Music – Hondred Percent

October 10, 2022

WTF? Album Five Year Celebration Announcement

It’s been five years since I released my debut album as an artist. The strange thing is that I didn’t realize it has been that long till I decided to take stock of my achievements as an artist.

Wow!

This album is important because it became my key to unlocking the world of publishing. More specifically publishing in the music world. It pushed me to learn and develop my music, poetry, and brand into what it is today. It’s weird because the album feels like a degree yet the education came after.

As I type out this blog post, I am reminded of the beautiful experiences and lessons I have had since the release. The more I reminisce the more I feel obliged to share my ups and downs on this lorgorligi journey.

Upcoming independent artists will benefit from it but so will everyday folk with an appreciation for the lifestyle of an artist.

So in celebration of 5 years of WTF? being out, I want to announce that I will be releasing videos I shot years ago but never got around to releasing. I will also be blogging a bit more to update you on virtual and physical events in October that I will be having to celebrate this achievement. There is something big I will be unveiling next Monday so stay connected to my activity.

Kindly take note that the PaGya Festival takes place this weekend starting Friday 15th October – Saturday 17th October. I will be holding a music and poetry workshop on Saturday and be part of a panel on Sunday 17th October 2022 to discuss the journey after I released my first poetry book, Lorgorligi Locomotion. All the events will be at the Foundation for Contemporary Arts (FCA) at the Dubis Center. For more details on these events and other events taking place at the festival, visit the Writers Project website.

So enjoy the content I will be pushing out during the next few weeks. If you’ve never heard the album or listened to it in a while, give it a listen. As always, let me know your thoughts. They mean the world to me.

Keep it One Hondred!

February 6, 2018

Life After High School Pt.1

I have been asked by my high school, SOS Hermann Gmeiner International College (HGIC) to be a guest on a panel speaking to the kids about life after high school. This time however, I will be speaking as Hondred Percent.
As I think of what I will tell these teenagers I can’t help but look back at why I decided to walk down this challenging road as an artist. How I even came up with the name Hondred Percent is even interesting yet the more I reminisce the more I see how I have evolved.
I have a better sense of purpose as an artist. I want my success as an artist to pave the way for others to cause a positive shift on the art landscape in Ghana and beyond.
The motto of SOS HGIC is “knowledge in the service of Africa” and I am definitely doing this for more than selfish gain. I guess I have to thank SOS HGIC, for being a significant institution in instilling these values in me.
One thing I do know is that I could have been better prepared for what life threw at me. Relationships, love, passion, spirituality and all other important elements I may not have mentioned, are all areas that I could have been guided through better.
Knowing what I know now however, I feel I am in a better position to mentor someone deciding to walk down this same path. I just don’t know how I will do that in 7 minutes.
I will keep you posted on how the talk went next week.
Keep it One Hondred!

October 27, 2017

Get your Music on Itunes For Free

So I have come a long way as an artist trying to gain recognition in the world. Sometime last year I embarked on a journey to make an album.
With an album title like WTF? you hit the nail on the head if you figured I had no idea what I was getting into.
My desire led me to my producer Boamah MadeIt who I call Ike. Ike kept it real from the jump and believed in my vision as an artist. For that faith he will always have a special place in my kingdom (y’all thought I was going to say heart)
Ike partnered with me and gave me insight into the costs of making the album. We had a mutual agreement and got to work. We worked track after track building the album and our relationship as friends.
Promotion
I labored so much into making the album that I didn’t think much about promotion. It wasn’t my intention it’s just that as an indie artist without a team it’s difficult to manage all these aspects.
Don’t get me wrong I had a plan but I was a virgin in this world of opportunists and I had built castles in the sky hoping to have a break.
Resources on my end was short as I had invested in making the album. I wish I had done this when I was younger. I had just had a son and I was trying to put an album together.
Some will say I had my priorities mixed up but I believe what I had made was a work of art that will make a difference in my world. Problem was I hadn’t put together a plan to let people know that.
My album is good but I am not famous plus when it came to distribution I had a big problem.
Distribution
My goal was to let the album go for free. I thought SoundCloud could hook a brother up but unfortunately there is a limit to free downloads.
I eventually found www.noisetrade.com a site that made that possible. I could load up my album and for trading your email address you get to download the album for free.
As I write this I have had 27 downloads from that option. I have my work on SoundCloud but don’t have much going on getting people to listen to it.
With everybody screaming “Check Me OUT!” in this digital age we are in it’s real hectic trying to get attention. Plus I am alone pushing this dream whilst working so needless to say but it’s tough.
Aggregators

