We have encountered Ghosts (Osaman Kweku, Otofuo), Executioners (Obrafuor), Warlords (Osahene), Linguists (Akyeame), Hunters (Abomofuo), Prophets (Okomhyefuo), Fetish Priests (Okomfuo) among others, all courtesy of hiplife.

Now we are about to meet Death itself in the person of 20 year-old Prince Owusu, a new artiste who calls himself Owuo because according to him, he is out to kill all the competition he faces.

Owuo went professional in 1997 and tried to come out about three years ago but had problems getting engineers. His problem was solved when he met his current manager Jacklord Laryea when he saw him performing at the Prempeh Assembly Hall in Kumasi.

According to Jacklord he was very impressed and interested by what he saw. He saw some thing in him that made him want to associates with him.

Owuo who raps in Twi has a musical background, his father Dr Osei Bonsu is a gospel musician. Asked why he did not following his fathers footsteps, he said that he had always wanted to do rap because he liked it a lot and was convinced that was where his talent lay.

He attended Kumasi Technical School and comes from Asuofia. His future ambitions include being a producer to help the youth who are also interested in music to have a smooth ride and not face the kind of problems he went through in his bid to release his album.

His debut album titled Asaase Wei So is a compilation of eight tracks on the CD and cassette.

Shake Me which opens the album boasts of good sound arrangement and a hard core beat. This song is likely to get on well with listeners whose interest will be piqued by the lyrics and the chorus. It opens with the voices of little children which incidentally is the chorus and they go like ?daddy nie, shake me ma menka, daddy shake me ma menka, dada baako hye mpaase, baako so te mpaso baako so gyina pono akyi, Daddy panyin ba meka?. It is a track about an adulterous wife who is caught during her escapades. A highly danceable track, it is the chorus that is its glory as it is funny and very catchy even though the rap is also very well done.

Odo Kenkenlen is a ?Sankofa? track on which he blends an old highlife song with rap. It has a danceable rhythm which is in the highlife vein. It also has a good sound arrangement and on the track he talks about missing his lover and he wants her near him. He beseeches her to meet and hold him because he misses her a lot.

Afei Na Wusu also has traces of highlife and ?jama? rhythm even though it is not that fast paced with the trumpet as the dominant instrument. The chorus is beautifully done by the backing vocals whose voices combine harmoniously to produce something that is pleasant to the ear. Featuring Jay Brown who does a great rap, it is about someone who jilts her lover and now regrets it everytime she sees him. Owuo goes on about how happy he is since they broke up, how he?s found someone new who cares about him a lot.

Mensu has an infectious ragga rhythm and features Ras Nigger. It is more of a duet as Ras Nigger is much more prominent. In fact this track belongs to Ras Nigger who is a delight to listen to as she does her rap. This track will be the favourite of many mainly due to the catchy rhythm and the combination between the two would be appreciated. It is a song on reassurance and he asks his lover not to cry as he will give his heart to her.

Owuo is about his entry into the hiplife scene and is in the mid tempo vein. The rap is typical bragging as he goes on about his entry, how fearful he is and why he should be noticed. It is well done and the rap is delivered very well.

One observation though is that it looks like the songs drag on a bit too long which might have a tendency of making people bored. Apart from that Owuo?s debut is very impressive and he can only get better with subsequent albums.