Category: Thesavanna Features

Impressive! Ghanaian Rapper Dr. Pushkin Releases 1 New App

Who is Dr. Pushkin?

Ingenious Dr. Pushkin, known in academia as Paul Azunre is a certified stunner par excellence. Having chalked immense success as an AI Prodigy, the Texas-based Ghanaian rapper employs his passion and area of study to further our civilization. Well-known for his contributions to advancing the state of Optical System Design Optimization Algorithms, the release of Khaya is a switch in direction.

Paul Azunre aka Dr. Pushkin

What is Khaya?

Khaya is a mobile app that runs on Android, iOS and web. Its functionality amounts to preserving indigenous African languages. The App mainly allows for easy translation between mother-tongues. It also has a voice recognition feature that can do a voice-to-text transcription flawlessly.

While Dr. Pushkin and his fellow team members that developed the App strive to collect more data to facilitate the addition of more languages, the App currently carries out translation from English to Ga, Ewe, Twi, & Yoruba. It also allows translation between the aforementioned languages and English. Since the release of Khaya, many philologists and linguists have expressed the joy of an African seeking to preserve African languages. For the Khaya team made up of Algorine Inc and the Ghana Natural Learning Processing group, this is a dream come alive. The rare opportunity to give people an opportunity to learn, understand, and even speak an African language is beyond exhilarating.

Clearly, Dr. Pushkin intends to keep his being grounded in using AI and Music to change the social order.

Dr. Pushkin’s Book – Transfer Learning for Natural Language Processing

Nerdy Dr. Pushkin is probably a case worth studying. True hip-hop aficionados know that the ability to compose songs and verses with the kind of Dr. Pushkin’s depth does not come easy. Couching a theme, piecing the lyrics together, and arranging every aspect of the song to exude finesse and social consciousness is a defining factor for all respected rappers. If that’s not challenging enough, his work as an Artificial intelligence authority should take up all his time. However, the former Brilliant Science & Maths Quiz winner made time to finish another ground-breaking Book. The book is titled “Transfer Learning for Natural Language Processing”.

Obviously, his interests expressed through Khaya have an influence on this latest book. According to Dr. Pushkin, it’s been two years of hard work, but he finally received the first Hardcopy of “Transfer Learning for Natural Language Processing”, defining the experience as “surreal”. The always-smiling scientist made a post via his Facebook profile page.

“The book “Transfer Learning for NLP” is about the machine learning techniques for processing human speech currently taking the world by storm. Personally, I use them in my work with Ghana Natural Language Processing and Algorine for translation, speech transcription, etc, in my business analytics work, and even in my music. The number of applications is truly mind-blowing.”

Get a copy of Transfer Learning for Natural Language Processing

Hard copies and eBooks are available from Manning. The book will also be available on Amazon, Target, Barnes & Noble starting August 31, 2021, with pre-order available now.

This very easy to read and practice book is published by Manning Publications.

Subscribe to the YouTube channel for video lectures, and other related content aimed at helping more young people starting out in these fields to take on the upcoming decade with confidence. Several other relevant links can be found via https://solo.to/azunre

As the man behind the development of an algorithm that can guarantee to find the “best possible design” to an optical design problem, Dr. Pushkin is definitely on a growth trajectory that satisfies the soul and enhances life.

Away from artificial intelligence and academic work, Dr. Pushkin has readied a music album for Hip Hop lovers. Having brought to the fore a kind of music that seeks to transform, and bring change, the Outlandish Dr. Pushkin album definitely promises to be a full bouquet of unique music experiences, and it is one to look forward to.

About the “OUTLANDISH DR. PUSHKIN” Album

Akin to his music persona, this album features artistes whose prowess transcend entertainment. Call it an array of well-curated musicians with a touch of social awareness, and you won’t be faulted. Amongst the list of featured musicians are Ghana’s rap contortionist Budukusu, emerging Ghanaian silky voice Teri Wiizi, the ever-present Ataman Nikita, Muphasah, Kwadjo Spiri, Aggie, Kromanteng and AZA The Messenger.

