Tag: band

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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!

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My First Days in Kenya

I was not sure of what to expect when I landed in Kenya. The immigration officer seemed excited when she read my invitation letter stating that I was a guest poet. 
“Are you a good poet?” she asked.
For a moment there I thought I was going to give her a performance after my confirmation and though that didn’t happen, I was prepared to talk about her eyes looking like diamonds for a while.
Stepping outside the airport exposed my traveling error of not finding out about the weather before packing my clothes. It was chilly and reminded me.of harmattan in Ghana. I prayed the temperature was not like this in the day. 
My hosts Ian and Mufasa looked like long lost brothers from a distance and we immediately got acquainted and quite frankly have been talking non stop about poetry, music and everything in between since we met. The zebras chilling by the airport though beautiful did little to sway our conversation.
Our conversation from 2AM that Saturday, took us to see the morning sun and I slept enough to put energy into my legs. The time difference in Kenya is about 3 hours behind that of Ghana so I was a bit disoriented. I woke up to a Kenyan breakfast of jipati which I took with golden syrup and tea. I loved it. 
On Sunday Mufasa and I went into town to see a show at The Alchemist. We boarded a number of graffiti mini buses called ‘matatus’ to get there.
I was treated to art, fashion and beautiful Kenyan women. East African women are blessed with beauty and confidence. I am not talking about a particular frame of woman, for all the women there had something interesting and eastern about them. 
The venue itself had a carnival concept with a bar, a stage with a big bus for a back drop and a number of food caravans for people to grab something to eat. 
The Movement, a Kenyan band came through and killed it! I loved their music and it reminded me a bit of Ghana with their tunes.
I met a wonderful lady at The Alchemist who became my Swahili teacher. I will talk about that later. For now I am having a good time. Today Ian gives me a lesson in creating an Electronic Press Kit (EPK).
Keep it One HONDRED!