{"id":51646,"date":"2020-05-27T14:48:00","date_gmt":"2020-05-27T12:48:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pan-african-music.com\/?p=51646"},"modified":"2020-09-27T13:21:52","modified_gmt":"2020-09-27T11:21:52","slug":"kwesi-arthur-profile","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pan-african-music.com\/en\/kwesi-arthur-profile\/","title":{"rendered":"The dazzling rise of Ghana\u2019s black star, Kwesi Arthur"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In five short years, Ghana\u2019s young hip-hop phenomenon experienced a swift ascension into the popular sphere. PAM met with Kwesi Arthur, as polite and cheerful as ever, despite his ferocious status within rap.<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

In 2010, in the city of Tema, outside Accra – Ghana, a friend made Emmanuel Kwesi Danso Arthur listen to Drake\u2019s Thank Me Later <\/em>album. Still in high school, the young man tells his friend: \u201cyo chale (dude)\u2026 I think I can do this too<\/em>\u201d. 10 years later, Kwesi Arthur is a massive rap phenomenon in Ghana and West Africa. Today, the youth sing his hits like anthems in Twi and pidgin, he flies to the US for the BET awards and collaborates with West Africa’s finest (Mr Eazi, Santi, Stonebwoy\u2026). PAM had a chat with Kwesi Arthur, always smiling and polite but definitely the fiercest of his country when it comes to rap.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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An artist molded in the city of Tema<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI was born in Tema and spent my whole life there<\/em>\u201d, the young artist smiles proudly at our first question. Tema and its vibrant atmosphere are at the centre of Kwesi Arthur\u2019s music, filled with references to his beloved Community 9. A city with only 300 thousand inhabitants,\u00a0 it is known for its huge industrial port complex, but more importantly, it is home to some of Ghana\u2019s greatest artists, from \u201cRap King\u201d Sarkodie to the iconic hiplife duo R2Bees. Kwesi Arthur is clearly on his way to join this Tema hall of fame, and he\u2019s never forgotten where he came from. His growth in this former fishing village may have been tough, but the rapper mostly remembers the fun of his childhood: \u201cbesides school, we played all the time. We would play in the sand, go to the football park, look for mangos, push tires in the streets\u2026 It was super cool<\/em>\u201d. He admits, however, that there were hard times too: \u201cat that time, honestly, it could have been better. Sometimes we couldn\u2019t feed ourselves, and it was always hard to pay the school fees”. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Kwesi is an optimist and a pragmatic person, and throughout the interview, he refuses to portray himself as a victim of any sort. The challenges he faced in Tema are immediately swept aside, \u201ceverything happens for a reason<\/em>\u201d, he claims. \u201cIf I wasn\u2019t in that situation during my childhood, I wouldn\u2019t be where I am right now, have the thoughts I have, be able to be who I am. It wasn\u2019t really challenging<\/em>\u201d. His father used to do electrical repairs and work on radio sets, so the family house’s day-to-day was filled with music from the Ghanaian radio: Kojo Antwi, Amakye Dede\u2026 \u201cand I had an uncle in the house who used to play DMX<\/em>\u201d, Kwesi laughs at the musical contrast. \u201cAnd 2Pac and Biggie too!<\/em>\u201d. When he completed Secondary School in Tema, his results were blocked because of unpaid school fees which prevented him from registering at the University of Ghana (Accra). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But once again, his pragmatism helped him quickly move on. \u201cI would have wanted to study, but there was no money for that! So I just made use of what I had. There was this studio at Community 9. I went to the owner and I told him to employ me to manage the place. He employed me, taught me how to record people, how to record beats and stuff<\/em>\u201d. This proactive attitude is clearly a feature garnered from the Tema lifestyle. \u201cIt\u2019s not that easy to find a job here<\/em>\u201d, Kwesi explains to me. \u201cAnd even if you find a job, they pay like 100 dollars a month which is very bad. So most people just usually start up their own thing to make money<\/em>\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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From the neighborhood to the world<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

In 2015 Kwesi met Ground Up Chale, which became a decisive encounter for his career. He describes it as a Ghanaian \u201cplatform helping talented people be whoever they can be<\/em>\u201d. The group owns a powerful Youtube channel and a recording studio. The rapper quickly started to hang out with them, and they helped him \u201cdevelop his craft\u201d. It isn\u2019t difficult to see that Ground Up is something that Kwesi holds dear. At the time, it was a young, dynamic and ambitious Tema organization determined to make themselves heard, just like young Kwesi working in the studio. Even today, known across the country, he tries to give back the help he received from Ground Up: \u201cit is my responsibility as someone who has a following to help others as well. So if I like a video, I\u2019ll just push it where I can<\/em>\u201d. Only counting on themselves, Ground Up and Kwesi start bombarding social media with freestyles, in a country where one of the major channels to popularity is the radio. Again, an example of Tema pragmatism: \u201cwe didn\u2019t have plugs at the radio. Social media is the future, everyone is on it. You might as well make good use of it<\/em>\u201d. In 2017, on the group\u2019s Youtube channel, the single \u201cGrind Day\u201d was released and became Kwesi\u2019s major breakthrough. The track is a powerful and ambitious, often described as a \u201cmotivational video\u201d. \u201cI just went all in<\/em>\u201d, Kwesi tells me with a big smile. Six months later, it got a remix with rap heavyweights Sarkodie and Medikal.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The period that followed is both difficult and exciting. The young artist didn\u2019t work at the studio anymore and earned occasional income by recording other artists. It was only when asked that he admits the difficulty of the time: \u201cIt wasn\u2019t easy at all. Sometimes I would see my friends in school and the progress they were making in their life, but I was still in the streets”. Once again, \u201ceverything happens for a reason. And if you want something, you need to sacrifice”. His efforts were soon rewarded. He released his first EP \u201cLive from Nkrumah Krom\u201d in June 2017, a widely successful project. It had a huge impact in Ghana, and managed to cross transcontinental borders. In June 2018, Kwesi Arthur became the youngest Ghanaian artist to be nominated for a BET Award. With a big smile, the rapper recalls this experience: \u201cIt was a great feeling. We went all the way over there, and it taught me a lot. I still need to put more in who I am.\u201d. Rap is currently one of the major genres on the continent, and we can ask ourselves if it still really means something to be \u201cvalidated\u201d by America. \u201cIf that comes in as well, it\u2019s good for us. The more the people, the better it is”, he explains. \u201cThat\u2019s the goal: get our sound global. They are definitely going to recognize us soon\u201d. Who does he actually want to reach with his music? \u201cOh, the world\u201d, he laughs. \u201cThe world\u201d.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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