Listen to the OUTLANDISH ALBUM

Paul Azunre aka Dr. Pushkin, Nikita Tolkachev, Azkonnah and IV produced tracks on this artful collection of music. The album title speaks volumes – in an era where rap and hip hop has been criticized for being shallow and unoriginal, Dr. Pushkin promises to deliver something unique and special to us. The carefully crusted album has a track to touch each of us, to inspire and sustain us. That has always been the true nature of hip hop & rap.

The first track from the album – Rapinho – drops September 9th. It features a cameo from Loyaltexn. The second track – Hear Me Out, with Palermo-based Ghanain rapper Muphasah – is slated for September 23rd.

Dr. Pushkin is a Ghanaian Artiste of Gurune extraction currently based in Austin Texas, United States of America. He holds a Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Paul Azunre

Adaga – 1 mighty plummet that became my nickname

Adaga

What is Adaga?

Adaga is a slang for describing the stunt where a bicycle rider raises the front wheel by balancing on the left wheel while in motion. It is always an attempt to raise front of the bike to set it at a perpendicular angle with the back wheel as the sole means of motion.

The Journey to the Beans seller

The sun was meters past the horizon as the day was still toddling but showed good signs of being a very sunny one. A long winding queue snaked its way from the waakye seller’s joint to the edge of the street. The Koko seller across the street had also been swallowed by the crowd of school children that had circled her, screaming on top of their voices to get her attention.

I hated to join long winding queues just to buy a widow’s mite worth of food. Gliding on the back of my not-too-new bicycle, I made a quick U-turn and headed for “makpor” the beans seller’s end. The path leading to the “makpor” was a steep one and required a great deal of experience and a touch of perfect riding skills like mine to go unharmed.

Dexterously using my weight to bring the bike to the middle lane of the busy street, I zoomed past two “trotros” (commercial buses), which were moving at tortoise pace. The wind tore at my ears as I sped on and I loved the flapping sound its impact made in my ears.

When on my bike on bright days like this, just don’t cross my path, lest I run you down.

I was soon at “makpor” and thank goodness, the usual crowd there was absent. I decided to make a quick U-turn and come to perform the “sacred ritual” in the holy sanctuary- “Makpor”

Gracefully, I brought the right paddle to accelerating position, at the same time swinging the steering and adding my weight, the style was called “Cee”, it usually turned the bike 180 degrees and would leave the screeching marks of the rear tyre on the bare floor almost like the letter “C”

The rear tyre spun so fast I lost control and was thrown out of the bike. I found myself sprawled awkwardly on the floor.

A group of children who had witnessed the mighty “humpty-dumpty” fall wouldn’t stifle their laughter. Baring their teeth, they screamed laughter out of the bellies.

The Failed Adaga

Wanting to show them my worth and dexterity with the bicycle I jumped onto the bike again. Holding the steer firmly I paddled swiftly and exerted lifting force to the steer and soon the front tire was up in the air-“Adagga” I maintained the posture for about 7seconds, still trying to impress my little audience, I dropped the front tire and repeated the process, this time I lifted it even higher than before.

The force was too much and the back tyre skidded off and down I went again. I hit my head hard against the bare tarred floor and everything spun before my eyes.

There was an explosive barrage of laughter louder than the June 3 thunder clapping. I lay there wishing I could just disappear into thin air or just sink into the dusty earth.

I lay there with my eyes closed for a very long time and all I could hear was continuous explosive laughter and rhetorical questions.

And that how I earned my infamous nickname, “Adaga”

By:  Edwin Abanga

Contact:    eabanga21@gmail.com

Inspiring a generation of amazing Vocalists: The Abu Sadiq story

Introduction

Music from the savanna regions of Ghana is always refreshing, especially when it employs traditional and cultural elements; the sound of indigenous rhythms fused with reggae and the sweet melodious voices that accompany these perfectly synchronized rhythms is one reason I don’t hesitate to buy an album by Abu Sadiq.

Who is Abu Sadiq?

