It has been 20 years since Ghanaian rapper, Michael Elliot Kwabena Okyere-Darko, known in showbiz as Obrafour got into the music space and he tells the inspiration behind his style of music.
According to the ‘Rap Priest’, he decided to introduce a type of rap music which was a departure from what was in vogue in the late 90s because he sought to be different.
He told Bernard Avle on the Citi Breakfast Show on Citi 97.3 FM that he wanted to sound just like himself and not like any other person.
He said, at that time, other rappers were doing rap music in English accent.
“At that time all rappers were trying to copy Reggie Rockstone. People thought it required some swag to rap. They thought you had to have an accent.”
“But I came in and I was original. I brought rap home to Ghanaians. Everybody could relate to me and that is what made Pae Mu Ka what it is today. It was original, it was me, it was purely Ghanaian,” he further noted.
Obrafour is known for the depth of his lyrics and his command of the Twi language.
Having produced mega hits like ‘Kwame Nkrumah’, ‘Ohene’, ‘Ntetiepa’, ‘Asem Sebe’, ‘Sete’ and ‘Maame,’ he launched his 20 years anniversary at the Tang Palace in Accra on Thursday and outlined activities tabled for the celebration.
As part of the celebration, there shall be a symposium on the hiplife Obrafour and his contribution to the genre.
Obrafour will also have a cypher for rappers who would ride the ‘Pae Mu Ka’ beat.
This will air on television and Obrafour’s social media pages.
The management has included in the schedule a regional tour which covers Koforidua, Techiman, Kumasi, Takoradi and ends in Accra with a big concert.
He will also be championing a social responsibility project called Obrafour Nti where schools in rural communities would be given support in terms of infrastructure, scholarships and teaching aids.
