Kwame Nsiah-Apau (born 17 April 1976),[1] known by his stage name Okyeame Kwame and nicknamed Rap Doctor,[2][3][4] is a Ghanaianmusician, songwriter, creative director and a Developmental Activist.[5] His dual roles as an artist and an activist have led to his recognition as an "artivist."[6]
Apau was born in Kumasi, Ashanti Region of Ghana. He is the third of six siblings. His two younger brothers, Kwaku Nsiah Boamah nicknamed "Flowking Stone" and Kwaku Nsiah Amankwah nicknamed "Kunta Kinte", also perform as a duo, under the brand name "Bradez".[7] Growing up, Kwame's parents expected him to become a physician, yet he gained interest in rap music from a very young age, when he wrote his own songs and performed at local shows since his days at the Anglican Senior High School in Kumasi.[8] His Primary education was difficult because he suffered from dyslexia, which posed challenges for him in learning, particularly in the areas of reading and writing.[9] Based on his childhood experiences, he has been actively promoting the inclusion of dyslexia management in the school curriculum in Ghana.[10]
Tertiary education
Kwame is a product of Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology where he studied Akan and Sociology for his first degree with formal education in music under the tutelage of Dr Daniel Amponsah a.k.a. Agya Koo Nimo. Agya Koo Nimo taught him Classical Guitar and Philosophy in African Music. Subsequently, he enrolled at the University of Ghana and graduated in 2016 with a master's degree in Strategic Marketing.[11]
He is also an associate co-opted member of the Chartered Institute of Marketing Ghana in recognition of his professional use of marketing in creative arts.[12]
Music career
In 1997, he achieved notoriety as a member of the "Akyeame" hiplife duo, together with fellow Ghanaian Daniel Kofi Amoateng (under the stage name Okyeame Kofi). They recorded together the albums, "Nyansapo" ("Witty Knot", 1997), "Nkonsonkonson" ("Shackles", 1998), "Ntoaso" ("Continuity", 2000) and "Apam Foforo" ("New Testament", 2002). He performed a solo under his own record label "One Mic Entertainment", since they parted in 2004.[13][14] He also featured some renowned Ghanaianhighlife and hiplife artists like Daddy Lumba, Kojo Antwi and Ofori Amponsah.[15][16]
For declaring himself B.R.A (Best Rapper Alive) in a song he recorded after winning Ghana Music Awards Artist of the Year award in 2009, Okyeame Kwame sparked a conflict with fellow Ghanaian rapper Obrafour, who saw himself more deserving. This resulted in one of the most memorable feuds the Ghanaian music scene has seen, with Obrafour challenging Okyeame Kwame to a rap battle on the streets which was never honored. In 2011, after Obrafour had apologized for his actions, Okyeame Kwame explained he declined Obrafour's challenge because there was no need for it at the time, as winning Artist of the Year was vindictive enough.[17]
Okyeame Kwame has made significant contributions to education and scholarship promotion. His rap lyrics (which incorporate didactic themes, social consciousness and poetry) are being studied in some Ghanaian universities.
He is an advocate for the incorporation of researchers into the music industry to provide expert perspectives and data within the field.[18]
Style
Most of Okyeame Kwame's raps and songs are performed in the Twi dialect of Ghana's Akan language. However, due to his diversity, he also performs songs in English. His stage name Okyeame chosen to reflect his lyrical fluidity means "linguist (of the royal court)" in his native Akan.[19]
His ability to also perform other music genres, including hip-hop, reggae, highlife, R&B, jazz, and others, has garnered him the title "Mr. Versatile."[20]
Significant Music Events
Aside from musical performances, Kwame launched "The Versatile Show" in 2012, produced by himself and performed biannually at the National Theatre. He incorporates poetry, drama, and music in this theatrical production.[21][22][23][24]
In 2016, Kwame and his wife initiated another event called "Flaunt Your Lover." The purpose of this event was to provide a platform for couples to come together and celebrate love.[25]
Other Events
From 2019 to the present, Okyeame has been organizing the Hiplife Party, an annual event with the objective of evoking nostalgia and preserving the hiplife heritage.[26] Additionally, Ok Stripped was initiated in 2016 as a fundraising initiative for the Ghana Paralympic Team and to support his hepatitis B vaccination program.[27]
Business career
Kwame runs his own record label, OK Music previously One Mic Entertainment and the defunct Firm Bridges Communications, co-founded with his wife,.[28] The record label has overseen the production and management of artists such as Morris Devoice, Rex Omar, Bradez, Tattoo, Ben Brako, Kofi B, and other music talents in Ghana.
