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Wanlov fires back at afia schwarzenegger - My Di****k Was Not Erect

It is difficult to understand the relationship between award-winning radio and TV presenter Delores Frimpong Manso and controversial singer Wanlove Da Kobolor but after showing his dick to the former, the two were spotted by NEWS-ONE on Tuesday night at the Kotoka International Airport.

Delores aka Delay was apparently seeing Kobolor off as he was on his way to the UK, en route Germany for musical concerts. The huge controversy generated by the dick-showing saga is yet to die down and Kobolor seems absolutely unfazed about the whole issue.

He has rather expressed shock and surprise at the level to which Ghanaians have taken the issue and says it was nothing to him because the dick did not even erect when he showed it to Delay.

According to Kobolor, it would have been a big deal if the dick had erected but since it did not erect, he found nothing wrong with the whole show. Indeed, Kobolor’s wife was present when he raised his cloth to show the dick to Delay.

Another interesting twist that the public seems not to have noticed is that ETV Ghana, during the airing of ‘Talk Showbiz’ hosted by Flexy last Tuesday, telecast an uncensored version of the Kobolor dick exposure.

It was seemingly a production error but Flexy’s ‘Talk Showbiz’ is now on record as the only programme that has dared to show the Kobolor dick-showing video, uncensored, on national TV.

Published in Music News

Afia Schwarzenegger Gives It To Wanlov and Delay And Goes On To Say Wanlov Has The Smallest “Kote”.

This issue seems like a never ending story. Today this, another day that. Afia Schwarzenegger and Delay are not on good terms and will do anything to hurt each other. Wanlov on the other hand who has also taken this issue to an extreme is also not helping by dissing Blakk Rasta. When is it going to end as it’s getting boring. News reaching us indicates that, controversial and funny radio presenter cum comedian and TV personality Afia Schwarzenegger has given her take on the whole issue and one could really call her comments hating.

This is what she said according to HELLO GH, She first start by calling Wanlov a riff-raff for the indecent way he showed his dick. She also goes on to say “To begin with, I’ve never seen any grown up man with a penis as small as that of Kubolor’s before. There is a proverb that says that anytime a moron and an imbecile crashed the end product is stupidity”.

I’m sure we all know what that could mean or should she explain more? She went on further to say “it did not come as a shock to me the kind of platform he did that on. Ghanaians would bear with me that nobody can come on my programme and conduct him or herself like an animal” She concluded by saying “What Wanlov Kubolor did on TV is not something that should surprise Ghanaians because the very meaning of his name means ‘Riff raff’ in English, so why should the actions of a riff-raff surprise us?” I’m sure Delay and Wanlov are surely going to get her on this. Do you agree with her?

Leave your comments.

Published in Music News

Interview : Wanlov – Pidgen Riddims

In “Number three”, off of their third album Pick a Dream, The Volume’s front-man Tumi Molekane states, rather matter-of-factly, that: “When I say it’s a small world, it’s not expression boy, I mean it / the airport’s like my second home, believe it / I take off like you take a walk, frequent /”. This lyric is tailor-made to suit the subject of this interview perfectly, a man who through various incarnations, is the self-declared bottos-watcher/foknboi/kubolor. A human being.

Since I first spoke to him about two years back, Ghanaian-Romanian artist Wanlov the Kubolor has accomplished just about everything he had set out to achieve, and more. And in the past year, he has amassed so many stamps on his passport that it must be due for replacement. One day he might be in Ghana for a movie shoot, then Europe for a six-week residency courtesy of the French Institute; and in the interim, he might head over to the UK in support of a mate’s album launch.

While his debut album Green Card, was more concerned with issues of humanity, people, and finding one’s identity, he said this of his sophomore production, Brown Card – African Gypsy: “I [had] started becoming more pro-African than pro-human being. Just a few years ago, I made a conscious decision to embrace myself as a whole – Romanian national, Ghanaian national, but a human being in totality.”

In the three years which have elapsed since his first outing, Wanlov has amassed a vast array of guest appearances on other artists’ songs (Ade Bantu, DJ Ritchy Pitch, Reggie Rockstone), released a mixtape (Yellow Card – Stomach Direction), and perhaps more poignantly, starred alongside his partner and fellow Fokn Bois member, Ghanaian-born, UK-based M3nsa in Coz ovMoni, a thirty-minute biopic which has been labelled “the world’s first Pidgin musical”. Definitely no easy feat for someone who decided to, in his own words: “deport myself out of the US”.

