WANLOV BREAKS THE STATUS QUO IN GH MUSIC

Wanlov recently returned from a brief visit to the United Kingdom, a country he was once refused an entry visa due to reasons best known to the British mission in Accra. The man was not there just to admire the beautiful edifices of the queen’s land, rather strengthening his brand and selling his music to that part of the world. He managed to grab the headlines even in a knotty British music scene. A jumbo bash with fellow Ghanaian act and respected producer, Mensah Ansah is a perfect vindicator. Wanlov did raise high the flag of Ghana rightly in the face of its colonial masters.

Many folks; either related to the artistic industry or not are convinced the GH music genre, Hip Life, is here to stay. The genre which is believed to have survived several generations is not without peculiar features. It is another variety with the ‘bling-bling’ fashion which is more allied to the America Hip Hop music. The status quo for its practitioners is the smoky fashion craze and their ‘pimpish’ attitude. One artist who has deviated from this phenomenon is Wanlov Kubolor. The Romanian-Ghanaian emcee has shown to be a non-conformist from the very moment the music public took notice of him.

Wanlov showed his interest in the trade from his early years of youthful exuberance, when he was used to sagging his panties. This was in his high school years at the illustrious Adisadel College, one of the prestigious high schools lying on the coastal area of Ghana. Then the emcee was known to his peers as Spooky. This was a name that portrayed his stage craft and an excellent talent. Just as a properly positioned product rakes in profits, Wanlov has caved for himself a unique persona, separating him from the pack.

The Hip Life artist is not any archetypal GH artist who would invest a fortune into trendy urban fashion brands and go hungry. Even without that swag, Kubolor commands a larger fan base and receiving the needed recognition and attention. His trademark is rather rare- he always appears barefooted with a wrap cloth piece hanging around his waist accompanied by a flying dread logged hair. You will see him either in a singlet or light top and sometimes bare-chested depending on the time of the day. This exposes him as very primitive but he seems to be appropriately dressing to the sunny Ghanaian weather.

Born Emmanuel Owusu Bonsu, Wanlov announced his presence on the Ghanaian music scene over a year ago, when he switch base to Ghana. This witnessed the release of several singles which were followed by the Green Card album, his first major project. Tracks like ‘Kokonsa’ and ‘Bail Money’ were much appreciated and received rotations and spins on radio. He suddenly earned the name ‘Ghanaian Bob Marley’ which became common on the lips of his American fans. Green card is a chronicle of Kubolor’s experience in the United States where his intended missions for higher education revolutionize into seeking greener pastures.

Kubolor as an artist has gradually become a power house on the musical scene even before he gives a date for his sophomore. He has performed and shared a common stage with musical giants locally and internationally. As the Ghanaian rep on the Route to Root campaign, he was paired with African musical legends after which he embarking to the UK. There he performed and recorded with the very best and finest emcees around. Travelling the distance to his native Romania before stepping foot in UK, took nothing away from his performance. He did kill the show and left his footprints on the minds of money.

Wanlov can boast of a larger fan base and an excellent reputation both locally and international. Right from Ghana through the hard land of Mali and then to the United Kingdom, he is widely known. He also enjoys support from folks in the United States where he resided from 2001. He has proved to be multitalented and versatile from track after track with various styles. This is evident in his album, a fusion of Pijjin, Twi and English lyrics. Apart from entertaining, he uses his music for social commentary, advocating for a paradigm shift.

With a music loving nation like Ghana and beyond endorsing Wanlov’s work, the burden lies on his shoulders to break the sophomore jinx associated with his trade. The multi million question is whether the Ghanaian Bob Marley can sustain his brand and keep his songs at the very top for a long time. Can he repeat the magic that shot him to international stardom as the music world patiently awaits another album soon?

