Okyeame Kwame teaches young acts how to stay relevant

Ghanaian rapper Okyeame Kwame last Thursday, January 23, lectured young musicians on how they can stay relevant in the industry.

Put together by Kri8 Concepts, the three-hour lecture which took place at Weija had a lot of up and coming musicians present to listen with rapt attention to the Woso hitmaker.

Okyeame Kwame touched on a number of issues such as being unique, being respectful, doing research, leaning from the legends and being real.

He said being unique helped an artiste to be distinct and stay relevant for a long time. “Sarkodie will always be Sarkodie because he is unique and any artiste who tries to copy him will fail. The likes of Okomfo Kwadee, Lord Kenya and Daddy Lumba are unique and will always appeal to their fans,” he said.

Okyeame Kwame giving the lecture

Explaining why an artiste should be respectful, Okyeame Kwame said there were a lot of benefits for an act who showed respect.

“Respecting others opens doors in so many ways and I have benefitted a lot from it. Individuals and corporate bodies are always willing to support you because of how respectful you are,” he stated.

The Rap Dacta, as he is popularly known, said being real built a strong fan base for an artiste.

“Just be yourself and don’t lie about who you are not. Once Ghanaians identify you and love you for who you are, they will always be behind you.

“If you lie about your identity and pretend to be who you are not, Ghanaians will not accept you when they know the truth. For example, Shatta Wale is who he is today because everyone knows he is naughty,” he said

Okyeame Kwame said he still learnt from his predecessors on how they made it.

“I learnt from the likes of Rex Omar, Amakye Dede, Kojo Antwi and still learn from Nana Ampadu because I wanted to better my career and stay relevant for a long period of time. I still send my songs to Kojo Antwi and Amakye Dede for approval before I release them,” he revealed

At the end of the seminar, the up and coming musicians thanked Okyeame Kwame for the lecture and asked that it should be repeated.