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What follows here is an abridged version of an hour-long chat about the politics of water, how he got involved with Google in his country, and why he turned down an offer from the IMF.

Mahala: Chale, how be?

Wanlov: I dey cool man.

Where are you right now?

I’m in Budapest right now with a crew called IrieMaffia. We had four/five guest appearances with them, and we had our own shows as well. The last time we spoke, you were still trying to find your feet in music. What is the status quo? Yeah, right now it’s even worse because I can’t find my shoes. [But seriously] I see what you mean; I was at that transitional point from Green Card to Brown Card.

You have managed to accomplish everything you’d set out to do since then…more even. To what can you attribute that? It’s a combination, you know?! It takes focus to realise that ‘luck’ is taking place. If you’re not focused, you can even waste the luck. But we can’t under-estimate the power of vision and the mind.So, when we spoke of those things, they were just in the air. Now they are in our hands. You can have certain plans, but if you don’t put them out, nothing develops. It was just…I mean, I had all these ideas in my mind and took the next step that made sense to me. So I just pursued them.

What can you say has changed from when you started rapping in the early 2000s till now? How have you grown as an artist? What has changed now is, in those times, I was representing my thoughts in my rhyme as a different person; I was writing these rhymes – and these were really my thoughts and feelings – but I changed into a different character [in order] to rap them. I’d say that especially because I wasn’t rapping the way I talk; I was changing something about

me. So now, it’s the same person; it’s me rapping my own stuff. As soon as I stopped catering to the Americans/what the world thought was hip-hop I just said ‘oh, I just have to do me’, and I just switched.

The issue of American-influenced accents is also big in South African hip-hop circles; the industry is caught up in the same identity crisis as other places elsewhere in the world. What is your take on that? It’s either one of three things: to blend in with what is being looked at as the Superpower – which is

changing now because a lot of people are trying to go back to their roots; or it’s an inferiority complex which we all have to shed off at some point in time; or [it could be] a genius thing where [since everything on the television is American], to the youth in about five to ten years, sonically, that sound will make more sense than what I am currently doing.

Could it be that what you are doing now then…

…is useless?

Yes. Because to me, I am always looking out for any source which may teach me a phrase in an Afrikan language I may have not known of before.

There are few of us like that, who want to learn. The rest just want to receive. So many will not question; a few will; and very few will create. So erm, it all boils down to who is pressing the red button at the end of the day. So as long as America is still pressing that button, and we’re still watching American sitcoms, the American accent will still be more relevant.

So what could be the solution?

As soon as we start branding our stuff…

…and packaging it in a desirable way?

No, the word is not ‘desirable’; it’s not about making it look glossy or something. It’s really exposing people to things that…just exposing people to us enjoying ourselves in our environment. If you can be sitting down pounding fufu and laughing, cracking jokes and somebody watches that, then they’ll be interested in sitting down and pounding fufu.

You and M3nsa have known each other since the mid-nineties. Apart from him doing some production on your first album and you being in a group with him, you guys have embarked on what has been labelled ‘the world’s first Pidgin musical’ in the form of Coz OvMoni. How did that come about?

M3nsa and I first met in high school in ’97, and as soon as we met, we just hit it off; we just started rapping together, freestyling and so on. And then after school, we took different directions geographically, he moved to London and I was in America. In 2005, M3nsa sent me the beat to (what was to become Wanlov’s most recognisable song off of his Green Card album) ‘Kokonsa’. In 2006, we did a gig together in New York for the Ghanaian Independence.

Some months later, we met in LA and said ‘look, let’s do an album together, but let’s not do what everybody’s doing’. The concept is [that of] two guys in Accra; from morning til’ night, they go through a strange day. As we started creating the story, we started seeing everything so vivid like, ‘oh chale, this could very easily be a musical, and we could shoot it in Ghana’. So we finished up ‘Coz OvMoni’ with the idea that this was going to be a musical; not an audio album a musical would be based upon, but to be a musical with a soundtrack.

So how did everything progress from then on?

