A group of hiplife artistes have commended Ghana-based Nigerian artiste, Prince Nwadinobi Okezie, aka Eze, Alhaji Sidiku Buari and Hammer for their immense contribution towards the promotion of Ghanaian hiplife music in Nigeria and other parts of the world.
According to the artistes, Sidiku Buari, a former president of the Musicians Union of Ghana (MUSIGA), Hammer and Eze were among those who sacrificed their time and energy to promote Ghanaian hiplife music on the international music market, including that of Nigeria with the support from Charlie Boy, former president of Nigeria Music Association.
The hiplife artistes noted that when Eze joined the Ghanaian music scene in 1999, he used his company to assist a number of Ghanaian hiplife artistes who at that time needed support and encouragement.
They also praised Hammer of the Last Two fame for his immense contribution to the growth of hiplife music in the country.
Some of the artistes who spoke to BEATWAVES said Eze, based on his commitment in the development of Ghanaian music industry, was honoured by the School of Performing Arts, University of Ghana, Legon, for his contribution towards both the music and movie fraternity in Ghana.
They also disclosed that Eze used his position as an artiste, producer and songwriter to groom a number of underground artistes who have been successful in their musical career.
According to them, Eze, who is also the originator of some major event such as ‘Loud in Accra’ and ‘Kicking in Kumasi’ in the early 2000s, is also the brain behind the popular song titled ‘Anago’ which had heavy rotation on TV.
In an interview, Nana Kwaku Duah, aka Tic Tac, yesterday told BEATWAVES that Eze is the one who introduced Ghanaian hiplife music on the Nigeria music market, adding that he has supported a number of artistes.
“He always wants to see Ghanaian music industry grow. He has been on the Ghanaian music scene for more than a decade and has financed the musical works of some of the artistes,” he mentioned.
By George Clifford Owusu (beatwaves@yahoo.com)