Hailed as one of the most respected musicians with amazing vocal strength from the savanna, his message-filled music will always stay in the heart of a listener. If you are a music enthusiast like myself, with a constant crave for savanna rhythms you will definitely know Abu Sadiq the artiste that ensures every listener can find a song to relate to on his albums.

Abu-Sadiq

Often referred to as the “Policeman”, the Tamale native born in Salamba had his basic education at the Sakasaka Primary & JSS also in Tamale, and later proceeded to the Northern School of Business in 1995 where he studied accounting.

Young and ambitious Abu Sadiq realized his gift of singing at a very tender age, however the choice to fully explore it arose from his desire to affect the many youths who were psychologically affected by the Kokomba-Nunumba conflict of 1995. This influenced the positivity behind all his lyrics as an artiste and led to seven successful album releases from 1996, and several impactful singles.

Growing up around the story-oriented nature of traditional music in the Northern Region, and the positive vibes associated with reggae music, Abu Sadiq’s entrance into the music scene was what he describes as,

“A perfect opportunity for a young person to have immeasurable influence on society, in the most positive of ways by simply doing what came to him naturally and with ease i.e. Music.”

Musical Influences

He therefore sought to bring a unique sound that fuses elements of his culture and reggae, whilst maintaining the positive vibes of reggae music. This led him to deliberately write music that won’t just get feet tapping but will take listeners on a journey of mental rejuvenation.

Even though today’s music scene in the savanna is a bit unlike before, Abu Sadiq’s relevance has never waned as he continues to tirelessly churn out amazing music like Fara Kurli, Azindo, Dikuyuui and several others whilst featuring on countless songs belonging to other artistes.

One would assume that after 15years Abu Sadiq would be looking to retire soon but according to him.

“There is too much to be shared by way of positive lyrics, and I doubt if I can quit knowing how much my music impacts Dagbon”.

In a short conversation with www.thesavannaonline.com, Abu Sadiq revealed his desire to get back into school to pursue higher education.

Early Life of Abu Sadiq

He believes doing so will further set him apart from his contemporaries and the new generation of musicians who basically think the dance aspect of music, relegating the positive impact of music by way of lyrics to the background. He also expressed disappointments in the myriad of award schemes that adorn the savanna yet don’t fully represent the different genres of music that has given the entertainment scene its budding status. He believes recognizing all genres will actually bring the less popular genres to the fore thereby increasing the economic potential of alternative music exports.

According to him, the situation where profane and vulgar lyrics, as well as insults in the name of publicity stunts will in the long run cause irreparable damage to listeners who look up to musicians as role models, and thus attempt to model their lives after their favourite artistes. Abu Sadiq is currently in the studio working on an album, which he believes is the best he’s ever put out.

Awards & Nominations

Collaborations

Discography of Abu Sadiq

Tiken-Jah-Koley-&-Abu-Sadiq

Abu Sadiq has inspired the likes of Don Sigli.

Do you know about Adinkra symbols?

The story of Adinkra Symbols

“Adinkra” express various themes, beliefs and the ethnological philosophy of the Ghanaian. The symbols are induced with proverbial interpretations.

“Adi-nkra” which can be translated to mean “farewell or goodbye” in Akan, is a collection of symbols that express various themes, beliefs and Ghanaian traditional philosophy. The Akan ethnic group is largely associated with and thought of as the doyens of these symbols.

Historic narration of the genesis of these unique symbols has it that, Nana Kofi Adinkra, the King of Gyama, a kingdom situated in the area which encompasses present day Ivory Coast, for unknown reasons replicated the “Asante Golden Stool” which is a highly revered symbol of the Akan unity, power and cohesion.

Symbols and the reverence

This was not taken lightly by the Asante’s who eventually waged war against Nana Adinkra and the Gyamas. Gyama was defeated in the ensuing battle and Nana Kofi Adinkra captured and taken to Kumasi, the capital of the Asantes and Gyama made an annex of the Asante Kingdom. It is said that on their way to Kumasi, Nana Kofi wore a patterned dress full of symbols, which was thought to express his sorrow, as was the practice of the people of Gyama in days.