Once we finished the recordings, we went to Ghana. King Luu of Luu Visiondirected it under some guidance from us; PanjiAnoff produced it;and we got help from other artists – Samini, Macho Rapper, Mutombo, ReggieRockstone. Then we got choreography help from Wunmi(the New York-based Nigerian afro-beat star). I mean everything just…chale, what we visualised came to be.

You had LemiGhariokwu designing your ‘Green Card’ album cover. This time around, you have got Bruno Blum to work with you. How did that relationship work out?

Yeah, Bruno Blum aka Doc Reggae. He’s like a living legend; he’s written sixteen books on music, mainly the punk rock and the reggae scenes. He was um, I mean he was there with The Wailers, Bob Marley and stuff…he used to hang out with them. Also, he was on the scene in London when punk rock started blowing up. And he’s a known cartoonist. We met him through a friend called Daniel Brown, at a place we performed called Le TroisBaudetsin Paris. As soon as we met him, he started singing some Ghanaian highlife songs and I was like okay, this guy knows wassup. When the album was getting ready, I had this

concept of me being in the middle, and the picture showing both sides of my background. Later on I facebooked him, and there was just like a ten percent chance in my mind that he would say yes. And he was just like ‘why not, I’ll do it’. And we met somewhere in a rush, sat down, and [he started] sketching me. And then in some weeks he e-mailed the artwork to me in Accra.

Tell us a bit about your involvement with Google in Ghana.

Erm, well, Google, are launching G-Centres around; they launched G-Ghana, G-Nigeria, and so on. And for the G-Ghana, I was invited to speak at the launch as a user of the Internet. At the same time, Google was courting the Fokn Bois (Wanlov and M3nsa’s crew) as their first premium artists signed…basically, they have upgraded our youtube account to a premium account where we can upload unlimited lengths of footage.

Besides this partnership with Google, you have also been involved with the World Bank…

…they don’t, they don’t have money. The money that they want to give me is the money that they took from us a while ago. Basically, they wanted me to be an ambassador for them. They were like ‘we’re gonna send in a camera crew in the next few hours to film your endorsement of the World Bank’ and so on. I said ‘how much are you going to put in my account’? And they said ‘oh no, you know, it’s just the association, the perks, we give you some…’,I was like chale, chale. I know people personally that work for the World Bank; what they do is put money in a project and give you a chance to succeed at it. But most of the time –

whether it’s to their knowledge or not – they’ll put their money in the wrong hands. I’m not one of those people who go around chanting down people, you know?! I was just asking them ‘you want me to sit down and say I endorse you, fine. What are you giving me for that’? That’s a simple business question. And they were just like ‘uh, okay, we’ll get back to you’. I don’t understand it; I’m doing you a service, and you don’t want to pay for it.

We saw your video and thought ‘okay, from Kubolor to environmentally-conscious hippy’. Are we seeing a transition, what’s the deal?

When we were growing up, we were swimming in the rivers;we were eating fruits from the trees;we were catching fish in the rivers. There were streams, rivers, and lakes that we could swim in, drink from…everything. So those things, they’d call me a Kubolor because I would run away from the house and go swim in a river. But now, I can’t do that because there are no rivers anymore; I can’t even be a full Kubolor anymore. Me addressing this problem [of river

pollution] is just something that has always been in mind; in the bushes, there are always plastic bags, whereas we used to run around and that nastiness of trash being in the bush wasn’t there. There’s [also] a lot of desertification because all these plastic bags are covering the ground, and nothing grows under them anymore. Me singing about pollution is just part of the whole Kubolor thing; that pollution is trodding on my stomping ground.

What theme(s) run through the ‘Brown Card’ album? Chale, I just have eight words: Efff-Ooo-Kay-Ehn Bee-Ooo-Eye-Ehss. I hope you can spell them. That’s the future! And the future’s bright right about now, right? Hm, I’m wearing three shades.

YoKubolor, thank you for this chat with us.

More vim to you chale.

Published in Music News

A walk on M3nsa’s ‘No.1 Mango Street’ + Hot video for ‘No One Knows’

‘No.1 Mango Street’, the hugely anticipated album from 2010 MOBO nominee M3nsa continues to make waves with following its February 14 release. The album which conveys the many musical influences of one of Ghana’s number one beat maker of Soul, Hip-hop, Afro beat and High-Life has enjoyed critical acclaim and is also on the verge of commercial success worldwide.

