Celebrated Ghanaian rapper, Kwame Nsiah-Apau, popularly known as Okyeame Kwame, has revealed his best friend in the music industry to be Kuami Eugene.
Speaking in an interview on a Kumasi-based radio station, Okyeame Kwame named Highlife and afrobeat musician, Kuami Eugene as his best friend.
According to the ‘Rap Doctor’, Kuami Eugene, a few months ago in an interview revealed that he [Okyeame Kwame] is his best friend, and as a result, he said also that Kuami Eugene is his best friend.
“About three months ago, Kuami Eugene went for an interview and they asked him, his best friend in the industry and he said Okyeame Kwame. So now, Kuami Eugene is my best friend”.
He went on to disclose that they talk regularly, and added that Kwame Eugene reminds him of himself, and further lauded Eugene for the zeal he has.
“I talk to him all the time and I see a lot of me in him. He is young, about half my age, and has the energy that I envy. He moves, sings, and is also passionate and driven by what he does”.
In the same vein, Okyeame Kwame advised young and upcoming artistes, to tame the excitement they use in making music. He noted that the excitement sometimes causes them to use some uncensored and radio unfriendly words in their music.
Explaining why he is big on censoring his songs, which is free of indecent language, Okyeame Kwame said: “I am a family brand now, and people are always going to listen to my songs in their cars with their kids. If I don’t censor my songs, and myself as an artist, people will also turn off the music when they hear such words. These are some of the sacrifices that we make”.
He posited that instead of using vivid descriptions, and some radio-unfriendly words, artists should learn to use ‘coded’ languages and terms, so these messages get to the intended public. He revealed that his latest single with Kuami Eugene tilted, ‘Yeeko’ was censored as he had to restrain himself from using some not-so-radio-friendly words.
Citing highlife legends, Amakye Dede, Daddy Lumba, and Kojo Antwi as some of the senior members he met in the Ghanaian music scene who he has learned from, Okyeame Kwame said these music legends had a way of turning radio-unfriendly music into a very friendly one and people enjoyed the music. However, the upcoming artists don’t take into consideration some of these censored words.
“We came immediately after Daddy Lumba, Amakye Dede, and Kojo Antwi. For instance, Amakye Dede and all of these ‘Greats’ do songs, and decently describe women and their fantasies, with us still jamming to their songs. But, the young ones of today will just say, and use the words in its raw nature.
“But since we are coming off the back of Amakye Dede and all these people, we try to censor our lyrics”.
The ‘Made- in-Ghana’ ambassador reiterated that musicians need to examine thoroughly the kind of words they use in their music so it becomes radio-friendly as it is a necessary sacrifice.
Read also: HIGHLIFE MIGHT BECOME AN ALTERNATIVE MUSIC – TRIGMATIC
