Ghanaian rapper, singer and songwriter Kwesi Arthur joins Nandi Madida via FaceTime on Apple Music to talk about his latest hit “Yawa (Hosanna)”. He also discusses his new album ‘Redemption Valley’, choosing between being a footballer or musician, and the the influence of his partner.
Tune in and listen to the episode this Friday, February 20th on Apple Music at apple.co/_AfricaNow [and broadcast on Cool FM in Nigeria every Sunday at 6pm, YFM Accra every Sunday at 2pm, YFM Kumasi on Saturdays at 3pm and YFM Takoradi on Saturdays at 6pm].
Kwesi Arthur tells Apple Music about his new album ‘Redemption Valley’
I would say ‘Redemption Valley’ is a journey through struggle, survival, and self-reclaiming. Where scars become strength and truth finds its way home. For a while now I had to move out of the place where I originated from, the place where I was born and spent most of my life, which is Ghana. I had to be in a whole different environment in Atlanta, Georgia, in the USA. So I had to switch bases and just start life anew. Although I go home every once in a while and I go back and forth from here and Ghana and everywhere else I’m supposed to, I made this place my home. You know there’s been so many things that had happened within that gap. I felt like there’s so many things I had to explain. The people who followed me could tell there’s something we don’t know about this guy. So I feel like ‘Redemption Valley’ explains that and also explains where I was at as an individual. You know, coming into fame, coming into some money out of nowhere and being one of the few people who made it in your environment. There’s so many expectations that come with that. There’s so much pressure that comes with that and there’s so much emotional baggage too.
Kwesi Arthur on Apple Music “Africa Now Radio”. Credit: Apple Music.Kwesi Arthur tells Apple Music about choosing between being a footballer or musician
I must say that finding out it was my calling was initially I loved music. Before that I was playing football, but when I realized, yo, I loved music and I didn’t think I would make it. I would make music.
Kwesi Arthur tells Apple Music about his early inspirations
I think at one point I heard Drake’s ‘Thank Me Later’ and that whole Young Money uprising at a certain point inspired me. Before then I was scribbling down poetry and all that. But that kind of inspired me to write raps. I realized even before then I had uncles who had 2Pac and Notorious B.I.G. CDs. I’ll pop them in and I didn’t really understand it. I gravitated more towards like our local Ghanaian music and like the Bob Marley’s and stuff. I think when I heard ‘Thank Me Later’, it kind of like just opened up my mind to a whole new space, a whole new interest to rap music.
Kwesi Arthur tells Apple Music about writing his first bars
At some point I decided to like write a 16 bar this one on one rainy morning in Ghana when I was supposed to go to school, but because it had rained. I had to wait for the rains to go away so I walked to school. So I decided to pick up a pen and write a few bars and went to school and rapped it for my classmates, you know? And they were like whose bars have you stolen to come rap for us? At that point, something clicked in my head, you’re actually good at this if these people think you stole these lines. So from that point on I was like, oh, instead of just writing poetry, let me just put more of my time into writing raps. That’s when I started writing more of that and also going back to listen to like classic records. So that’s how it started.
Kwesi Arthur tells Apple Music about the development of his confidence
‘Redemption Valley’ is just me coming back to myself. I believe I had this spark within myself but over time I started looking outside of me for it, you know, with confidence. I feel like I my confidence came from within myself but as time went on I started looking for it outside of me. And coming up in the environment we come from, you think oh money could change something about my life. Money can fix something. You think having more success is gonna fix something. Having more success is gonna change something. You come to it and realize, oh nah, like there are still these wounds, there are still these things about me that this these material things on the outside can’t really fix. This is me realizing I need to go within me and use what I have already. This is me returning to self and realizing I’m like already whole.
Kwesi Arthur tells Apple Music about the influence of his partner
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I believe this project would have been totally different if my partner wasn’t around. I was I would have made a totally different project. I presented her with the songs I wanted to put on a project then she literally was like you have to go within. I was also trying to avoid it in a sense, to not speak up on certain things. Cause where we’re from we sweep a lot of stuff under the rug but she was like you have so much more to say. You need to let it out. I tell her everything, I tell her a lot of the things and she knows what I go through and everything that happens. So I feel like without my partner that wouldn’t have happened and I’m so grateful for that and I’m so grateful for her.
