Ruff N Smooth beaten up by five macho men over performance fee

Music duo Ruff N Smooth were Tuesday night pummeled allegedly by the CEO of Hype Records, Mr. Opoku Asafo Adjei Agyeman and some thugs at the Kokrobite beach, near Kasoa, Myjoyonline.com has learned.

The incident allegedly occurred after the duo, billed to perform at a show, decided to pull out of the beach event dubbed Unity Beach Jam. Eye witnesses suggest the incident arose out of contractual disagreements between the two parties.

Ahkan, a member of the duo, later confirmed the incident when Myjoyonline.com contacted him, saying they were billed to perform on that show alongside Iwan, Akoo Nana and other artistes.

He alleged that even though there was an initial disagreement over a proposed performance fee of GHS4,000, they agreed for the organisers of the show, Hype Records, to pick them up so they could perform.

Ahkan ( real name Clement Baah Foh with the other partner being Ricky Osei Agyeman aka Bullet) added that when they - the duo and their management - got to the venue, organisers proposed to pay them GHS1,000 instead of the GHS4,000, a decision he said did not go down well with the group.

He said in spite of the serious reservations about the fee, they agreed to perform with the assurance from management that the performance contract and monetary benefits were to be dealt with later.

Ahkan said to their dismay, they were never called to perform and their manager, Frederick Appiah's attempt to inquire why their performance never came off was met with insults from the organisers.

He said when the group requested that they be transported from the venue since they didn't go there with their own means of transport, the organisers flurred up and before long the CEO of Hype Records together with some macho men subjected the group and their management to severe beatings.

Sensing danger, the group, he added, hopped into a taxi to save their lives but only to be intercepted by the Hype Records CEO half-way through their journey.

Out of five macho men, two joined Mr. Opoku Asafo Adjei Agyeman to further assault the group and was only saved by the presence of some onlookers.

They have since reported the matter to the STC Police at Kasoa.When Myjoyonline.com contacted the Hype Records CEO, the furious Opoku Asafo Adjei Agyeman demanded "If you want to know what happened come to my office tomorrow."

A request for the direction to his office provoked Mr Agyeman who got angry and handed the phone to a lady who meted out a flurry of insults. The lady said "ass**** you work at Joy FM and so what?..." Two phone calls thereafter received further insults from her.

In 2011, Hype Records signed on the Swagger boys in a deal which was aimed at putting them on the international stage. According to Ruff N Smooth, that deal only lasted for some months and that, they are currently on their own.