Screenshot of Hondred Percent's WTF? on iTunes — Screenshot of my album on iTunes

After a while I started considering getting an aggregator such as CD Baby, Ditto and the likes.
(For those who don’t know an aggregator is service that allows you to get your music into the top digital stores. So you deal with one aggregator and they ensure you get your work in stores like iTunes, Spotify etc)
The problem with an aggregator is that it costs money and by money I mean dollars. When I did the math it made no sense to me so I didn’t even bother.
However for my music and art to reach the masses or for the globe to access it; the responsibility lies on me to make that happen. I couldn’t deny that I needed an aggregator but I just hadn’t found one right for me.
And I Found One

Screenshot of Hondred Percent's WTF? on Spotify — Screenshot of my album on Spotify

So how am I able to now have my album in digital stores?
I give thanks to Ike again.
I visited Ike some weeks back to brief him on my plans for the next album. During the visit I saw some art work for a single he was releasing and I realized through the logos on the art, that the single will be available in a couple of digital stores.
So I enquired as to what aggregator he was using and how much it cost him. I was expecting to hear a familiar name and some reasonable amount of cash. The name of the aggregator and the cash involved however is quite ironic with a pun in it.
First of he was paying NOTHING for the release in the stores and secondly he was able to do this through AMUSE.
? Seriously?
(I know the name sounds like it’s laughing at all the other aggregators)
Amuse

So Ike broke it down for me and showed me how to make it happen. First of this works via an app and not through a computer.
Amuse puts your work into digital stores for free because they are looking for hits that they can invest in. You keep all your royalties and if your track happens to be something they are interested in, they get into an agreement with you to make money.
It sounded too good to be true so I decided to give them a try.

I downloaded the app and got straight to following their instructions to load up my work. It took a bit of time and I had to reformat the tracks and change the album cover to adhere to their guidelines. Thereafter I had to wait for them to review the album.
I waited for a couple of days and they got back to me on an error which I addressed. They later got back to me early this week to let me know that the release is on Friday 27th October 2017. Their email response time is great. I applaud the effort.

So here I am having my album going out to digital stores for free. It is awesome and you too can make it happen by just downloading Amuse.
(Amuse is available on iOS and Android)
The only downside to us in Ghana is that to collect your money you need to have PayPal. Also you won’t be able to check out (at least immediately) which stores you are in without signing up or subscribing to a service.
For now I know I am up on Spotify, iTunes, Apple Music, Deezer and Tidal. There are probably others but unless I get access I won’t know for sure.
It still doesn’t mean I get famous but it’s a stepping stone in the right direction. I am still figuring out this promotion thing. If anyone there can help make my dream of touring and performing around the world true, I will be honored.
I will be putting out other resources and tips whenever I stumble on one. Remember to follow me on Social Media @hondredpercent
To check my album out on iTunes click here
To check my album out on Spotify click here
To check my album out on Deezer click here
Keep it One Hondred!

August 13, 2017

Phreak Out Live Made Me A Yung Pabi Fan

Last Friday, 11th August 2017 at Phreak Out Live was literally crazy! People jumping up and down crazy, as if we were having a mini jumping competion……especially on stage. It left me wondering whether they had listened to Criss Cross’s “Jump Jump” before they came to the show.
My performance was well received. I was disappointed that I wasn’t informed on how they were going to introduce me. The MC literally read my twitter profile and asked a question that my album title asks which he WRONGLY interpreted. WTF? to me is not the popular meaning but rather “We’re The Future?”

