Ofori Amponsah Bearing almost all the traits and style of his mentor, Daddy Lumba,Ofori Amponsah aka All 4 Real has had to work extra hard to gain recognition and be accepted for himself and not as the protege of the former. Since that wonderful collaboration with Lumba on the Wo Ho Kyere album he has churned out four successful albums, the latest being Sardine.
"I came to the realisation that if I didn't do something on my own, I would continue to lurk in the background and I didn't want that", says Ofori. That decision has paid off and today, Ofori Amponsah can stroke his chest and say: "Here I come".
He met Daddy Lumba in the early part of 1993, by which time he had recorded his first demo. He went round looking for a producer but no one was ready to sign him on because ?it was difficult to understand that kind of music at that time,? he said.
That notwithstanding he went ahead and recorded the song but did not release it. He also recorded more demos in 1994, 1995 and 1997. Those were also not released.
Recalling how he met Daddy Lumba, he said ?After trying in vain to get a producer, someone suggested that I go and see Lumba, so I went?.
In secondary school at Konongo Odumase he was dismissed when he left school without permission to see Lumba and so could not write his final exam. He wrote it later at the Extra Mural Academy.Daddy Lumba was of immense help to him and gave him all the support he needed. Then in 1999, they came out with the Wo Ho Kyere album which had two of his compositions Auntie Ataa and Kume Preko.
Then came Asew his first try at a solo and in his own words "that album is my best till date, even though the rest have been good, this tops them all". The Meprawo album followed performing very well on the market. There is also Bo Ho Biom.
Now its Sardine, the latest which is doing very well and which according to him might be his best yet. It was recorded in Germany by Bodo Staiger, executive production by Sunny Ghana Music and distributed by Big Ben.
He has also tried his hands at production, with Kofi B?s Mmobrowa his first try. He is currently working on two production projects, one a gospel album and the other a highlife artiste Kofi Nti.
To Ofori, the music industry is not growing like we tend to assume, it is crumbling because the music industry is being handled by businessmen who are not very knowledgeable about music.'These businessmen will only use their money to finance albums, not the artistes. They do not manage them at all to be more marketable,' he said.
"There should be a music company which would manage the artistes in every thing they do from the hair on their heads to the soles of their feet," he added. He is having problems with piracy and his warning to those pirates is that they should watch out because he is coming to get them.
Born some 30 years ago on March 2 to Mr and Mrs Ofori, he is the last of four children and says he was very troublesome when he was a child and gave his parents a hard time raising him.
"I was so stubborn that I changed primary schools three times. I was first in a private school at Agogo and then to St Lawrence in Accra and then to Harrow also at Accra." Hopefully he has changed and one can expect more from him.
Ofori Amponsah Bearing almost all the traits and style of his mentor, Daddy Lumba,Ofori Amponsah aka All 4 Real has had to work extra hard to gain recognition and be accepted for himself and not as the protege of the former. Since that wonderful collaboration with Lumba on the Wo Ho Kyere album he has churned out four successful albums, the latest being Sardine.
"I came to the realisation that if I didn't do something on my own, I would continue to lurk in the background and I didn't want that", says Ofori. That decision has paid off and today, Ofori Amponsah can stroke his chest and say: "Here I come".
He met Daddy Lumba in the early part of 1993, by which time he had recorded his first demo. He went round looking for a producer but no one was ready to sign him on because ?it was difficult to understand that kind of music at that time,? he said.
That notwithstanding he went ahead and recorded the song but did not release it. He also recorded more demos in 1994, 1995 and 1997. Those were also not released.
Recalling how he met Daddy Lumba, he said ?After trying in vain to get a producer, someone suggested that I go and see Lumba, so I went?.
In secondary school at Konongo Odumase he was dismissed when he left school without permission to see Lumba and so could not write his final exam. He wrote it later at the Extra Mural Academy.Daddy Lumba was of immense help to him and gave him all the support he needed. Then in 1999, they came out with the Wo Ho Kyere album which had two of his compositions Auntie Ataa and Kume Preko.
Then came Asew his first try at a solo and in his own words "that album is my best till date, even though the rest have been good, this tops them all". The Meprawo album followed performing very well on the market. There is also Bo Ho Biom.
Now its Sardine, the latest which is doing very well and which according to him might be his best yet. It was recorded in Germany by Bodo Staiger, executive production by Sunny Ghana Music and distributed by Big Ben.
He has also tried his hands at production, with Kofi B?s Mmobrowa his first try. He is currently working on two production projects, one a gospel album and the other a highlife artiste Kofi Nti.
To Ofori, the music industry is not growing like we tend to assume, it is crumbling because the music industry is being handled by businessmen who are not very knowledgeable about music.'These businessmen will only use their money to finance albums, not the artistes. They do not manage them at all to be more marketable,' he said.
"There should be a music company which would manage the artistes in every thing they do from the hair on their heads to the soles of their feet," he added. He is having problems with piracy and his warning to those pirates is that they should watch out because he is coming to get them.
Born some 30 years ago on March 2 to Mr and Mrs Ofori, he is the last of four children and says he was very troublesome when he was a child and gave his parents a hard time raising him.
"I was so stubborn that I changed primary schools three times. I was first in a private school at Agogo and then to St Lawrence in Accra and then to Harrow also at Accra." Hopefully he has changed and one can expect more from him.