2131 ANNIVERSARY PARTY GROUNDS BOOMERANG

It was a year ago when these folks threw out a carousing in the ‘deep’ of East Legon, leaving lots of memories on the minds of attendees. This marked the birth of what is conjectured to be a life long movement. 08-08-09 easily caught up with the entire city of Accra with party rave heads leading in what appeared as an insentient publicity, within and beyond their ‘hoods’. The latest craze in town, Facebook was not spared this phenomenon, with thousands of its users giving out speculations about the night, a sure way to get the party plugged to millions worldwide.

It was at eleven when I got off a cab at the famous Boomerang, another excitement joint in the capital. The action was on and the noisy environment just depicted that. The queue was indeed long as security details kept party crasher away from the gates. With the aid of Yfm’s Jeremie, yours truly had a smooth entry devoid of any intimidation from the men in black. They were these three lady greeters at the entrance who welcomed attendees with striking smiles that accompanied their ideal body language.

2131 is soon becoming the city’s most popular movement with its first major project, a banging hip hop show. The pre recorded show gives the young talented GH artists the platform to show what they are made off. Like the name suggests, it’s a group focussing on folks between their twenties and thirties. It is a social movement seeking to correct perceptions amongst and about the youth. Also it has a task of influencing positively the youth as well as creating for them the right avenue for development, especially through entertainment.

The party had brought a change to the usually busy night spot. The club was aberrantly filled to every corner just before twelve o’clock. The numbers were grippingly huge with the folks in queue outnumbering those shaking off in the club. With frustration boldly written on their faces, some gave up, moving out of the queue as others took on the men in black. The dance floor was already sweaty in spite of the defects sound from the giant speaker boxes. The selector was just crafty making sure he got the entire house to go all distance with him. His classical play list did the magic, making people pay no attention to the quality of sounds.

As expected, the ladies customarily showed flesh to the admiration of all the dudes that turned up on the night. What was common was the cleavage cult, which almost every lady joined with excitement. Some courageous ladies turned up in cloths that only hid their ‘deepest’ parts leaving on display lots of skin with their ‘boobs’ falling casualty. Ladies on the night appeared open for discussions as they contentedly gyrated their waist and butts on the dance floor. With the gates were free for them, what better could they have done than dance their hearts out and get freaky with the dudes in the building.

The night never fell short of the self fashioned GH celebrities that always fight for the acknowledgement and cyber shots from media cameras. The regular celebrities also passed through in their numbers. Some underground cats took to the mic to vindicate their places in the banging hip hop show which now airs on Yfm. Producer cum artist EL and now TV anchor brought put up the fight for his Skillions crew who were around to urge him on. Iwan, of Bull Haus fame among others came through with energetic performances just right to replenish the dead beat party markers. The 4syte TV crew and their closest competitor Rhythms loitered around all night with their respective anchors fixing interviews. But what really happen to their content in recent times? The night was indeed long with lots to drink, but at a price. The night was a great one for party rave gods and goddesses as Jay Foley and his crew brought the fun to Boomerang. Big up folks, but the venue should be should have been bigger.

IS THE DELICIOUS ‘DOMEDO’ MEAT (PORK) THREAT ALIVE?

