Relationships these days are based on more talk, less action, we say we love someone but we are not able to show it as much as we say it. With the pandemic, BLM protests and what seems like global unrest it’s time more than ever to spend time with the people you love as much as you can. You could be here today and gone tomorrow. In his new single “Spend Some Time” featuring Skillz8Figure, BuMan wants us to value the time we spend with each other.
Over the weekend, BuMan spent some time with us to stress the importance of spending time with the people who matter to us, a little bit of what he’s been up to and what the current BLM movement means to him.
J: Tell us a bit about yourself BuMan
BU: Chale, where do I begin lol well I am Andrew Kofi Abu, known as BuMan or Bu, an Artist & Songwriter hailing from Accra, Ghana. I’m a pretty reserved person and it’s weird my passion is in music so I guess I can say I have found a way to share my thoughts through my craft. I’m currently based in Washington DC. I have been making music for just over 3 years, and I’ve been through plenty of ups and down but still stand thankfully!
J: What have you been up to? (You disappear and appear and play hide and seek with us) What’s happening with you? If you don’t mind sharing.
BU: Yeah I do disappear a lot, never on purpose though. To be very honest I’ve been soul searching, and getting my life in order moving to a new city and being out of your comfort zone is never easy. So yeah, I’ve spent a lot of time working on myself and my mental health. I’ve legit been figuring out my purpose in this industry/life in general because I lacked that clarity. I thought I had an idea, however, I soon learned that it wasn’t the case. It wasn’t really until this pandemic hit that the realization hit me. Then I started working towards it and here I am. Don’t worry I’m not running away anytime soon.
J: Who are you trying to spend time with? What inspired this song, tell us about it.
BU: Spend Time is an ode to a person who deserves to get more than what I am currently giving. It’s good to say the right things, but this person wants to see action rather than just words this time. With everything going on in the world right now, I felt it was necessary to do my part in supporting the black women in my life in one way or another.
It is never easy getting rid of old habits, however, I wanted to let this person know that I recognize that. I personally think as men there aren’t enough conversations amongst ourselves about how we treat women (black women especially), and this is very much present in the world we live in, whether we choose to observe it or not. I recognize the power I have in making a change starting with myself.
J: There are a lot of artists who could have featured on the song, why Skillz8Figure?
BU: First off Skillz is my guy, I remember the first day I met him, 3 years ago at AnC mall and he has shown me mad love always. We clicked mainly because of the passion he has for his craft and he was so eager to learn and that was crazy to me. So one evening, probably 2 months into the pandemic, DJ Kwamzy sent me a beat pack, as soon as I heard the beat I told him “Yo, Skillz would be perfect on this!” After I played around with it I sent it over to him. He sent the hook & verse back to me a week later. He killed it effortlessly, that honestly wasn’t a surprise though aha.
J: How are things with Labadi Music?
BU: Labadi Music is going strong. Last time I was in Accra we had a camp and we got a few things done while still working with each other during the pandemic. We are solidifying a foundation amongst ourselves because we recognize there is so much talent in Ghana and many artists go under the radar. We wanted to build a home in the industry and we wanted to help build a community for ourselves creatively to be able to achieve that together. We got a few things coming up while still releasing our own individual bodies of work, keep an eye out, the Palm Tree Gang is coming.
J: You’re living outside Ghana, how has the whole BLM movement affected you, how has it been in the US?
BU: First things first, the lack of Justice for Breonna Taylor puts into perspective how black life is regarded over here. R.I.P to her and all the others like George Floyd, Rayshard Brooks, Atatiana Jefferson, Mike Brown, Trayvon Martin, etc. the list is endless. When you really deep the situation you will realize how crazy it is out there. I legit have to check myself when I’m overthinking situations because it is so easy to forget how grateful we should be to wake up and see another morning. Growing up in Ghana had me so privileged, I never had to deal with issues like this on a day today. Once I was here, I recognized that instantly, being profiled every day because of your skin colour is a mad concept to me, especially when I try to treat every individual I come across with the utmost respect. The hurt and suffering you see families going through due to the pure lack of consideration is baffling to me at times. Social media has done a lot, allowing more people to witness these things first hand and watching them can really affect your mental health. It could literally happen to anyone. We have to recognize that our unity in this fight is necessary or it doesn’t make sense. I just hope more people are able to recognize that every black life is precious, not just your own. Love would legit conquer all so I just wanna spread some in any way shape or form that I can and get as many people to understand the meaning of BLM.
Spend some time here.