Part 2 of the Okyeame Kwame interview
Part 1 at this link

Museke: What is the inspiration behind the songs you write?
OK: There are two schools of thought. It is a combo of education and inspiration. The journalist writes his mind, and as writers, there is a social responsibility to radiate thinking in people through sarcasm, satires, etc. I don’t feel I’m here to amuse people, I must give hope through music. In Mesan aba, I said “wo tumtum sE oyuo”. Oyuo is very, very black. It is a small line but when you dissect it, it elevates our women. We are discouraging skin bleaching while we glorify fair women. This is an artistes’ job to bring a good image. Set our minds right as Africans.

Museke: Still on Opabeni, you said “mene (I am the) Hiplife Nana Ampadu. Mete rap sE deE Professor Allotey te nwoma no” (I know rap like Prof Allotey knows Maths). Tell us about rap poetry.
OK: My new album is called M’awensem – my poetry. A lot of people have not paid attention to rap music because it wasn’t started by the academia. Professors, etc think of hip-life as ghetto, or ‘drop out music’. My main motive here is to take the ghetto music and give it to the discerning. KNUST took one of my poems for the second year literature class. My rap verse on Mesan aba was chosen. I used the stanza (poetry) format on the songs, I rap for four lines and then start another one. It gives it a more poetry look.

Museke: When is it being released?
OK: It was supposed to be released before the African Cup of Nations in Ghana, and then Manuel (Junior) Agogo came to town. All the girls were/are focusing on Agogo, you can’t fight for their attention now. It will come out in two weeks’ time.

Museke: What are some of the songs on the album?
OK: Kwame Ghana, Mmere, Odo nkyen, Tutu, Medo mmaa nanso mempe mmaa. I’ll be releasing two songs as singles, probably Kwame Ghana and Medo mmaa.

Museke: The album is gonna deep o!
OK: This is the deepest thing I’ve done so far.

Museke: What are you studying at Tech?
OK: I am studying Akan and Sociology. I am studying Akan because I can’t help the poor if I’m not one of them. If I’m part of the academia then I can convince them to look. If the lecturers decide to organize seminars for hip-life, they can find lyricists. I want to get a certificate for what I’m doing. Studying sociology bcuz as a musician you are a social commentator. I am in my 2nd year and it is the best experience. I’ve been in the limelight for a long time. I work against deadlines, assignments; conformity. I like the way they make me conform.

Museke: You seem to be the one of the most wanted hiplife artistes, how are you enjoying the popularity?
OK: It is not why I’m here, it is not my orientation. It has its hazards. You can go hungry bcuz you can’t go get yoke gari. You must keep high profile, and it is expensive. You must begin to drive the X5’s for them to accept you into their class (the big boys). Even if you have the opportunity to dine with kings, you must still maintain the heart of a slave. Bob Marley was dating a Miss World but still went to the ghetto to play football with his friends.

Museke: Have you been approached by foreign labels and are you distributing your music outside Ghana?
OK: This album was done with Ghana in mind, but after this album, my next one would target the English speaking African countries like Nigeria and Liberia. The rhythms would touch Francophone countries. West Africans are from the same family. The rhythm is part of our heartbeats. I am hoping to put the marketing in place before I records songs for them.

Museke: What challenges do you face in the Ghanaian music industry?
OK: Our music is not reliable, affordable and available. Reliable - you buy a CD with just one nice song so why buy it? Affordable - production cost of a CD is less than 1 Ghana Cedi, but they are being sold at 6GhC. We should cut down on the greed and sell it at 2GhC. Available – the conventional distribution channels in Ghana are Kantamanto and Kejetia. We must distribute music like we distribute key soap. The people running the industry are not smart. We should take the music everywhere. We must sell the music like we sell dog chains. When the music finds you, you buy one. Most of the hiplife producers have folded up – Goodies, Agiecoat, Slip Music, Precise, Frimprince, etc. They don’t do it anymore because of payola. You have to pay 1 miilion cedis to deejays before they play your music. There are 29 radio stations in Kumasi alone, imagine paying money to 10 DJs at each station. No producer was making profit. That’s why you can’t find the CDs.

