaian music scene, primarily producing Hip Hop & R&B styled tracks.

The main man behind the Lynx Entertainment success story in the public domain is the man Richie Mensah who was synonymous with the slogan, “you know the name right”.

A young Richie took Ghana by storm with his young record label, and within a short time he was a household name. His ability to sing and also produce incredible instrumentals which well suits the type of song he’s producing made him stand tall.

He personally churned out great R&B influenced songs with a blend of contemporary highlife such as Frema making his music generally accepted among music lovers. He did not do it alone but with the help of talented rapper Asem.

Together they released some of the finest collaborations the music scene experienced such as When I Get U and currently being missed. They paved way for a new breath of fresh ideas and style of music that we are currently enjoying.

Lynx Entertainment instantly became the toast of every upcoming act and also existing acts who needed a revamp for their music and brand as a whole. They signed on new acts such as Eazzy, O.J. Blaq, Zigi, and Irene Logan. However, contrary to the expected or better still not so surprisingly, they fell out as most artistes and their managers end up.

The reasons vary from one artiste to the other. However, the hard fact is that the fallout has not been favourable for these acts who were once ‘Lynx Entertainment Soldiers’. They are not as appealing as they used to be when they were with Lynx Entertainment as their popularity has somewhat dwindled.

Asem

Asem jumped on the music scene with his famous hit track Give Me Blow produced by Richie of Lynx Entertainment. His style of rap was so catchy that the youth embraced him. He also revolutionized a trend of rap which the current rappers are following. Asem simply made rap appealing and his lyrics worth paying attention to that he was featured on many songs. His ability to fuse English with Twi and Pidgin English made his verses impressive not forgetting his witty and somewhat suggestive lyrics which he carelessly delivered. However, the love story between Asem and Lynx Entertainment came to an abrupt end shortly after his controversial rape saga.

Eazzy

Eazzy, considered as the first lady of Lynx Entertainment, she came out with a steamy, saucy and daring image of a female rapper with an attitude. She was the only female rapper signed to the label at the time. Richie produced great beats for her songs and she delivered well on them. Her debut single B? Wonsem Mame was not an average start but Wengeze made her blow up. She also left Lynx Entertainment on an unexpected note. Even though she’s moved on to work with production houses, she is not as popular as she was with Lynx Entertainment.

O.J. Blaq

O.J. Blaq before joining Lynx Entertainment was an actor who had gained some popularity on screen for his involvement with the campus based series Suncity. His huge physique and well-kept beard gave him an artistic look already so it was not difficult to sell his image as a rapper. His lively nature also aided in making his very short music popularity worthwhile during his working days with the ‘hitman’ Richie. He had the flare for rap but not without some assistance from fellow label mate Asem who wrote a couple of songs for him. He left Lynx Entertainment eventually and his music career has been missing and it is yet to be found.

Zigi

He was considered the Prince of Lynx Entertainment when he joined the label in 2009. He had an executive outward appearance usually seen in suit and tie. He released his debut album The Prince of Pop in 2011. He had a promising and impressive start as he chalked three nominations at the 2012 Ghana Music Awards for ‘Best New Artiste of the Year’, ‘Afro-Pop Song of the Year’ and ‘Most Popular Song of the Year’. He went on to win the award for ‘Afro-Pop Song of the Year’ with You Say Wetin. After the fallout between him and Lynx Entertainment, Zigi is currently struggling to bounce back to his once sudden fame. I recently gathered that he is planning to record the remix of You Say Wetin, a song he released about four years ago and is likely to feature rapper Kofi Kinaata.

Irene Logan

After winning the maiden edition of ‘Stars of The Future’ and recording a joint album with second runner-up, Jane (now Efya), Irene Logan’s first major hit single was Runaway which featured Asem. After leaving Lynx Entertainment she has done well for herself as an artiste but not as vibrant as she was when she was with the aforementioned record label.

Currently, Lynx Entertainment has one notable signee in the person of MzVee who is making waves as all these other artistes used to when they were with the label. This goes to prove that Lynx Entertainment has the Midas touch when it comes to artiste management and development.

Richie Mensah in a recent interview stated that he is not willing to work with any artiste for now but is solely concentrating on MzVee. Could there be a Lynx Entertainment reunion if he finally decides to work with other artistes again?