Music of Friday, 23 March 2007

Source: ghanamusic.com

Kwadee: You Devil Go Away from Me!

After missing in action for close to one year, what fans expected from Okomfo Kwadee was yet another album of music full of stories told through his trademark powerful traditional lyrics.

But no, when Kwadee re-surfaced it was on the wings of a bizarre story of drug addiction and subsequent mental illness followed by denials from Kwadee?s managers and family. His fans waited.

Last week, however, Kwadee was back in the news not with a new album but with a confession that indeed he had suffered drug addiction and proclaiming the healing powers of Christ and admonishing the devil to go far away from him.

Kwadee who says he has been healed of his drug addiction through the cleansing of the blood of Jesus, declared that he will steer clear of drugs.

?I will no longer do drugs now that I have been set free through the blood of Jesus?, he said when he shared a testimony at the premises of the New Jerusalem Chapel, Kumasi where he had been receiving treatment from Bishop J.Y. Adu.

He even goes ahead to advice colleague musicians to beware of peer pressure since he claims he was introduced to drugs by friends. He asked them to stay away from drugs since it has destructive effects.

Drug addiction is usually characterised by compulsive, drug craving, seeking, and use that persists even in the face of negative consequences.

While some drug users have been able to curb their addiction through rehabilitation, others have sadly lost their lives through drug abuse.

The healed hiplife artiste said he intends to release a gospel album to win souls for Christ and also sing to campaign against drug abuse. He, however, maintains he will still sing his normal hiplife that his fans are used to.

Okomfo Kwadee, who could be best described as a storyteller in the hiplife game, was born Jerry Anaba. He came onto the Ghanaian music scene about six years ago when he released his debut Kwadee.

He wooed music lovers with his story-telling style while using powerful and traditional lyrics.

Okomfoo Kwadee who hails from Navrongo in the Upper East Region, attended Martyrs of Uganda Preparatory School in Kumasi after which he proceeded to Navrongo Secondary School.

Okomfoo has since birth dreamt of becoming a musician. His dreams came to reality when he was discovered by Vybetown Records, a subsidiary of Vybetown Entertainment Consult, an entertainment consultancy based in Kumasi.

He has four albums to his credit- Kwaadee, Metoaso, Okomfo Se Koo and Nsem Pi.