Centuries on, the Asantes and virtually all the Akan tribes have learnt the practice of printing the symbols of the Gyama people on cloths. A clear indication of cultural diffusion.

Today, cloths with branded these symbols are worn at social gatherings. Some corporate institutions even use these symbols as their logo.

Writer: Edwin Abanga: Thesavannaonline

A Radiant Nurse in Love with the Turntable

Today we bring to you the story of an amazing son of Bongo who is a practicing nurse and one of the finest radio show hosts in the Upper East Region.

DJ-Aluther-&-Console

DJ Aluther and Recognition

Popularly known as Dj Aluther, his dedication to radio as a tool for reaching the youth on various levels earned him an award as the Best Deejay of the Year at the Delight Box Entertainment Upper Music Awards 2016. He was also nominated in 3 categories at the Northern Entertainments Awards held in Tamale some months ago: overall presenter of the year, best deejay of the year and best entertainment show of the year.

Who is DJ Aluther?

Born Akunsike Martin in Bongo, the Word Fm Deejay and Presenter has through relentless efforts carved a niche for himself via the “Word House Party Mix”; a radio show strategically and purposefully couched to satisfy the insatiable need of quality entertainment in the region.

DJ-Aluther

In what can be described as an entertainment cocktail, Deejay Aluther serves his audience with bits and pieces of all there is to entertainment; entertainment news, celebrity interviews, talent promotions, event promotions and a great deal of music mixes with a spice of real talk to engage his audience. His radio show which airs every Saturday between the hours of 4:00pm-6:00pm on Word 88.3Fm in Zuarungu is one of the most interactive, vibrant and remains arguably the weekend show with the largest listenership in the entire Upper East Region.

DJ-Aluther-1

With earlier experiences at A1Radio also in Bolgatanga as part of the learning process, accepting an appointment and running an effective show on Word Fm in July 2014 was really not too daunting a task to carry.

Dj Aluther had always wanted to be an engineer and a radio personality, though he missed out on becoming an engineer, his radio dream materialized, and new passion replaced engineering and that is nursing. He went further to study nursing and now practices in Bongo. He also Manages the Music Group originally from Bongo, RockCity Bongo.

DJ Aluther’s Spectacular Moments

Among the spectacular moments spent on radio were moments that he held the legendary King Ayisoba and his own role model, DJ Black on separate interviews. According to him, he describes the experience as a rarely refreshing experience.

As someone who spends just 2 hours a week on radio yet has so much popularity and influence, he believes media is the most required tool in transforming the savanna considering the educational, informational and entertainment nature of media presentation. He believes the media can be bring about a rapid economic boom in the savanna regions of Ghana since the area is relatively unknown, media can be used to promote the area which will eventually attract investors.

The affable Dj once collaborated with Don Max, B-Wayne, Mr Kurt of Rockcity Bongo and Skerry Sparta to release a song titled “The Intro”. This song was a further testament of his awesome act as a disc Jockey. The Intro served as an instance to promote several talent with a single song; true and true, the song became a monster hit in the Region.

Where to catch DJ ALuther

Do make time with Dj Aluther on the “– Word House Party Mix” and you won’t regret it.

If you are in the Upper East Region catch SV-JAM OF THE WEEK with Dj Aluther on “Word House Party Mix” on Saturdays from 4pm – 6pm on Word 88.3Fm.

Checkout a conversation between DJ ALuther and Lexis below.

Desire Exploring our uniqueness for gain as a 1 people

Are we exploring our uniqueness for gain?

Ever wondered why music genres continue to be relabelled and fused? It is an attempt to influence a popular genre by fusing elements of originality to own that sound. That said, are we exploring our uniqueness for gain?

We are endowed with a wide array of artistic tools; unique traditional elements like language, music/musical instruments, landscapes & locations, folklore, dances, Griots–to the modern elements that aid in boosting the economic viability of the aforementioned elements.  

How about exploring these before strangling ourselves with award schemes that seek to elevate egos and not necessarily improve our artistic being and economic standing? Are we exploring our uniqueness for gain?

