Name: Theophilus Tagoe
Showbiz Name: Castro D'destroyer
Hobbies: Writing Songs, Singing, Swimming, Marital Status: Single
Language: English, Fante, Twi, Ga
Best Saying: Fire, Sakwaba
Best Food: Rice And Stew
Albums: Three Damages, Toffee And Comm.Center
E-mail: c_facegh@yahoo.com
SUMMARY

The 2003 self-titled debut-DAMEGES with a hit track like SRADINAM album has been a smash across the country and beyond. Its influence has led to the success of the second album, Toffee. The Toffee actually entered the chart and has sold thousands of copies. His third successful album called Comm.Center with hit tracks like Back and Front, ME Ntumi (I Can't) among others, was released onto the market late in October. It was massively launched in Takoradi his home town dubbed "The home coming of Castro" as a special thank you to his people for supporting him for all these while.

THE MAN CASTRO

Castro gave the nation excellent and evocative music – Hiplife which stretched across over the last three years or so since he entered into the industry and still remains timeless and universal. He has been able to work himself into the very fabric of our lives and for that matter the music industry. It is important to consider the live and roots of this prolific song writer and performer.

Castro Destroyer has been the real "Show stopper" at several live concerts. Wherever he has mounted the stage, Castro has been the real toast of an otherwise dissatisfied audience.

The fact that he has performed at all the major entertainment events held in major cities in the country is symptomatic of the confidence that organisers have in his name which help to draw people to watch the events.

Although he could not readily re-call the number of shows he has performed at this year, Castro is happy to have been on stage during the major Entertainment programmes held at the Accra International Conference Centre.

"I am glad to have performed at the Beenie Man Concert, The finals of the Nescafe African Revelation, the Ghana Music Awards and the Miss Ghana events. These are the major entertainments events so far and I am grateful to God that I excelled at all of them," Castro said.

The increasing popularity of Castro has been gained through Toffee and Boneshaker two of the songs on his second album titled Toffee. The ace rapper cum singer was the biggest and brilliant new stars to have emerged during this millennium; therefore, fame has been a long time coming.

He started to perform on the under card at programmes organised for big stars and it was at one o such programmes that he was spotted by hiplife stalwarts, VIP who encouraged him to pursue a career in music. "For me it is VIP who really pushed me into the business," was how Castro put it.

Following their advice he left the Two Prominent Men (2PM) project he had started with his friend Skido in Takoradi and came to Accra to look for a recording deal in 1999. His break came when he met Agyengo (another sound engineer) who introduced him to Jeff Quaye (Jay Q), a renowned sound engineer and the rest is history.

ALBUMS

Impressed by what he saw and heard about Castro, Jay Q in 2003 recorded the hit compilation titled Platinum on his Q Lex Entertainment record Label and he featured Castro with the re-mix of George Jahraa's "Sradinam".

In the same year Mr. Anane Frimpong signed the aspiring rapper-cum-singer to his Frimprince Music Production label who later added that song to a few others to produce Castro's debut album titled Damages. Not much resulted from the deal, even though it was a hit, selling thousands of copies.

This was followed with his second award-winning album Toffee in 2004. He describes Toffee as bringing him twice the popularity that Damages brought him. "Damages introduced me to the people of Ghana, but what Toffee came with can rather be described as massive."

NEW RECORD DEAL

Late in December 2006, Castro signed a new lucrative record deal with Prince Dave, the CEO of Prince Dave Records for three years worth millions of cedis.

After two respected but under appreciated gold albums, Castro came out big with his blazing follows-up album: Comm.Center with chart topping singles like Back and Front, ME Ntumi (I Can't) among others, has just been released onto the market.

It was massively launched in Takoradi his home town dubbed "The home coming of Castro" as a special thank you to his people for supporting him for all this while. The chartbuster platinum album has been tipped by the connoisseurs to topple the chart for a long time to come. It also show the pedigree of the man Castro who is also referred to as Ghana's 50 Cent.

Born Theophilus Fiifi Tagoe and raised in the Western port city of Takoradi to Aidoo Tagoe and Lydia Tagoe. He was educated at Snaap College before which he schooled at the All Saints Junior Secondary School both in Takoradi.

