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Lord Kenya

Ghanaian evangelist • Musician

BornSeptember 19, 1978 Age47 Years NationalityGhanaian

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Profession Ghanaian evangelist Musician

Nationality Ghanaian

About Lord Kenya

Lord Kenya was one of the finest rappers of hiplife's golden age, a lyricist of blistering speed and skill in Twi, whose dramatic turn from music to ministry became one of the most remarkable stories in Ghanaian entertainment.

Early life

He was born Abraham Philip Akpor Kojo on 19 September 1978, to an Nzema father and an Asante mother, and grew up in Kumasi. Music was part of his life from the start, and he began performing seriously at seventeen.

Hiplife stardom

He signed to Slip Music in 1998 and his debut album Sika Card was an instant national hit. A run of albums followed, including the chart-topping Yeesom Sika, built on a rapid, rhythmic Twi delivery that made him one of the leading hiplife artists of the late 1990s and early 2000s. He won Hiplife Album of the Year at the 2001 Ghana Music Awards and is regarded by many peers as one of the greatest rappers the genre produced.

Transformation

Behind the success he battled a long addiction, and in 2010 he walked away from secular music entirely, undergoing a spiritual transformation to become an evangelist. He now leads a church in Kumasi, having renounced his old career and even his interest in royalties from his hits.

Standing

Remembered as a hiplife great and admired for the honesty of his second life in ministry, Lord Kenya remains one of the most compelling figures Ghanaian music has produced, a star who gave it all up for faith.