Exploring our uniqueness for gain

Truly pursuing the task of exploring our uniqueness for gain

I will not bore you with winding narratives on how we manage to stifle our growth with the numerous award schemes. Admittedly musicians are just like any other brand and so every aspect of their being must be to perfection or at least close to it. This requires a careful retrospection and also analysis of whom your target audience is albeit you want to be a global celebration.

The Demands of today’s showbiz is eased through exploring our uniqueness for gain

Exploring our uniqueness for gain is like art, we’ll have to be tactful and deliberate. As subjective as defining a good brand can be, we will agree there is a common ground when we seek to compare impactful artistry, and that is where our self-entitled attitude could further derail us from the path of glory.

Today’s music business goes beyond the local champion syndrome; so, one must seek to get same or similar acclamation wherever they exhibit their artistry. This requires thinking outside the scope of pleasing your townsfolk or people in your immediate region. I’m not in any way suggesting that using your indigenous language in composing music is defeatist, because language can be as effective as any of the elements one employs in creating a masterpiece.  The artistic use of language can actually be the selling point of an artiste.

The onus is largely on the artiste and management to fully understand the nature of what makes good music and not just stick to one element which may get them a small following. One needs to go beyond language and pay good attention to instrumentation & the quality of production of all musical pieces. The introduction of traditional elements of music can also be a major feature in creating a unique artiste in the quest to dominate the global scene.

Others are already exploring our uniqueness for gain.

Nuggets to consider in exploring our uniqueness for gain

Stay humble; humility is a virtue that continues to aid the soaring of artistes like Stonebwoy; I’ve known Stonebwoy for a while and we can all attest to the force with which he is dominating the music scene in Ghana, he could have laid back and enjoy the street disciples’ praise but no, he values and knows who will actually label him a star hence he paid the price by staying humble in dealing with his peers, media and even fans.

This has made him a toast of many.  Can that be said about the numerous acts that adorn the savanna? From experience I will emphatically say NO, and by that I’m not bundling all artistes together, but if front liners are not humble, how do we expect the younger ones to be humble.

The sacrifice and investment; Music as we’ve come to know is a full-time business that requires a lot of sacrifice and investment; both time and finances. We’ve heard people say, “talent is not enough”, how we relate to that phrase actually can impact our success as musicians.

From the image of an artiste which involves the quality of photography, artworks, quality of videos, to investing in vocal performances, studio recordings, live instrumentations and even self-improvement programs that can help in interviews and managing your persona in the corporate world, we need to consciously dedicate resources to ensure the aforementioned are at the apex of quality.  

These will set-up any artiste for every market that appreciates hard quality work. The above is also one thing artistes need to really take seriously; friends and family will do you favours but the bills they have to foot inform how much they can do for you for free.

A key element in this life is loyalty, however when this is misplaced one is sure going to face the repercussions associated with it. Many artistes form cliques and movements, which really don’t have anything in line with improving musical worth, but rather creates the impression of a following.

This births paranoia as artistes find themselves making music to please the few people in these cliques; most of who will never pay to attend a show or purchase an album. Usually, most members of these cliques are personal friends and family who would rarely give objective criticism on works. If you believe objective criticism is a much-needed fuel in improving your artistry you should be re-examining where you place your loyalty.

Crowning of mediocrity in all aspects of this multi-faceted industry.

Maccasio

In as much as I have no problems with putting together award schemes, the sectarian nature and limited number of artistes creates a situation where mediocrity is crowned.  The recent Upper East Awards is a good case to cite here, a good number of demo songs actually found their way on the nominations list and even went ahead to win some awards. Are we then celebrating amazing music or just trying to crown some people?

No serious artiste will enter a demo song in an award scheme neither wills any serious event organizer accept entries that don’t meet a certain standard of quality. However, given the small operational zone of the scheme, it is easy for such to happen. We therefore need to look beyond our small enclaves and aspire to be part of more competitive schemes, after all whether Navrongo, Tamale or Accra, every artiste wants to be seen as the ultimate when it comes to good music.

Unguided trend following.

