7 interesting facts about Ras Nene

Soaring through different phases of life, the good and wild, Ras Nene has gathered some interesting life experiences along the path.

The spotlight has since been cast on the actor, after his viral interview with Delay where he made some intriguing revelations about himself.

Asides from flourishing in the Ghanaian skit-making and comedy industry, these are some other facts about Ras Nene you might want to know.

Here are some 7 facts about Ras Nene

1. The name ‘Ras Nene’ or ‘Nene’ was adopted from 'Nigeria’s most notorious armed robber’

The actor disclosed the source of one of his showbiz names, ‘Ras Nene’, in an interview with Delay.

He recounted that while he was in Nigeria, he was given the name ‘Anini’ by his gangster friends.

The Kumawood actor said when he returned to Ghana, people mispronounced the name and that was how ‘Nene’ came about.

“The name Ras Nene is not rightly pronounced. It is ‘Anini’ not ‘Nene’. People around me could not pronounce it right so I left it as such. I was named after a notorious Nigerian criminal, Anini in Lagos. While I was in Nigeria, they called me ‘Anini’s son’. That was how the name ‘Nene’ or ‘Ras Nene’ came about. The ras was added because I had long dreadlocks," he said in the Twi language.

Lawrence Nomanyakpon Anini was a bandit who terrorized Benin City in the 1980s along with his sidekick Monday Osunbor.

He was captured and executed in 1987 for his crimes.

2. He has a son

According to sources, Ras Nene has a son.

The actor who is currently single, confirmed the news during an interview with Delay, although he declined to throw more light on it.

“As for matters relating to my child, we will talk about it behind closed doors. I don’t like talking about such things in public,” he told Delay.

3. He was singlehandedly raised by his mother

Although the Kumawood actor had both parents alive and still together, he stated that he was brought up solely by his mother.

This he explained, in an interview with Delay, that his father was a farmer and was always swamped with work and travels.

“I was brought up by my mother. I was born in Asante line but my mother moved to Tafo Zongo and I followed her to that place. My parents were still together but my father was barely with us. He used to visit us monthly or sometimes more than that,” he stated.

4. He was arrested severally and appeared before court 7 times

Ras Nene disclosed that as part of his dealings with drugs, he has experienced a lot of police arrests and kept in remand severally.

The popular skits maker said he had faced the court seven times.

“In my 20s, I appeared in court seven times although I lost only two cases. I was dealing in drugs and it landed me in jail several times. It comes with the job but that was the place, I learned my lessons,” he told Delay.

5. He learnt fashion design

Ras Nene stopped schooling after Junior Secondary School (JSS) and ventured into fashion design.

He was an apprentice for a while but decided to opt out due to several distractions from his boss.

“After JSS, I told my parents that I’m no longer interested in schooling so I ventured into tailoring. I was in the learning process but my master distracted me a lot with unnecessary errands so I stopped,” he stated.

6. Movie and skits making changed his life, and rescued him from drug business

After trading in drugs since his teenage days, Ras Nene had a life-changing encounter when he was introduced into the movie scene.

He heeded counsel from Akrobeto, to stop smoking and dealing in drugs.

Ras Nene said he was driven by determination coupled with influence from respected actors he met on set.

He also met Woe Maya in China, who also advised him to venture into YouTube business.

“Acting then came along the line and changed my life totally. Even with the smoking habit, I realized that It wasn’t right to smoke and be in the company of these famous actors. I told myself that God had plans for me so I stopped, as a result of determination.

When I was in China, Wode Maya approached me and told me to venture into YouTube business and that it would help me a great deal. I told him I don’t have any formal education and I ignored him. But I arrived in Ghana and my friend Paulino advised me to venture into it. Later, I bought into the idea and I started it with a friend of mine called Twan. Wode Maya opened my first YouTube channel for me and now I am here,” he told Delay.

7. He tried galamsey business

When the movie industry took a nosedive, Ras Nene moved on to galamsey.

Ras Nene initially profited from the business, but along the line, he opted out after he made a lot of losses which ruined his finances.

“I realized I was spending proceeds from my acting career although I was able to raise a shelter from it. So, I ventured into galamsey and I realized it was profitable because I made a lot of money from it. I got my own land and machines and I was operating in some areas in Gonja and Bole Bam boi in the Northern region.

"I made profits almost my start-up capital but when it got to a point, things got worse. We were digging but the gold was nowhere to be found. I borrowed money from people to invest but things got worse and I was even arrested in the process,” he told Delay.



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