Kwaku-T is back with a new single that showcases his mature lyrics and commentary on our increasingly fabricated reality. Known as a pioneer for his contributions to Ghanaian Hip-Hop and Hiplife, Kwaku-T continues to innovate with ‘No Awam’, a Hip-Hop and Afrobeat track produced by Kuvie, featuring BiQo and Sanaa. AWAM is the acronym for Association of West African Merchants created during the period of the transatlantic slave trade.
The western imperialist colonizers set up AWAM to control trade between European merchants and African merchants and local producers of goods. Due to corruption and mismanagement of funds, the association went bankrupt but continued fraudulently make payments with AWAM letter headed checks. Eventually, banks and merchants no longer accepted AWAM checks because they were notoriously known to bounce. The acronym was adopted as slang: AWAM has become synonymous with something that is fake. ‘No Awam’ is a call to action: to return to the real. With over two decades in the entertainment industry, Kwaku-T is considered one of Ghana’s top lyricists and has significantly impacted Ghanaian Hip-Hop culture.
His career began as a member of Talking Drums, with his partner, Bayku. They released various classics including, ‘Aden’ that changed the narrative of Ghanaian music. He later, alongside Bayku, created a record label known as Warrior Music, which lead him to perform at BET’s 106 and Park Country tour in 2001, becoming the first Hip-Hop record label of African roots to perform on the platform. A decade after, Kwaku-T and Ghana’s finest Hip-Hop artists made their mark in the first ever African BET Cypher (Sarkodie, D-Black, Kwaku-T, Ayigbe Edem (now Edem), Baby G, Tinny and Reggie Rockstone). He also trended globally with the single ‘Breathe’ with D-Black around the same period. He won ”Best Music Video” in 2010 at the Ghana Music Awards and received a nomination at the Channel O awards in South Africa.
‘No Awam’ is receiving heavy airplay on the main urban Ghanaian radio stations such as YFM, Live FM, Hitz and Joy FM to name a few. The video is set for release on the 1st of August. The song is available on all major digital platforms including iTunes below.
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