Museke: What about gospel songs? They seem to be selling well.
OK: Gospel songs are on TV for awhile, the musicians perform at churches and then the market is made. Nas said once, “If you wake up one day and hip hop is dead, I’ll drive to the radio stations…. The government must make payola illegal.
Even with the TV channel, the musicians have diminishing returns. They are losing money but they do not know about it. You pay 7 million for 1 month rotation at Metro TV, 6 million at TV3, 5 at GTV, and 3 at TVAfrica. It is free at Net2 now. Only in Ghana do musicians pay money to TV stations to get videos aired. That’s why the music is so whack, there is no screening. Even the Ministry of Culture doesn’t have music. There is no budget for entertainment.

Museke: Talking about politics, recently the NPP presidential candidate, Akufo Addo met musicians, what is your take on that?
OK: When did he ever tell people to invest in Ghana’s music industry? He called musicians (and gave us some coke) because he wants us to vote for him.

Museke: What is in the future of your (Ghanaian) music?
OK: My art is very product based. James Bond’s movies of 15 years ago had futuristic things. African arts (music, movies, etc) do not project into our future. Look at the Jetsons, they have cars flying. We are not looking into the future. That is why industrialization has eluded us. Shakespeare said, “he who reads too much and doesn’t listen to music, that is my enemy”. Put the constitution in a song and let Kojo Antwi do it, everyone would know about it. I want to go into more futuristic stuff. Songs about love, after 50 years, when you have replaced your hip bones, and lost your teeth, talk about the kind of love I’ll have for you.

Museke: How can Ghanaian music expand and sell outside?
OK: I always have this conversation with Reggie. We must make the music Ghanaian, and it’s not even about the language. When you listen to Fela’s music, it is African, you can hear it in there. I don’t think we have to put hip hop in our music. Before we can take our music go up there and hit, it must be African.
We need better marketing.
We also need education, because before our music can reach the international standards, our musicians must be conscious of what we are doing and be focused. The song ‘Alhaji’ is every rhythm that lives in your heart. No one came to promote it. It is agbadza, kpatsa, etc. All those who’ve made it, kept it African – Angelique Kidjo, Salif Keita, Fela Kuti, Youssou Ndour, etc.

Museke: A few musicians who may not have kept in African have made it though. Look at 2Face Idibia. What about MTV, Channel O, etc?
OK: On any given day, Wyclef would outclass 2Face. But you can’t really compare Salif Keita and Michael Jackson, they are equally good.

Museke: What is up with your DVD project?
OK: I am making a video compilation and documentary called My world. I would feature music videos from myself and Akyeame.

Museke: Do you have any present engagements and works other than music?
OK: I direct videos; I directed the ‘One gallon’ video (Bradez). I spend most of my time with my fiancée (Anika), she’s very smart. I siphon intelligence out of her. I am not trying to break my back. I am sticking to the script. Somewhere in 2008, I plan to shoot a documentary type of success story on hiplife.

Museke: What are your hobbies and pastimes?
OK: I like watching movies, and I write a lot. I am coming up with a book called ‘my poetry’. I love to be by my love’s side. I also like the company of cool intelligent people. I write articles but don’t publish them, I think as a musician I don’t have the moral right to write about music. Agogo has taken all the girls.

Museke: Do you have a website?
OK: I used to have a website – it was a photo gallery. Looking forward to having one.

Museke: Give us your Parthian shot. (word to fans, etc)
OK: Knowledge, seek it. Get knowledge. Use it for the benefit of everybody. Let’s find knowledge; African people we need it. I want to be an ambassador for people to go to school. People should not be scared but should go to school no matter what age they are. I stayed at home for 11 years after my 6th form.