Kwesi Arthur’s Story Is A Ghanian Dream Come True.

I first stumbled on Kwesi Arthur, a young rapper from Tema, Ghana the same town that’s birthed legends like Nkrumah and Sarkodie on my Twitter timeline, a mashup he made of Runtown’s ‘Mad Over You’ & Korede Bello’s ‘Do Like Dat’  was blowing up the internet and I was fixated on the pure talent I was watching on my screen, a simple Kwesi Arthur, topless (A look that’ll become his signature way of performing in the coming months) spitting and singing through the mashup like both songs were orginnaly written by him, adding a few original samples to keep his own twist on things, in that moment I was made to believe in something honest and pure an element he’s been sharpening in his music.

A year later, Kwesi Arthur is the biggest name to come out of Ghana’s new age hip-hop scene, defying every odd set against him. Kwesi grew up in a small neighborhood, stopping his education at high school level because he couldn’t afford to pay his university fees after gaining admission to study at the Ghana Institute of Journalism. After trying a few jobs to raise income failed he decided to focus on full time on rap, crediting rappers like Drake, Kendrick Lamar, and Tema native Sakordie as his inspirations in his early days, owning his skills of a journey he’s begun since 2010 when he used to freestyles for his friends.

I no dey do any “work, work” actually. My work is with GroundUp. I no dey do anything aside the music so I don’t have any other way to make money or fend for myself, Kwesi shares with Harmattan Rain.

The story of his rise has been a spectacular journey kicked into full momentum when he released his debut project ‘Live From Nkrumah Krom‘ an incredible body of work telling the story of his ambition, courage, and love for music, a project strengthened by his ability capture the heart of a youthful voice making a case for his dreams to be heard through unique storytelling. With the help of talented producer KaySo, he made a compelling piece of work which had stand out singles Devil Knocking and Back On the Wall. Since the release of the project, he’s been dominating the charts and hearts of Ghanaians all over as Grind Day became a national anthem for everything wild, young and free. His dream was kicking into full effect and he showed no intention of slowing down.

BREAKING: Congrats to @KwesiArthur_ on his nomination for #BETAwards2018 Viewer’s Choice “Best International Act”. To vote for Kwesi Arthur and help him win, comment with #IPICKKWESIA18 on our Instagram page! The BET Awards 2018 are in association with @RussianBearSA. pic.twitter.com/sG0iCjzdQu

— BET Africa (@BET_Africa) June 5, 2018

“We come from nothing, so we put in our all and work as hard as possible in order to fend for ourselves and our family to make sure that we’re comfortable and living a comfortable life. So the song Grind Day is just about working each and every day, that’s why I said “Monday yeah yeah, Tuesday yeah yeah, Sunday yeah yeah”, and so on. So that basically tells you that we’re putting in work each and every day, even on Sunday when we’re supposed to be chilling or something, we still stay working we still stay up because that’s the only way we know, that’s the only way we can make it out of where we’re from.”, when asked about the inspiration behind hit song ‘Grind Day’.

The end of 2017 saw Kwesi on stages all over Ghana performing to his rising cult followers, also getting nods from top Ghanian legends, showcasing his gift of words with freestyle videos that featured Sakordie, R2Bees, Manifest as well as working on features with Juls, DexKwasi, Omer Sterling, and Paq.

If you’re in love, my music is for you. If you’re yearning for success,  my music is for you. If you have a crush on that girl, that guy, my music is for you. Feel betrayed, having self-doubt? Kwesi Arthur can relate to you. Just listen to my music for a change. I make good music. Anything I feel like doing. You might listen to an all serious deep thought song from me today, the next minute I’ll go dumb or emotional on you. I am a story teller, and with that being said just like any great author  I would love to share my stories and experiences to the world. – Kwesi shares with Otogh.

He’s been able to achieve such consistency thanks to his creative and management team ‘Ground Up Chale’, a collective of young Ghanaians empowering others like themselves through music, film, and art. Together they’ve created a catalog of visual art for Kwesi especially with his music videos which he’s portrayed with angles of simplicity and honesty, never showing a life he’s not lived instead focusing on visual narratives that show where he’s from and his growth since then on. The videos seem to resonate with his audience very positively gathering thousands of views.

Hard work is a vital part of Kwesi’s rise to stardom, it’s definitely not gone unnoticed as Kwesi was given the award for the best hip-hop song last year, and he’s been recently nominated for a Viewer’s Choice ‘Best New International Act’ for the 2018 BET Awards.

There is unity. Everyone is posting about it on social media. Sarkodie to Shatta Wale, Stonebwoy, Jocelyn Dumas, John Dumelo and others are all posting about it. I think the unity is back because everyone is talking about it. If that is not unity then I don’t know what that is – Kwesi shared about his BET nomination in an interview with KMJ on Hitz FM.

The awards, the nomination, it is all grace, but honestly, i don’t know what can compare to this feeling! Mama and Grandma you worked so hard so we could achieve the things they said were impossible! I’m just happy that i can make you proud! #Godengineering @GroundUpChale pic.twitter.com/9estPlaakk

— Kwesi Arthur (@KwesiArthur_) June 9, 2018

Kwesi Arthur, a rising star from Tema is an inspiring individual. His tale is dedicated to all the kids of Africa with a dream of being something extraordinary, with each step climbing up his career’s ladder he inspires multiple dreamers in different fields of creativity with the same humble situation growing up to not give up on whatever they have their hearts set out for. It’s only just the beginning of what’s turning into an amazing year for his sound, team, and family.