Over the last two years, Rap music in Ghana has received a whole new facelift, especially since the amplification of Asakaa. One artist who has been at the forefront of this brand-new surge is Kweku Smoke. Kweku is no stranger to music lovers with his taste of success in 2019 after the release of his hit single Yedin with Sarkodie.
However, in the midst of finding his footing in the Ghanaian music space, he would be forced into a hiatus for months only to return in late 2022 with the release of his EP Big Shmoke. Subsequently, Kweku will release another EP and follow it up with project releases. After dropping two albums on the same day in 2023, Playman/He Just Different, Kweku gained mass applause while charting across multiple streaming platforms. With his newfound success, Smoke will take his craft a notch higher earlier this year with the release of his album Kweku Jesus, which will once again dominate the Ghanaian music streaming charts.
With his career running at a high and music in high demand, Kweku Smoke follows up his last album with a new album, Born In Hell. In a conversation with iMullar, he opens up about life as Kweku Smoke, what influences the move to drop projects, and everything in between.
For those who do not know Kweku Smoke, how would you describe yourself to them?
Kweku Smoke is a Ghanaian hip-hop artist who came into the scene in 2019/2020, and this is where we have gotten to so far. I am somebody who does not like to claim a particular place. I am for everybody because I’ve lived in different places at different ages, and all of those places have influenced me.
One theme you talk about a lot in your music is family. How influential has your family been in your life and career thus far?
You hear me talk about my family and my mother every time because I am rapping or singing about what I went through growing up, and I cannot tell all those stories without adding the characters I went through all that with. That is why you hear my mom and some of my uncles in my songs.
How different is the Kweku Smoke of today from the Kweku Smoke that dropped Yedin? And what will you say has influenced that change?
If you listened to Kweku Smoke in 2019 and you listen to my music now, you can see the growth. I am starting to understand that making music is not literally about creating stuff out of nowhere. I enjoy making music and telling my stories through my music. I am getting broader ideas about music and where I should be taking certain albums. I understand that now I have a whole lot of people depending on me with their emotions and what they are going through. I am taking music with a whole different seriousness now than before.
2019/2020: When Asakaa gained significant popularity, do you think you should have been part of it, or did you miss out on the fruits of Asakaa?
I have always been somebody who does not rely on something to make me feel like I am doing something. Although I had been making drill music before all of this started, I thought it was their time. I was just happy that something like that was coming out and that there was a rise in hip-hop because that was the only way people were going to listen to me too. And it wasn’t necessarily about who did what first and who brought what first.
One of the many things people admire about you is your visuals and photography. How important is imagery to you?
I’ve always paid attention to the kind of stuff that I put out image-wise concerning my brand and everything. If you look at the video for On These Streets with Kwesi Arthur, you see what we portrayed in it, and that is the same thing that’s going on right now. Today is the 3rd, and people are out there protesting about some of the things I have spoken of in music. As an artist, there are a lot of things that come with it. Image-wise, who is this person? And what is he wearing? How is he looking? What is his brand communicating? You cannot be great without getting that part also fixed to add up to the audio bit of the music.
You also have an ear for quality beats. How do you go about selecting your beats?
I have always heard beats play in my head, but I haven’t been able to learn how to engineer it yet. Even when we started doing Drill, I would personally tell A-town to play, do this, trying to direct him on things. I’ve always known what I want, choosing the right beat like you said, and I also have very good producers as well.
2020: We Rage and Snoop Forever; 2022: Big Shmoke and Eye Red; 2023: Old Compound, Playman, and He Just Different. Now in 2024, you gave us Kweku Jesus and Born in Hell. What is the inspiration behind continuously dropping these projects in the space of four years?
