In the spirit of a ‘Throwback Thursday’, let’s cast our minds back to former Hiplife group Akyeame’s record Bra Yen Tena, off the Masan Aba album.
It was probably one of your favourite songs to listen to, but one half of the group, Okyeame Kwame, has revealed that he is not proud of that record.
He made this revelation on Joy Entertainment’s Twitter Space Wednesday night, February 15, during a discussion; ‘Can chasing after hit songs affect the quality of songwriting?’.
In an attempt to give an example of what a bad song is, Okyeame Kwame told host Kwame Dadzie, “my song Bra Yen Tena was a bad song and I have been looking for a perfect opportunity to apologise to fans for it. In the song, we dissed the lady in question. The lyrics, the verse and chorus had no proper cohesion.”
Its opening lyrics loosely translate to “even if he put a ring on your finger, come stay with me, because in this city, one man’s wife is another man’s girlfriend”. The song was sampled from the popular ‘Fresh’, by American R&B/Funk band Kool & the Gang.
According to Okyeame Kwame, whereas the original song praised a lady, Akyeame’s version did the exact opposite. He adds, “I did the song because I was young and stupid” and that he would’ve made a better record if he could turn back the hands of time.
The ‘Rap Dacta’ has since then been a better man, and has demonstrated his growth in thoughts and lyrics. Faithful’, Sika and Woara are some of his songs with wholesome lyrics that have endeared him to the hearts of Ghanaians.
Okyeame Kwame further lauded Joy Entertainment for its Twitter Space initiative to discuss and unpack some of the music industry’s pertinent issues. He suggested that in its next space, the conversation should tackle what it takes to churn out more great songs. The ‘Unpacked Twitter Space’ was hosted by Kwame Dadzie.