Amazing Skills

Kwas. That is what the ebony-complexioned rap musician of average height introduces himself as. His real names: Glen Kofi. That makes him Ghanaian, right?

Ghanaian-Nigerian, he corrects. Really, he prefers to be identified as African, without the constricting label of nationalities. He was brought up in Nigeria - Lagos, to be precise - by Ghanaian parents. Left to these, he could have been anything else but a rap artiste. He only just relocated to Ghana. And that was six years ago, in 1998.

Seated at a table in an Allen Avenue, Ikeja-based fast-food restaurant and cuddling his bottled Soya-milk drink, he recalls his beginnings as a member of a group called Lost Immigrant. There were just the two of them. He and a guy called Umar. The group collaborated a lot with such contemporaries as The Plantashun Boyz. "They were doing R'n B and we did rap", he says.

That was the beginning of the two-man band's underground hip-hop. Shows came at the heels of other shows. But no albums were produced. Music, or the passion for it, kept them together...

And still keeps the group going. For even with his relocation to Ghana, the name Lost Immigrant still subsists. "[The group] could be anybody", he explains. Africans in the Diaspora are lost immigrants.

Kwas calls his style African Hip-hop. So what's so African about a musical idiom rooters have already ascribed African roots to? Is that not tautology?

"Hip-hop's a black thing," he concedes. "Blacks all over the world are from Africa." (Really?)"I use African instruments, I try to infuse the African feel." He talks a little bit more about the instrumentation and the lyrics, which are basically African. "Something we can relate to as Africans."

There must be some kind of motivation behind his musical career. It doesn't matter that the word has become a mere platitude. Besides, the writer does not expect Kwas to say anything much different from others. He talks generally about life and living. Nature and reality. Self-awareness and belief in oneself.

Kwas, who used to anchor the weekend programme Grand Slam for Ray Power FM, schooled at the Federal Polytechnic in Ilaro (Ogun State). He needed a time-out in Accra, he says by way of explaining his relocation. The whole idea was to focus fully on what he wants to do with his life, uninhibited by parental schemes.

Since then, he shuttles frequently between Lagos and Accra. After all, his Ghanaian-born parents are still resident in Lagos. What's more, he speaks both the major Nigerian language Yoruba and the Ghanaian tongue Twi.

Yet, he is still seen as a Nigerian posturing as a Ghanaian in Accra. The stigma of his years in Nigeria trails him and threatens his progress in the Accra musical circles. But, he remains undaunted, buoyed by the recognition that it is always hard at every beginning. He thanks the Supreme One for His support and inspiration. "It hasn't been easy," he confesses. "[But] it was worth it."

Now, he is planning to come out with a label called Black-out. Black-out because entertainment comes from within. Even with the chaotic and infernal conditions of the environment, there are still innumerable possibilities to create beautiful things from within. Of course, it could also be a metaphor for the frequent NEPA's black-outs. Artists should live above any unfavourable condition of the environment. This is especially when they seek to withdraw to their inner world and seek to express themselves from there.

"Most young people get influenced by what they see [in the foreign media]", he continues. "They are not themselves. The first university in the world was in Africa. They don't even know it." Hence his message: young people should strive for self-consciousness.

Fela Anikulapo-Kuti did this through his Afro-beat genre, he says. The late musical icon was proud of being and believing himself. "Fela's music inspires me a lot. Despite what people may say about him, he was real to himself."

Kwas talks about Fela's prophetic sayings, not as a starry-eyed enthusiast but matter-of-factly. He thinks the latter's international renown is not unconnected with his belief in what he was saying.

Kwas, who turns 28 on October 24, is coming out with a nine-track album he titled Pata-pata (which loosely translates as "Totally" in English). Total song, by implication. "It's due towards the end of the year," he says.

Pata-pata is basically hip-hop dripping with Afro-centric lyrics. It derives from one of the tracks about himself: a young African growing up amidst all the difficulties. Another track, "Na Money", talks about a young person growing up in the mammon-worshipping society of Lagos. It was done against the backdrop of the mix of one of Fela's songs.

There are still other tracks like: "Missing You", "Soko-yokoto", "My Own", "Jungle Groove" and "Feeling Free". He draws a lot from such African music idioms as high-life and Fuji.

Is it really a solo album as he claims?

It is. Yet, he talks of imputs here and there by others. There are some raps in French as well. He refers to Africa as a jungle in the album. But not in the derogatory sense.

He doesn't want his music to be limited to Africans alone despite the Afro-centric flavour. He wants to see his CDs sold in the streets of New York, Moscow and wherever else in the terrestrial globe. This, it is his belief, will come to pass if he continues to work and improve on his style. "No one is actually made perfect. I know that's not going to be easy but I'm determined."

He counsels his contemporaries to keep believing in themselves and shun working for financial returns.

So why does he call himself Kwas? It is obviously not from one of his names.

It isn't. It's about skills. It means a kid with amazing skills. Of course, he is referring to himself. Besides rap music, he doesn't do anything else. Yet, he is still that kid with amazing skills.