He is also partner in the shoe manufacturing company Horseman Shoes[29] plus a partner to Sante's Hair for Kids, a hairline business that produces local hair products for kids with his daughter as the Brand Ambassador.[30]
In May 2021, Okyeame Kwame and his wife launched two books, Finding a lasting love relationship and maintaining a lasting love relationship under the Love Locked Down series.[31][32] which are both guide books to healthy relationships.
Tourism
In 2023, Kwame was bestowed with a national award by the Ministry of Tourism, Arts, and Culture for his contributions to the tourism industry.[33] His "Made in Ghana" album, a collaborative effort with the Ghana Tourism Authority in 2019, was an initiative aimed at fostering a sense of nationalism and promoting tourism.[34]
He has also collaborated with Adansi Travel and Tour, in a bid to enriching local and international tours, with a special focus on families.[35]
On his 47th birthday in 2023, Kwame unveiled his merchandise boxer shorts label named ''Love Equation''.[36]
Kwame was chosen to serve as the ambassador for the "My African Union, My Voice" campaign in 2015, which was launched by the African Union in Addis Ababa as part of the "State of the Union" (SoTU) project, which is currently being carried out in several African nations, including Ghana. The campaign's declaration intends to raise public awareness of the African Union's goals and to encourage active citizen participation in the Union's member states' execution of its protocols, conventions, and policy choices.[38][39]
In the same year, he was appointed ambassador for the Junior Boys Mentoring Conference, a youth-focused non-governmental initiative in Accra which seeks to equip young people with the necessary knowledge and skills that will enable them to tackle challenges as they come into contact with the outside world.[40]
Kwame has also collaborated with MDS Lancet Laboratories on his Hepatitis B project, vaccinating more than 10,000 Ghanaians. The screening exercise is aimed at creating public awareness about Hepatitis B which has become rampant among Ghanaians.[41]
Research has shown that insurance penetration has been low in Ghana, partly because a chunk of the population have still not come to terms with the relevance of insurance policies. The need therefore arises for insurance companies to diversify in achieving the intended purpose. To this end, Kwame was appointed by the Insurance Awareness Coordinators Group as an ambassador for its GET INSURED CAMPAIGN project with the responsibility of whipping up the interest among Ghanaians to get insured, particularly against hard times.[42]
Kwame was designated in 2021 as a Climate Ambassador by Climate Clock, a global climate initiative, with the purpose of emphasizing the urgency to enhance climate advocacy, particularly through the utilization of the climate clock.[44]
In 2022, Kwame was designated as the brand ambassador for Waylead Ghana Company Limited.[45] Additionally, he was appointed as an ambassador by Water Aid for their Hygiene Behaviour Change Coalition (HBCC) as part of the COVID-19 Control initiative.[46]
Discography
Kwame released his first solo album "Boshe Ba" (Promised Child) in 2004, just after the breakup of the Akyeame band. He followed in 2008 with "Manwesem" (My Poetry) and in 2011 with "The Clinic", launched at the Aphrodisiac Night Club in Accra.[47] In 2012 he launched "The Versatile Show" ("Konfanko").[37]
In 2020, he teamed up with Jamaica dancehall act, Sizzla Kalonji on a song titled Come Home which urges all Africans in the diaspora to always remember to come back to their motherland.[48]
Film and Television