Whilst artistes will swear to forever stay true to the kind of music they represent, the temptation not to follow trends is far more daunting hence they succumb. Whilst others argue that an ability to adapt to styles and trends is proof of versatility, I believe an ability to walk unchartered zones and still stay you is actually proof that you mastered your craft and control of your audience.

Succumbing to trends can only destroy the originality in style of an artiste thereby creating genres like Reggae/Dancehall when both are very different genres. Our artistes therefore need to stay true to themselves, their styles and not just hop from genre to genre. Don Sigli is one of current crop of artistes who has stayed true to his kind of music and maintained relevance no matter which stage he is on.

Lack of ingenuity. (Your native language is not enough)

Music lovers are constantly looking for out of the box performers and musicians, this is because as humans we constantly strive to experience same or similar things in varied ways. This when brought into music can be a massive selling point for an artiste.

King Ayisoba is busy travelling the world with his beloved Kologo and unique brand of music. How is he different from the many “world” artistes that we’ve listened to? Well, he brought a unique musical instrument, fused it with a lot of other instruments and offered something different from all the other artistes. His collaboration with Mobeatz on the song “Me ka” is proof of his ingenious superiority. This then suggests that our artiste need to adopt relevant elements of their various cultures to create a unique sound in their chosen genres.

I would wanna hear an rnb tune over a xylophone, I would love to hear some dondo in our reggae songs. Yes, just be ingenious and you will reap fruits sweeter than mangoes. (lol…You get it right?)

Instead of exploring our uniqueness for gain, we’ve allowed rivalry to gain roots in an industry that can only be said to be in its infantile stage. Many would cringe at the word infantile but that’s my assertion. Recently fans of Fancy Gadam and Macassio clashed resulting in broken windscreens etc. Why would two talented artistes be subject to such damning rivalry?

If we do not have any immediate memories of the results of these “gangs” we might have to revisit the era of Tupac & Biggie, Game and Gunplay, and the many great artistes we’ve lost to unnecessary rivalry to understand the repercussions of these rivalries often employed in an attempt to create hype. First off, there are enough fans for everybody to reach so there’s really no need to make play rivals when artistes are uniting to do amazing musical works.

An artiste who lacks the ability to fully comprehend the import of criticism is definitely bound to fail since they perceive anyone who critics as an enemy. Some of us have a penchant for looking beyond the surface of issues and works and so we would continue criticize hoping that it helps shape the arts in the savanna.

Artistes and their management therefore need to desist from making enemies out of all who criticize and rather look at the issues presented. Your enemy doesn’t want you to succeed, but your critics urge you to reach higher and prove them wrong.

The numerous award schemes have created a career killing mafia since organizers accord themselves a god status because they covertly have an influence in deciding who deserves an award, a situation that has spread even to deejays and radio presenters.

Deejays and radio presenters play a vital role in promoting music, so when they suddenly take sides, a number of things manifest–sidelining and continuously running down the efforts of acts they don’t support. This is done with concerted efforts so much so that it becomes evidently clear to the entire public. If indeed we want to see our music and art industry develop, we would need to stop playing God and give equal opportunity to all artistes we encounter.

We can do what we want to fit but that will not make us stand out, yet we all agree standing out is the through case of master artistry.

If we truly want to soar, we need to start exploring our uniqueness for gain.

#Exploring our uniqueness for gain

Soorebia – Putting Bolgatanga on the Rap Map of the World

Who is Soorebia?

As a musical enthusiast with an inclination towards Rap, Reggae, R & B and very Traditional African Music, I listen to a lot of it from across Ghana.  Which always leave me with many questions regarding the permeation of music made in other parts of Ghana into the rest of Ghana.

Soorebia

The argument is usually limited to quality and language, which I think is a lame excuse, but I reserve that subject for another day.

After rebranding www.thesavannaonline.com and introducing a music download feature my attention was drawn to a song making waves in the Ghana titled “Primus” performed by a Youngman, Soorebia featuring a lady by name Ayilla.

For me, I just couldn’t believe such a talent is only now being uncovered considering how rap music has taken centre stage among the Ghanaian youth and the fact that acts like Edem have been doing it so well in their native languages.