So when I dropped Snoop Forever, I invested in it, I shot videos in South Africa, and other things, but the streaming didn’t go well. I took my album to radio stations and TV. I paid people to promote my stuff, but they did not do it. I had an issue with a big artist, and I was sort of blackballed; people around me also left, so I took a break from 2020 to 2021/2022. But thanks to Hordzi, who’s been my day one. He is the reason why I even do music in the first place. He came back, and everything started again. It was just me and him in the house. Making music and putting it out. Which is why you could see more of the audio stuff. I gave them Big Shmoke, and people were loving it, then Hordzi and I dropped Eye Red. But Old Compound was the one that started everything, and I was like, “Oh, these people, if we keep dropping, we probably might make a difference because everybody gave up on me.” And I dropped a double album on the same day. I had the projects, and the people were listening, so what am I holding on to it for? All glory be to God. Here we are.
Kweku Smoke has become this embodiment of Ghanaian rap. How does it make you feel when you see people applauding you now?
I feel like hard work pays. I worked my way to be here. At some point I even had hate, and I grew through it. When Old Compound started picking, I knew the only way to get out of this was to keep working hard. Imagine if I never dropped Kweku Jesus; I wouldn’t be here. I make sure I do not feel relaxed, and I promise you if I keep going, you will be here again. So I feel personally that hard work is paying off.
Kweku Jesus and Born In Hell, what has been the motivation for the consistent drops, and what have been the perks?
For now, I just see numbers going up and I see good money coming in. I see myself as being far behind in time. We are growing, and these albums were supposed to drop way back, and I want to see myself grow. The only way I can drop new albums is when I drop these old ones. I always pick up a topic that I’m going to do an album about. I get it done, and then I jump to the next one. If I don’t drop them and see how people feel about them, how will it prepare me to just do the next ones? Or give me ideas to drop the next ones? Looking at where I want to be in my career, I am on the right path, and I am not going to stop dropping these projects anytime soon.
How important is touching base with your fans in spaces outside Accra and Kumasi to you? And for those of us in Accra, are we getting something?
Personally, that is the only way I get to see my music doing well. We go to these places to perform just to see how people react to our music. And I remember 2022, when I started dropping these EPs, I thought of doing a nationwide tour to see how people are reacting to my music and all that. It is always nice, and now I’m even enjoying the bigger part of it. These places also pay good money and take good care of you. It is always nice to perform in these places, and I am looking to do more of these places with the new projects. But we are planning on doing something in Accra this year. Everybody is worried about why I do not perform here, but we want to give people a great experience, and we are trying to use that to close a successful year.
At this point, with the eyes and ears you have attracted, does it attract any pressure, and how do you deal with it?
The pressure has been there from the start, and as you keep going, it gets even bigger. To handle yourself at the top is tougher. People feel I should be having some international collaborations already, but that should not be a problem. It all depends on your focus and what you want to achieve. So if you have a plan, do not let this pressure get to you. It is like driving. Regardless of the noise behind you, you take your time and drive safely because you know where you are going. I already know what I’m trying to achieve, where I’m going, and how I’m trying to put all that together.
For young guys or girls who are following and watching what you do and are learning from that, what source of motivation can you provide to them?
I would say everything is possible. It is just not easy. If you are planning on taking this route to do this music, I think you should be well prepared—mentally, emotionally, physically, and everything else. You should be prepared. Do not assume that just because you are making music, things will go smoothly. I was talking to a friend some time ago, and he was demoralised because he was not seeing significant growth in his music, but I feel he was not prepared mentally. I started from getting 50 streams to 200 to 1, 000, and I am currently going on 100 million streams on Audiomack alone. If you are someone who appreciates numbers, you will understand how huge that is. I feel grateful because I came from 0 to 20 to here. You need to continuously keep at it. The only way you grow in music is to continue to record, grow your creativity, and have a plan. It is not an easy road, but with determination and preparedness, they will get there.
If you were to put together a 5-track EP made of songs from all the projects you have dropped so far, what song would we hear on the EP?
Hold Tight, Jah Guide, Agyekum, Holy Ghost, and Lamborghini.
What are your last words for your fans and those reading this?
To everybody listening, supporting from day one, and believing in us, God bless them. I am here because you guys gave me a chance and an ear in the first place. I have a whole lot to give them ahead of us. Next year, crazy albums are coming as well. I hope that they keep supporting us and keep being good to us.
Written and Interviewed by Nana Kojo Mula.