This is GH and eating habits are rather unfortunately astounding. Lots of folks irrespective of their social status and financial clout find themselves firmly active in this phenomenon. Majority of people only think of how to fill their bellies rather than what goes into it. This is mostly associated with the very average Ghanaian whose capital base is nothing to envy. They share in the policy of quantity instead of the quality of foods the goes into their bellies. Those with deep pockets are also concerned with foods seen as prestigious leaving their nutritional values to the background.
OSU is soon becoming a major marketing spot for all various products. This includes the appetizing flavored meat locally known as Domedo. This is a very spicy and attractive meat, prepared from pork, a meat prohibited by numerous religions. It is prepared by several methods- frying, roasting or boiling. The OSU market is home to several sellers of this delicacy every evening. These competing sellers lavishly display the appealing Domedo to cash in on admirers and passes by. It is either exposed openly or covered with a revealing material which is certainly going to retain its appeal and visibility.
Pork has a long standing history around the world but has gradually become the favorite meat of several homes. The product is viewed with suspicion and has been a subject of debate amongst many religious. Christians rebuff this meat on the basis of their Holy Scriptures, Leviticus 11:2-4 and Deuteronomy 14:8. The Islamic dietary laws also forbid pork on the Quran, Surahs 2:173, 5:3, 5:60, 6:145 and 16: 115. There is also a prejudice of pork among Scottish Highlanders, stemming from the Scottish pork taboo. Rastafarians just like Ethiopian Orthodox also preach against the consumption of pork.
Madam Rita Atswei Adjetey is a native of OSU and sells domedo just opposite the night market. She has been in the trade for close to five years. She owns a small kiosk in which she sells yam in addition to the famous Domedo. Her space looks cleaner and her persona portrays her as hygienic conscious. She serves hundreds of costumers every night that continually appreciates her services. Madam Rita is not aware of any health implications of the meat she sells. To her, the absence of complains from her costumers is a sign safety.
On a late Friday night, Betty and I arrived at Madam Rita’s joint only to be welcomed by a lengthy queue. Adults and young adults of both sexes waited patiently for their turn to be served their desired domedo. The meat is affordable and with a 50Gp, you will take home the smallest piece for your enjoying pleasure. With all these numbers, she manages to involve us in a chat on her business. It didn’t take too long for a plate of the delicious meat to be placed in front of us.
‘‘I will get worried when my costumers start complaining about the meat. But for now, that is not the case so I think there is no problem. I remember some people talking about a doctor saying Domedo is not good. I was not worried by that because they are still buying the meat. I sell everything any night I come here. I don’t think it does any harm to the body. It is very delicious and all my costumers say that. Everyone knows that Domedo is very delicious and people came from La and other places to buy’’, Madam Rita’s words.
Just like Madam Rita, most of her costumers are ignorant of the health implications of their most cherished domedo. The few aware are not deterred; rather they are deceived by the scrumptious nature of the meat. Jessica Kpodi is a Nigerian-Ghanaian and very much aware of the implications of the meat. She would shy away from my questions but strongly admits the delicious nature of the meat. This pretty face claims people hide behind the taste and consume it very often. Though she loves it very much she will never consume more then 2GHc.
Eyram of Ghana Most Beautiful fame is another person who can’t resist Domedo. She is not worried about the health implications or the stigmatization from religious heads. ‘‘My dad use to keep these animals and we were always eating pork. Every other food can be harmful depending on how you treat it. I will keep to my favorite meat and am not scared of any health problems’’.
Medication practioners have repeatedly warned against the consumption of this meat for its devastative implications. One of such persons is Amewode Elikplim, formerly of the Ghana school of Hygiene. The medical expert says pork is very harmful to persons who consume it in large quantities. ‘‘This is a meat that has large quantity of fat and you know what fat and cholesterol does to the body. I am not saying people should stop eating pork, but rather regulate their intake of the meat’’.
Mr. Amewode goes on to highlight how pork can be dangerous to the consumers. It became obvious certain illness including Hypertension and Stroke can be traced to the intake of pork. ‘‘The body needs fat for insulation. Pork in general has excess fat and when taken in large quantities, can be deposited in the veins. This results in a narrow passage, bringing the heart under pressure to pump. This causes what is commonly called High Blood Pressure. Also this leads into other illness like Stroke and Hypertension. The intake of pork should be regulated and people should exercise more for it to breakdown faster’’.
With this advice from the medical expert, the Domedo folks should reduce their intake of the meat as well as take to the streets for more exercise. It won’t make any sense to buy for yourself sickness instead of a delicious meat. Till we meet again at the Domedo joint near you, let’s get your trainers ready for every morning jogging after a long night of Domedo pleasure. Cheers guys!