Okyeame Kwame has helped to discover native African talents by working as a judge on music reality shows in Ghana and has also acted in Ghanaian films like Ties That Bind, The Comforter and Amsterdam Diary.[49][50]
Personal life
Kwame has been married since 2009 to Annica Nsiah-Apau and has two children together with her.[51] They respond to the names Sir Kwame Bota and Sante Antwiwaa.[28] His two younger brothers are also rappers, using the stage names Flowking Stone and Kunta Kinte.[52] The two are collectively known as Bradez.[53][54] Okyeame has only one sister.[51]
Philanthropy
Okyeame Kwame founded the Okyeame Kwame Foundation in 2009, to raise public awareness on hepatitis B and to provide screening, prevention and education to mitigate the disease in Ghana, backed by MTN Ghana and the MDS-Lancet Laboratories.[37][29][55] Periodic screening and vaccination campaigns are held throughout Ghana, attended by hundreds of people who receive free vaccines.[56] In 2014, he staged the Celebrity Car Wash, an event including sports, games and photoshoots with celebrities in East Legon, to raise funds in support of his campaign to provide free vaccination to at least 1000 Ghanaians.[57] The foundation has initiated and sponsored the construction of a hepatitis B treatment facility in Tamale.[2]
For his work in raising the funds to provide free screening for the Ghanaian urban and rural poor, Kwame has been appointed Hepatitis B Ambassador for the Ghana Health Service.[37]
After being appointed as a Climate Ambassador by Climate Clock, Kwame launched a project to nurture 2000 Climate Champions from Senior and Junior High Schools in the country. The objective is to instill climate consciousness among children, recognizing them as the demographic most affected by environmental changes. The Climate Clock is utilized to explain the concept of climate change to these students, followed by tree planting activities and commitments made by the students to protect the trees. This commitment is then passed on to a successor, emphasizing a shift from merely planting trees to actively growing and safeguarding them as a means of protecting the climate.[58][59]
Honors
John Cranley, Mayor of the city of Cincinnati in Ohio USA on 21 November 2016 presented Okyeame Kwame with a Key to the City and declared 17 November each year as ‘Okyeame Kwame Day’ to solemnize his status as International Cultural Ambassador to the city.[60][61]
Kwame was also honored on 3 February 2017 by the Chartered Institute of Marketing Ghana with the status of an associate co-opted member for his professional use of marketing in the creative arts.[62]
At the 2017 Ghana Music Honours, he was given the best video honor for his song titled Small Small which features MzVee.[63] Adding up, the rapper and philanthropist received a United States Presidential Volunteer Service Award. This award scheme is normally given to Americans but an exception was made for the Ghanaian rapper dubbed (Kingdom Humanitarian Award) in recognition of his outstanding contribution towards kicking away hepatitis b.[64]
The People's Choice Practitioners Awards, organised by Media Men Ghana in April 2017 saw Okyeame receive the ‘Outstanding Health Ambassador’ honours presented to him by the Asantehene, his MajestyOtumfuo Osei Tutu II.[65]
Again in 2017, Okyeame Kwame joined David Beckham, Hugh Jackman as UNICEF Super Dad Ambassadors. His selection as ambassador comes at the back of his recognition as a father with an enviable, amazing relationship with his children which had taken centre stage in the media over the years.[66]
In 2024, Okyeame Kwame had the opportunity to attend the Earthshot Prize Awards which was held in South Africa.[67] At the event, he showcased the Ghanaian traditional cloth ‘Kente’ which he wore to the event.