An unusual album title from a not so usual artist, ‘No.1 Mango Street’ reflects the journey of M3nsa, as an individual growing up in Ghana and London, and traveling around the globe as an artist. “I talk about going back to pick up from where I left things, and where everything started. It’s about acknowledging exactly where I come from and bringing all those experiences with me”, he comments.

The latest single from the album, ‘No One Knows’ portrays M3nsa’s belief in enjoying the present to the fullest while conscious and prepared for what the future may bring. The colourful video shot by Ghanaian filmmaker Sam A Kessie matches the Nigerian singer, Asa’s sampled song -- pragmatic and optimistic in tone.

The song ‘Dream’ couldn’t be better accompanied than with its atmospheric synths and a singing M3NSA musing on the wholesome values closest to his heart – friends, family, joy and love amongst them. A lone hypnotic horn creates a delightful contrast between live and electronic elements.

The playful seduction of ‘Kelewele Pimpin’, a song that uses a popular Ghanaian snack of fried plantain reminds us of his funny side. A side we came to know and love on the hilarious, internationally acclaimed short film known as the world’s first pidgin musical Coz Ov Moni, which he did not only conceptualise and co-star in with fellow FOKN Bois (Wanlov the Kubolor), but also produced most of the soundtrack.

Coz Ov Moni partly inspired ‘No. 1 Mango Street’, the ode to his birth place, as well as his life in London where he enjoys the unique global positioning that cosmopolitan city allows. With snatches of Twi and Pidgen, the clever rhyme schemes and narratives are what make this album universally relatable. M3nsa comments, “You don’t have to be into African Hip-hop to listen to the album, you just have to be into music.”

M3nsa’s decade long production history kick-started with songs he crafted for the legendary founder of Hip-Life, Reggie Rockstone. His journey since has been not short of amazing, with sold-out shows and collaborations with top acts such as The Roots live at the Royal Festival Hall, playing alongside Little Brother, The Gorillaz, Tony Allen, Damon Albarn and Amadou and Mariam.

Track Listing

1. No.1 Mango Street feat. Ryan Ansah

2. AfroFunkin’

3. Adjuma

4. Anaa?

5. Biribi W’om (We Don’t Know) feat. Samini

6. We Go Rock

7. Fanti Love Song

8. Asɛm Pa feat Samini

9. No one Knows

10. Kelewele Pimpin’

11. Dream (Misuudɛi)

12. Yɛn Kɔ’oo (Let’s Go!)

13. Anoma feat Cage

14. BRKN LNGWJZ feat Wanlov the Kubolor (F.O.K.N Bois)

Published in Music News

Busua to dance to the tune of Asabaako this Independence Weekend without Talib Kweli

The Asabaako Music Festival will go on as initially planned without an appearance by US hiphop star, Talib Kweli following difficulties in bringing the rapper to Ghana, as recently advertised. For many fans of the rapper, they first heard the sad news when Talib Kweli tweeted that he was disappointed to announce that he wouldn’t be able to perform in Ghana.

It would be recalled that Talib Kweli only became an option when the rapper wrote on Twitter that he would love to contact the promoters of the music festival in Ghana because he was interested in taking part. Asaabako will go ahead from March 5 – 7, at Busua Beach, Western Region with an Independence Day concert with Gyedu Blay Ambolley, Yaa Pono, Wanlov, Efya and others.

The concert on Independence Day is the jewel in the crown of 3 days at the Busua Beach Resort, the Black Star Surf Shop and the African Rainbow Resort, where live bands and DJs will be playing day and night. Alongside the music there’ll be beach soccer, volleyball, surfing, kayaking, grills, beach fires and more, plus tourist activities, from boat trips to jungle treks. Or, just relax by the beach, go for a swim, and enjoy the vibe!

Published in Music News

Wanlov fires back at afia schwarzenegger - My Di****k Was Not Erect

Afia Schwarzenegger Gives It To Wanlov and Delay And Goes On To Say Wanlov Has The Smallest “Kote”.

Interview : Wanlov – Pidgen Riddims

A walk on M3nsa’s ‘No.1 Mango Street’ + Hot video for ‘No One Knows’

Busua to dance to the tune of Asabaako this Independence Weekend without Talib Kweli

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