Anyways on the whole the performances were great. I was disappointed in some acts but on the whole it was great. Shout outs to The Musical Lunatics who were the soul of the show.
The act that blew me away though was Yung Pabi. I must admit this was my first experience of him and at the beginning of his performance I was a little skeptical.
Four guys in camouflage jackets holding lanterns walk on stage and here I am telling a friend this:
“This could mean one of two things, either the artist coming on is wack and needs theatrics to compensate or the artist is DOPE!”
It turns out that he was the later. From his energy to choreography of the dancers and delivery, Yung Pabi was on a mission to let people know that he meant business.
Now I was applauding Yung Pabi after his first track was performed and in comes a table decorated like a bed and a doctor and mother on the left and a doctor and bearded aged fellow on the right. Pabi proceeds to execute a narration of events in twi his rap language. This totally turned me into a fan. Pabi used twi and rap to shed light on a situation that we in Ghana are all too aware off, rejection.
Pabi then turned things up with his 3 track where he entered into beast mode and owned the stage. Well, not exactly. Other jumping jacks joined him to own the stage and have another mini jumping competition but I preferred his version.
Somewhere in between his rap and jumping Pabi dropped a line and exited the stage to applause. The Musical Lunatics again have to be given credit here for making everything go smoothly.
And that’s how Pabi turned me into a fan at Phreak Out Live. I got to speak with him and let him know how inspiring and professional he was. Funny enough he was a different beast when we spoke. He was gentle, humble and rather throwing me praise for my performance. This versatile Ghanaian rapper gives me hope for the future of rap in Ghana.
Follow him on twitter and instagram @yungpabimusic and on Facebook @yung pabi

Yung Pabi pleeeeeeassee keep keeping it One Hondred!

May 30, 2017

I Won A Fan

Last Sunday I was the guest artist at Ehalakasa’s TalkPARTY at Nubuke Foundation in East Legon, Ghana. It’s my second performance in Ghana this year.
My performance was interactive and entertaining with an agenda to win over fans and get people excited about my upcoming album.
Whilst performing there were two lovely members of the audience that caught my eye. Their facial expressions and cheerful expressions spurred my performance on.
After the show I had the honor of meeting these beautiful people and it was quite the chat we had. One later sent me a testimonial that I want to share with you today. Here it is:

Hondred Percent aka Paul aka Mr. Forjoe is a firebrand. His art is carefully curated. Through his delivery, any audience is left spellbound, switching facial expressions as he evokes multiple emotions. Outside of his art, Paul is truly a warm-hearted person, the kind you’d want your art-obsessed children to meet, the kind you’d want to expose the next generation to. I see Paul now and I have no doubt that he’ll be one of the few people who’s light the world would acknowledge in time to come. Who knows? He may be the next Nobel Peace Prize winner ??✌?.

Well I don’t know about the Nobel Peace Prize but I do know that my words and performance that night did more than I imagined. I had won myself a fan and that was a truly humbling experience.
Who would have thought that words scripted down privately, later performed publicly would cause such a reaction. This truly has inspired meto keep pushing. Who knows who I could be impacting next.
Keep it One HONDRED!

May 26, 2017

WTF? Release Date

After dropping two singles in the moth of May 2017, the Poet Rapper, Hondred Percent is set to drop his debut album WTF? on Friday, June 2nd 2017.
The album cover art came out today and features the artist illustrated asking the question WTF?