Developmental projects
Owing to his willingness to contribute to making Africa a better place, Kwame was recently unveiled as the Climate Change Ambassador for the Ghana Dedicated Grant Mechanism (DGM), one of the leading projects of Solidaridad, an international Civil Society Organization with 50 years of global experience in facilitating the development of socially responsible, ecologically sound and profitable supply chains. The move is to make him a voice for positive change in the bid to reduce the impact of climate change in Africa[68] Okyeame Kwame and the DGM Project have since visited 52 farming communities in the Brong Ahafo and the Western Regions of Ghana. Some of the activities they engaged in were to use Okyeame Kwame's name as a catalyst to draw the public into small and big gatherings where extensive interactions of climate-smart activities and positive land use practices are discussed with community folks.[69]
His foundation, the Okyeame Kwame Foundation has also embarked on a Hepatitis Bvaccination project since 2009, to help end the issue of Hepatitis B which was at its peak in Ghana. Since then, the Okyeame Kwame Foundation has screened over 10,000 people and vaccinated some 5,000 more for free.[70]
His latest album, Made in Ghana which features some of Ghana's most sensational artists including Kidi and Kwami Eugene has renewed calls for Ghanaians to feel proud of who they are and to patronize goods made in Ghana in order to promote national identity.[71] It is interesting to know that Kwame's dress style which is often influenced by his root culture, Asante has influenced many youth in Ghana who now prefer making up unique styles with African prints than other prints. Following the launch of the Made in Ghana album and the concept it portrays, the Ministry of Trade and Industry appointed Kwame as Ambassador for the ‘Made in Ghana’ campaign of the Ministry. Kwame later extended his campaign to the Tourism Ministry where he interacted with the Tourism Minister, Catherine Afeku towards a collaborative effort to instill in Ghanaians the need to purchase Made in Ghana goods and services.[72]
He is also a board member of World Reader, a non-profit organization that delivers e-books to people in the developing world. The organization uses e-readers, mobile phones and other digital technology to provide readers in 53 countries with a digital library of over 45,000 book titles. They also build solar panels for areas without electricity so they can get a source of electricity and read through digital means.[73]
Controversies
In 2020, Kwame initiated legal proceedings against highlife legend Gyedu-Blay Ambolley. The legal action was prompted by allegations that Bice ‘Obour' Osei Kuffuor, the former President of the Musicians Union of Ghana (MUSIGA), had reportedly given Okyeame Kwame and other associates GHS 50,000 each from the GHS 2 million fiscal budget allocated to the union by the government in 2012. The dispute, spanning three years, underwent arbitration, and the court endorsed the resolution that Gyedu-Blay Ambolley should retract his statement and issue an apology to Kwame for what was deemed an untrue statement.[74][75]
Kwame stirred controversy in the early part of the year by revealing his adoption of a vegan lifestyle since 2021. His reasoning was rooted in the belief that animals, akin to humans, experience emotions and pain, leading him to resist contributing to the suffering of living beings by consuming them as food. This announcement faced significant criticism from a segment of the Ghanaian population on social media, generating diverse opinions in response to Kwame's perspective. Despite the backlash, Kwame persistently emphasizes his deepened understanding and empathy for the pain animals endure. He argues that plant-based sources offer sufficient protein, questioning the necessity of killing animals for meat consumption.[76][77]
During the controversial OccupyJulorbihouse protest organized by a group called Democracy Hub to address increased hardships and economic challenges, Kwame faced criticism on social media for not participating in the event. The protest, also known as the "occupy the thieves' house" protest, resulted in online trolling of Kwame after he suggested that individuals should take personal responsibility to fix the country rather than solely relying on government intervention. This response followed a Twitter post by popular television host Naa Ashorkorr, who questioned who should be accountable for fixing the country. Kwame's comment garnered harsh remarks from some Ghanaians who interpreted it as opposing the protest. However, Kwame has maintained that the name of the protest smacks of disrespect to the elderly, leading to his dissociation from it.[78][79]
Following the launch of his boxer pant label, Kwame attracted attention on social media by posting pictures of himself in the boxer pants as part of the brand promotion. However, a segment of Ghanaians, including politicians like Abraham Amaliba from the National Democratic Congress, criticized him for what they perceived as indecent exposure. Amaliba, for instance, suggested that Kwame should be taken to court for indecent exposure. In response, Okyeame Kwame explained that the images were part of an advertisement for his boxer brand, humorously questioning whether he should have worn kente (traditional woven fabric) to cover up in the promotional photos.[80]
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