WHEN he lost his daughter in a fatal car accident on the Tema Motorway in 2007, one half of Hiplife music duo 2Toff, Richard Oguns popularly known as Ogunskele, saw his life crashing down and badly affecting his music career.
Then he had issues with his music partner, RedEye Nature, resulting in a rift between them. And as if that were not enough, a fire that completely razed their studio sent his already-crushed life spiralling.
All these tragedies, according to Ogunskele, nearly forced the group out of music for good.
But the group has bounced back, not empty-handed, but with a new single, Yearning For You featuring Stonebwoy after the long hiatus.
Speaking with Graphic Showbiz on Saturday, July 4, Ogunskele opened up about the painful chapter of his life and music career.
“Our breakup began with a tragedy no one saw coming. I was involved in a fatal motor accident on the Tema Motorway with my wife and daughter. I lost my daughter in the crash. It was the darkest moment of my life, and it changed everything for me.
“Things even got harder from there. I had issues with my partner driving a wedge in our friendship. And not long after, our studio got burnt down completely.”
“So the accident, fire outbreak among others, made it virtually impossible to hold things together, and that was really the beginning of our breakup," he shared.
Rekindling his friendship with RedEye Nature eventually paved the way for their new single, Yearning For You, an Afro-fusion song. It was released on May 28, 2026, and it is currently No. 1 on Shazam Ghana Top 200 Songs Chart.(Read Burden on government huge – Nigeria’s First lady tells Burna Boy, Davido, to support poor Nigerians)
“Our reunion came through our collaboration with Stonebwoy. It all started when I appeared on a podcast hosted by DJ Slim where I shared insights into my relationship with Stonebwoy and Shatta Wale when they were young artistes.
“After the podcast, Stonebwoy called me from the US. When he returned to Ghana, we met, we talked and that eventually led to the birth of Yearning For You, which is currently the biggest banger in town,” he stated.
Despite the hardship he encountered, Ogunskele said encouragement from loved ones and an unexpected push from Stonebwoy pulled him back into music.
“I was motivated by close friends, family, and colleagues, especially Stonebwoy, after the interview with DJ Slim, during which I shared a bit of history about my encounter with Stonebwoy over a decade ago. That conversation got to him, and he reached out to me.”
“Honestly, his quick response really touched me and reminded me how much people still cared about what 2Toff represented.”
“That reconnection inspired me and my partner, RedEye Nature, to sit down to create Yearning For You, which features Stonebwoy. Looking back now, I'm grateful we took that step, because it's become the number one romantic hit song in Ghana," he added.