According to the artiste, his showbiz name Castro Destroyer emerged from the fact that all the songs he comes out with become hit. "It is because my songs cause damage, they virtually destroy the system. You will realize that all the songs that I featured on become hit"

Castro who is in his mid-twenties cannot remember the number of artistes whose work he has featured in though he knows the number exceeds twenty. Some of them are Buk Bak, 4x4, Triple M, Mzbel, Dr Poh, Pope Skinnie, Paa Solo, 2 Toff, Screw Face and V.I.P among others. One of his biggest problems now is how to say no to his many colleagues who invite him to feature on their songs. Much as I want to feature on my fellow musicians, it must not be too much to lower the standard.

Castro said the view some people have about his music as being profane is not true because he tries as much as he could to come out with clean songs.

"My greatest desire is to make good songs while avoiding profanity and abusive language. I think the time is past when musicians sing to insult each other, we must desist from it," he added. He said he does not look up to anybody because that would not make him original. "Each one has his own style, mine is to sing and dance at the same time to entertain people who pay to watch me perform. Others have their own and I don't have to look up to anyone to do what I do."

Castro together with other two artistes Shilo and Scewface have released a ten-track debut album entitled "So Far So Good" which has hit tracks like "419", "Me Kae Kae" (If I Remember)together under the name Cash-face (The Killer Squad). He explained that they were not forming a group but just collaborating for this album after which they will all go separate ways.

TOURS

As one guy who always made him self available for others. He was part of the famous obour.com Tour of the country. He was also part of Hip life Kingpin Nana Quame's "Soldier Tour". Notwithstanding, all this success story, Castro and his management are planning a comprehensive tour of the country to raise funds for the Leukemia Trust and campaign for Domestic Violence Bill. "I'm doing this in collaboration with the Ghana Charity Organization, DWIB (Danny White and Ivor Burford) Leukemia Trust and the Ministry of Women Affairs to fight against violence against women" he said.

A W A R D S

His "Sradinam" album was nominated for The New Artist of the Year during the Ghana Music Awards 2003. He was recently voted the second best during the Joy Fm's "Who is the Best Artist" of the year 2005. In 2004 the TOFFEE ALBUM won three awards in UK Ghana Music Awards AND in 2005 Ghana Music Awards he also won two prestigious trophies: THE BEST HIPLIFE SONG OF THE YEAR (TOFFEE) AND HIPLIFE ALBUM OF THE YEAR (TOFFEE ALBUM).

He has traveled extensively to countries like Italy, Holland, Germany, France, America, UK, Belgium, Norway and Togo to show case the Ghanaian brand of Hip-life. In Togo Castro performed before mammoth crowd at the Palais Du Congress-Lome. The crowd was so huge that the gates have to be closed to avoid crowd violence living a host of them outside.

He was among the few hip life artists who performed during the Standard Talk against Poverty (STAP) concert in Accra ahead of the Millennium Summit in New York and also Citi Fm's MUGO night. He put up such a splendid performance that this is how the Graphic Showbiz put it. "He (Castro) did well to disabuse the minds of those who think Hip lifers have a phobia for live band. He played TOFFEE and Boneshaker live"

He was among the few hip life artists who performed during the Standard Talk against Poverty (STAP) concert in Accra ahead of the Millennium Summit in New York and also Citi Fm's MUGO night. He put up such a splendid performance that this is how the Graphic Showbiz put it. "He (Castro) did well to disabuse the minds of those who think Hip lifers have a phobia for live band. He played TOFFEE and Boneshaker live"

An answer to a question recently, this is what Castro has to say: "Knowing what the youth want and the hot tempo to make the fans dance when I'm behind the microphone, I know how to put it so that the fans and the Dj's eat it up" –Castro d'Destroyer

…and this is how his manager, DJ Amess has to say about him: "He has earned his spot as one of the most respected and brilliant award-winning hiplife artist ever to have emerged in recent times. Even in the coldest days Castro's vibes will heat up all clubs, homes as well as the Radio"

Acknowledgement:DJ Amess & Castro D'Destroyer