WTF? is a Hip Hop album that paints typical Ghanaian scenarios with poetry and rap in a manner that offers a different perspective on issues. It is a 13 track album filled with word play, Hip Hop beats and Ghanaian jargon.
In an effort to grow and build a loyal fan base, Hondred Percent is offering the album for FREE until 2018. The album which will be released on SoundCloud and will be available for streaming and downloading until the end of the year 2017.
Another reason why the album is to crowd fund for Poet Rapper’s next album. Hondred Percent believes that crowd funding for the next album is a means to not only raise monies but also measure audiences reaction to his work.
There is no minimum amount that can be contributed. You can contribute because you like a single track or the whole album. Details of how to contribute towards the project will be provided shortly.
Follow Hondred Percent @hondredpercent on social media and subscribe to his blog via his website www.hondredpercent.com to stay updated.
Keep it One HONDRED!

May 16, 2017

Africa Sent Me A WhatsApp Message – Origin

Its only a day away till the release of my first single Africa Sent Me A WhatsApp Message of my debut album WTF?
I thus decided to give a bit of a background into what lead me to create this piece of poetry that I have come to love soo much.
I wrote Africa Sent Me A WhatsApp Message in the early part of 2014. I was to perform at my alma mater alongside other poets for their celebration of Africa Day.
I had poetry but for some reason I wanted to perform something new and refreshing so started thinking of how I could make that happen.
I sure not of how the idea came into my head but it did and I started to flow with it. I genuinely asked myself from a Ghanaian perspective whether Africa will be happy with us Ghanaians.
Our filth, corruption, lack of standards and blindness to opportunity came pouring in my mind and I weaved with words the conversation that ensued.
The piece is pretty reflective and gets one thinking all the time. I have performed it at various occasions and even when I traveled to Kenya.
The audio being released however has the element of melody that has been absent whenever I performed. The background music was produced by my producer Boamah Made It.
It is beautiful and is the fertilizer to create the mood that is required to allow the words to sink in.
We are currently scripting the video which will be released in a bit. In the meantime get your ears ready to enjoy the first single of my debut album titled Africa Sent Me A WhatsApp Message.
Keep it One HONDRED!

April 24, 2017

Artist Bio….Hmmmm

Writing an artist bio feels like a forced assignment by a grade 2 teacher on a kid who just wants to play. The only problem is that playing alone doesn’t get one very far and at a point you have to get to the important stuff that just doesn’t feel like a holiday in Hawaii.
Over the weekend I stumbled upon an article about biographies that got me reviewing my sorry excuse for a tell the world about you –biography, which was nothing more than a glorified resume with a bit more text. I hadn’t realized yet that this affected my branding.
So I got around to making notes and working on them and I now have a short and medium bio I want you to check out. I will work on the long one this week and send it to you as well.
Tagline
Spicy Ghanaian black pepper poetry bumping to Hip Hop music
Short Bio
Whoever said Hip Hop was dead went to the wrong funeral and never gave Hondred Percent a thought.
Hondred Percent expresses the raw humor and experiences of the Ghanaian lifestyle through authentic spoken word and rap.
With inspiration from Biggie Smalls, Jay-Z, Missy Elliot, Reggie Rockstone, Saul Williams, Common, Mos Def, Timbaland, Kanye West and Kevin Hart, Hondred Percent has created a distinct sound that can only be compared to Ghana jollof.
A Manifest (Ghana) and Blitz Da Ambassador (Ghana) fusion or Tumi (South Africa) and HHP (South Africa) rolled in one, jamming to sounds from the Roots (USA) gives a hint to the sound, word play and realness that Hondred Percent brings to the stage.
The two time Ehalakasa Slam Champion (2014-2015) is set to release his debut album “WTF?” in June 2017. It is spicy Ghanaian black pepper poetry bumping to Hip Hop music.
Medium Bio
Hondred Percent aka Paul Forjoe jnr is a rising spoken word artist from Ghana who burst on the scene in 2011 fusing poetry and rap to make Hip Hop music.
Hondred Percent is set to release his debut Hip Hop album “WTF?” in June 2017. He is currently working on a video for a single in the album and releasing his second single “Poet Rapper”.
Hondred Percent in 2014 and 2015 triumphed as the overall winner of the Ehalakasa Slam in which over 40 poets in Ghana contested.
While in Form 3 (Grade 9) in the early 90’s, Hondred Percent got introduced to rap and started writing poetry. It was his varsity days in South Africa that exposed him to Spoken Word and got him performing.
He came up with the name Hondred Percent in 2010 as a way to distinguish and motivate himself in his passion on his return to Ghana. He has since performed at numerous events within Ghana and recently traveled to Kenya to feature as a guest artist on a French show and a Slam at Alliance Francais Nairobi.
He is inspired by Biggie Smalls, Jay-Z, Missy Elliot, Reggie Rockstone, Saul Williams, Common, Mos Def, Timbaland, Kanye West and Kevin Hart.
He has been compared to Manifest (Ghana) and Blitz Da Ambassador (Ghana) by some. Hondred Percent is however trying to tap into the essence of Tumi (South Africa) and HHP (South Africa) bumping to the Roots (USA).
The artist has made quite a name for himself as a prolific wordsmith within Ghana. He plans to release his album for free as means to grow his fan base and crowd fund for the next album set for 2018. There are also plans to put together a band by the end of 2017 to enable him tour Ghana, Africa and the World.
Conclusion
Keep it One HONDRED! and let me know what you think. Later in the year I will probably put together a workshop to help others see the importance of bios and branding. Look out for it.