Growing up & Ambitions

Soorebia started his rap career some eight years ago in Bolgatanga where he made massive inroads with his mystical yet revealing lyrics exposing a musical prowess, which his contemporaries can only wish they had. His music is usually a blend of Frafra, Nankani & Kasem with regular punch lines in English making him appeal to a wider audience.

Musical Influences

Collaborations & Features

Soorebia has an extensive list of collaborations. From his early days, the eclectic rapper opened up to other creatives. Below is a list of some of his. This list is in no particular order:

Party – By Soorebia Ft. Leety

Party – By Fasetwo Ft. Soorebia, Carl Blingx, Teflon Flexx, and Isaac

2 Strings – Featuring Akan

Gaafara – Ft. Rockcity Bongo & Sarauta (Produced By Azkonna)

Caution – Featuring Zazzy

Primus – Featuring Ayillah

Guyman – Featuring Maccasio

Fantasy – Dr Pushkin Ft. Soorebia & Ataman Nikita

Elephant – Featuring Nambawan

Bartender – Mani Mandela x Soorebia

Yinemi – Zazzy Featuring Soorebia

Everybody Bad – Jojo lytel featuring Soorebia

Discography

Starting his career with a Bolgatanga based record label 7ireblaze, he released several rib cracking demos and mixtapes, which earned him street discipleship leading to the invention of the word “Tumanneh,” meaning the “stacked brother.”

His dedication to the craft over the years has made him strive to attain bigger heights releasing club bangers and hot freestyles under a new movement #BBT (Bolga Boy Tins) with a very talented producer – Azkonna.

So far, he’s been a phenomenon on radio stations in the savanna regions especially around Bolgatanga, but with the release of “Primus” which enjoys airplay on YFM in Accra and radio stations as well as nightclubs across the country. I strongly believe Soorebia “the lyrical Gem” is about to be unleashed on a bigger audience.

Primus is composed of two verses with a chorus from Ayilla beautifully laced on a banging beat from a very talented producer, Azkonna. In this song, Soorebia boasts of his lyrical superiority, detailing how he killed the competition to emerge as the king of rap in his neighbourhood and the region, and his plans to conquer the rap game.

The melodious chorus from Ayilla soothes non-rap lovers and takes you to a more powerful rap verse where the rapper shows his versatility by dropping few bars in Kasem and alternating between Frafra-English. Primus is a pure rap song that can rub shoulders with ones from titans in the Ghanaian rap game.

Though unconfirmed one of Ghana’s finest Lyricists, Quata, told thesavannaonline “the song is sick, and I would really want a collaboration with him after the launch of my album”..

Soorebia – Bag of Rocks

Awards

Story By: Atigsibadek Afoko/thesavannaonline.com

Ewurama Attoh; 1 sensational lady owning Tamale airwaves

Ewurama-Attoh

Who is Ewurama Attoh

To her teaming listener’s, she is Ewurama Attoh, the sweet-voiced queen of the airwaves in Tamale. To her friends, she is Queenzy, the backup singer. To her family, she is Agnes, the purposeful daughter whose pursuits are borne of passion, and is boundless. To Ghana, she is the People’s Celebrity Awards Most Popular Female Radio Presenter 2017. She is Agnes Alexis Attoh, the young lady making giant strides by way of impact and relevance in a fast-evolving radio industry.

Growing up, young Ewurama Attoh had ambitions and interests like every child. The desire to become a lawyer competed with her addiction to news on CNN & GTV. Often emulating the reading styles of some of her favourite news anchors, she was nicknamed Barbara Sam by her dad.

Though a Fante, she’s spent most of her life in the Northern Region where she had most of her education. Starting at Queen Elizabeth Nursery in Tamale, she continued to St. Joseph Primary School, and later Bethel Methodist School, also in Tamale. She then proceeded to the Bolgatanga Girls Senior High School, located in the capital of the Upper East Region.

