"Oboy Sikaâ" - the new breed in hip-high music

His real name is Samuel Nana Kofi Kwakye but that name appears to have been overshadowed by what his fans call him, ‘Oboy Sika’.

The 30-year-old Ghanaian artiste, based in Italy and partly in Ghana is carving a name for himself among the Ghanaian community in Italy and his fans back home in Ghana and as he tells me Italians are embracing his music and has been performing at their Shows.

My first contact with him was 2 years ago when the Ghanaians community in Italy celebrated their country’s 50th year of Independence. At one of the events in the city Vicenza, he put up a show that was received by the audience with a loud applause. Since then he’s been performing at the Big Shows of the Ghanaian communities in Italy.

When I met him recently, he was comfortably at his home in Modena putting some pieces together for a new album. He prefers not to disclose his home town in Ghana when I insisted saying: “I’m a Ghanaian. Politics can divide people, when you say I come from this city or that town people begin to strike the differences and draw conclusions. I was born somewhere, raised somewhere else and helped at another place. Simple put, I’m a Ghanaian,” he repeated.

The soft spoken artiste marked with a ‘rasta’ hair pointed out he started from a humble beginning with music at the age of 15 and it has been through some rough edges along the line trying to establish himself till he came to Italy 7 years ago. “Coming abroad has broadened my knowledge in music, there is a lot to be learnt and now I look at music from a different perspective. Sad to say, but the Ghanaian artiste abroad is not given much recognition in Ghana so I go to Ghana twice or thrice a year trying to establish myself there,” he says.

What about his brand of music – hip-high? And he has this to say: “In the 50’s and 60’s Ghanaians’ music was centred on what they call ‘highlife’ which has faded into the brand of hip-life music, in the form of rap music. Hip-high cuts across both. I want to there for all those who enjoy the old highlife and people who goes with the hip-life.”

As I delved into his family history he told me all his family like music but none of them came out as musicians. His favourite singer was Tracy Chapman in those early years whilst on the local scene in Ghana Nana Acheampong and Reggy Rockstone are his mentors. And he recalls his first album in 2003 which was inspired by Nana Acheampong.

Where was your biggest Show so far? I enquired. “It was in Germany during the Ghana@50 celebration,” he replied. “After a series of Shows in Italy I went to Dusseldorf with Nana Acheampong and a host other artistes. It was a tremendous success, I was surprised by the outpouring of appreciation I received after the event. Have also performed in big concerts with Sydney, Dada K.D., Ben Brako, Kyekyire Kwame Appiah, Ofori Amponsah at Vicenza, Pordenone, Modena and Udine,” he mentioned.

‘Oboy Sika’ who looks shy off stage, during the interview disagreed with the men of God (Pastors) who see musicians that are not gospel artistes as out of the world: “They often don’t listen to the message in some of these songs, the mere fact that an artiste sings hip-life, reggae songs makes then see us as not helping in the course of bringing people into the kingdom of God,” he hits back and went on: “they have to delve deep to know the meaning and message being put across.”

He said he is a religious person and doesn’t go on stage to perform without spending some time with God in prayers. “I sing to bring people together, songs that express love and care for one another and this is my contribution to bring peace to people”.

With 3 albums to his credit and working on the fourth, the Ghanaian artiste has a message for the up and coming youths: “If you have a talent, you need to be humble and submissive to succeed with what you have, and adds: “I hope to portray Ghanaians’ music on the international stage”.

But what is the secret behind the name ‘Oboy Sika’? He threw his head backwards as if recollecting the past and responded: “My name Kwakye is synonymous to ‘money’ (called ‘sika’ in the local Akan dialet in Ghana). They use to say: ‘Kwakye nkankyen adiea ye fe, ye de sika na eye ‘which can literally be translated as, ‘things that you see at the road side are beautiful but it’s money they use to make them. ‘Nkankyen adiea’ refers to the road side things which Kwakye (‘sika’ -money) has done. As a little boy I moved along with the elderly ones and they call me ‘Oboy’, so those two words fused together gave me the name, ‘Oboy Sika’, he explained.

DVDs of his European tours will be out soon and fans should look out for his finest clips. Contacts for his 3 albums can be made at the following: Italy +39 - 389 1572 368 or +39 - 348 6961 688 or +39 - 329 7952 775 Wayosi Music Ltd. UK +44 - 794 9524 2515 Holland Q-Music Ent. +31 - 204 160 030 Ghana Kwakye Music +233 - 246 706 507 - Reggie Tagoe in Modena, Italy.