Ghanaian rapper OJ Blaq has sadly passed away at the age of 40.
The news of his passing was confirmed by family and close friends of the deceased.
While the exact cause of his demise remains undisclosed, the rapper manfully struggled with a persistent kidney ailment spread over the years.
His demise has left a void in the hearts of fans and colleagues as the news spread across the nation.
In 2021, the artist was confronted with the diagnosis of a kidney ailment, a battle he courageously confronted. Enduring a regimen of dialysis treatment, he awaited the prospect of a kidney transplant. However, the artist passed away on Thursday, August 17, 2023.
In an interview in February last year, OJ Blaq alias ‘The Biggie Boy Lover’ revealed that binge drinking and smoking caused his double kidney failure a few years ago.
OJ Blaq said:
“I totally stopped smoking and drinking, and I started eating more vegetables. Not all vegetables are good for renal patients, it hasn’t been easy switching my diet, but if you really love your life, you have to adapt. It can be life-altering for renal patients when they stop taking their BP drugs as well”.
OJ Blaq
He also advised the youth to prioritize their health and adopt a healthy lifestyle.
“What I want to tell young ones is that they need to check what they eat well. Do a lot of check-ups and eat well. Sometimes, due to ignorance, we are not aware that certain things aren’t good for us, so we need to research the right foods to consume”.
OJ Blaq
Touching on how he found out about his kidney failure, OJ Blaq recalled:
“I had an accident on a motorbike. After that, I started having swells on my feet and I thought it was from the accident, which some doctors told me they were just infections from my accident.
“I attributed all the kidney symptoms to the motor accident I had. I was later diagnosed with kidney failure and put on dialysis when I expressed intense fatigue”.
OJ Blaq
OJ Blaq’s legacy lives on through his music, his roles in entertainment, and the enduring example he set for aspiring artists. His commitment to hard work, dedication to growth, and pursuit of true passion will forever remain an indelible mark in Ghana’s cultural landscape.
How OJ Blaq began his career
OJ Blaq, born Andy Nii Akrashie in Accra, Ghana, embarked on his musical journey during the early 2000s.
His inaugural album, “The Blaq Mixtape”, debuted in 2006, and catapulted him into the limelight. Over the years, he continued to bless the world with a succession of singles, with his chart-topping track “Chalewote” garnering significant acclaim.
OJ Blaq’s immense musical talents were first released to the public on Sydney’s ‘My Sweetie’ track on the famous ‘Abuskeleke’ album.
He began to produce his masterpiece of an album, ‘Galanja’, perfecting his musical skills along the way through personal experiences and collaborations with various artists such as Okyeame Kwame, Tinny, Asem, Richie, Kwaata, Salimi, Dampo, and Diojo, among others.
OJ Blaq was a true entertainer and proved it through his work as a worker, and a radio Dj.
Famed for his distinctive rap technique and incisive social commentary threaded into his verses, OJ Blaq was a multifaceted artist who later switched from rap and hip-hop genre to urban gospel.
The singer said:
“It’s not easy moving from one path to the other. Now I do Christian urban gospel music. My switch to Christian urban music was from my experience with kidney failure, so I decided to do gospel music with the same old rhythm style but different wording because now Christians are different Christians.
“The new generation is not interested in the old style of Christianity but they are my target, they are the souls I want to win”.
OL Blaq
Beyond his musical prowess, he enjoyed popularity, gracing the screens of Ghanaian cinema and television productions notably in the popular Ghanaian television series ‘Sun City’.
Nii Akrashie was the only son of his mother who was a single parent.