Educational Background of Ewurama Attoh

She eventually went back to school in pursuit of an HND in Marketing at the Tamale Business College between 2012 & 2014. Ewurama Attoh, despite her tight schedule on radio as a marketing manager and host of two shows on Kesmi Fm in Tamale, she makes time to study Marketing & Journalism through the ICM-UK program.

The journey to becoming an on-air personality wasn’t structured; despite her jolly-nature, she assumed her confidence wasn’t good enough to face the public with her voice.  A radio career was a no no. However, her opinionated nature got her contributing to radio programs via text and phone calls.

How Ewurama entered Radio

29th March 2013 marked the beginning of a boisterous, yet in-depth analysis of showbiz related matters, impact-filled discussions and a refreshing newscaster-voice. Ewurama had the rare opportunity of being a panellist in a radio discussion; a good friend, Seth Sowah who apparently perceived her worth was behind the invitation.

Awards & Achievements

Despite the fact that Ewurama has been in radio for just a little over 4 years; the young achiever has already earned some recognition by way of awards. So far, she’s won the following.

  • Foklex Media Award (2015-2016) – Best Newscaster for Northern Region
  • Dagbon Radio Awards (2015- 2016) – Brunch Host of the year
  • Lifestyle Program of the year
  • Foklex Media Awards (2016 -2017) – Family Life Host of the year
  • People’s Celebrity Awards (2017) – Female Radio Presenter of the Year

The Talents of Ewurama Attoh

Ewurama trained as a Photo Editor/ Graphic Designer, but the yearn to use her voice creatively pushed her into taking up radio as a full-time job. Born to a family of creatives, Ewurama’s desire to make a mark in the creative industry continues to stir her endeavours; thus, she intends to expand her relevance by venturing into TV.

Even though she rarely talks about her singing prowess, Ewurama is actually a fine singer.  She admits to a struggling entertainment industry in the Northern Region but is quick to name some of her favourite musicians as Kawastone, Dobble Tee, Fancy Gadam & Maccasio. When www.atigsi.com asked her about what she thinks account for the struggling nature of the showbiz industry in the Northern Region, she blamed it on those steering the affairs of the industry with little to no knowledge about the industry. She however remains positive that at the current rate and state, there is a bright future for the industry.

She is also a gym and fitness enthusiast.

Her desires& Wishes

As an enigma within radio circles in Tamale, Ewurama wishes to see more ladies venture into the industry. Per her analysis, she believes Josephine of Diamond FM and herself, are the only female radio personalities pushing beyond the stereotypical roles assigned women.

For her, the main challenge in being a broadcaster in the Northern Region is the inability to access sponsorship for impact-filled broadcasting. A situation that affects the production of relevant and “edutaining” content for the benefit of the people.

There’s a perception that Tamale is hostile to people who are not indigenes, interestingly Ewurama gives better insight into what is misconstrued as hostility.

“I wouldn’t say it is hostile…. Tamale is a special place and what do u do with a special thing…. you study it, know what the people want, give what they want…. make them happy and you are loved.  it is not easy but learning the love language of the people and u are ok.”

There’s obviously something special about Ewurama, she puts in this way.

“Mmm…. well first off, the fact that am a woman and a loudmouth lol…. my voice and laughter and oh the fact that my delivery is different…”

Her success, she attributes to the all-out support from her family and Seth Klipss (Seth Sowah) who saw in her, what she refused to pay attention to. Her personal shrink Bertrand Nana Kwame Turkson remains an invaluable asset to her career. In her own words.

“he’s always been the one I run to when I want to give up… he will listen, laugh 😄 then insult u and push u back in lol…. he’s always been my pillar.” She counts herself lucky because she’s built a good professional relationship with most industry players who in turn are very supportive.

Her biggest recognition thus far, has been winning the nation-wide award for Favourite Female Radio Presenter, at the People’s Celebrity Awards organized by GN-Bank.

Ewurama Attoh was born on 30th May. She has 3 siblings. She currently doubles as the Marketing Manager and on-air personality with Diamond FM 93.7 in the Northern Regional Capital, Tamale.

Ewurama-Attoh-and-Family
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