April 11, 2017

Will I Ever Get To The VGMA?

So the Vodafone Ghana Music Awards (VGMA) was the center of attention once again last Saturday 8th April 2017.
If you had a show that day and suffered poor attendance my sympathies go out to you.
Ghanaians love the VGMA and are either watching on TV or at the show themselves taking up the job of fashion police and satirist for the evening with social media.
If you thought Ghanaians didn’t care about fashion, the VGMA will change your mind and give it a bow tie to rock whilst the changing goes on. The event could easily have been mistaken for a fashion show.
The “who are you wearing?” question however pissed me off. It was an irritating question that hinted at a lack of content to be discussed by guests. Did every guest on the red carpet need to be asked that question?
I am not much of a fashionista so let me save my rant.
Now as an artist i asked myself, “Will I ever get to the VGMA? Will it be one of my future highlights?”
Gospel singer, Joe Mettle, VGMA Artist of the Year 2017, in an interview after the awards said that he doesn’t make music with the VGMA in mind. Impact is what he looks out for.
I resonate with that goal. As an artist impact is what I aim for. I aim for my art to touch people and make them happy, reflect, ponder and hopefully change their attitude about something depending on what the poem or song is themed on.
If an award comes along as a result that’s great. If I am recognized for championing a cause, awesome.
Awards help in the impact process. Your popularity increases and you are afforded a platform to make a change.
Its tricky sometimes as there is tug of war between the pleasures of fame and reality but if you are grounded in your purpose you will make a difference.
As my video comes out tomorrow I know not where it will take me. People will like it and people won’t. This is my first step in putting out a video. Failure being the mother of success, I am on a path to victory.
Go out there and be the best you can be. If you get an award for it that’s great. If you don’t continue until you reach your goal. Remember an award sometimes is not in line with your objectives.

“Not all who are crowned Kings are really Kings. Not all fiancées who get rings are really the Queen. Certificates are just paper the skill is really within. Awards are just indicators, the prize is really the VIM.” – Hondred Percent

Keep it One HONDRED! and watch out for the Ronning video tomorrow.

April 11, 2017

Will I Ever Get To The VGMA?

“Not all who are crowned Kings are really Kings. Not all fiancées who get rings are really the Queen. Certificates are just paper the skill is really within. Awards are just indicators, the prize is really the VIM.” – Hondred Percent

Keep it One HONDRED! and watch out for the Ronning video tomorrow.