Kwesi Arthur
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Emmanuel Kwesi Danso Arthur (born 18 December 1994), known professionally as Kwesi Arthur, is a Ghanaian rapper, singer and songwriter from
Tema Tema is a city on the Bight of Benin and Atlantic coast of Ghana. It is located east of the capital city; Accra, in the region of Greater Accra, and is the capital of the Tema Metropolitan District. As of 2013, Tema is the eleventh most p ...
. He rose to fame in 2017 with the hit single "Grind Day", which received widespread acclaim, a co-sign and a chart-topping remix from rap heavyweights Sarkodie and
Medikal Samuel Adu Frimpong (born 5 April 1994), popularly known as Medikal, is a Ghanaian hip hop musician born to Portia Lamptey and James Frimpong in Sowutuom, a suburb of Accra. Early life and music career He comes from Sowutuom, a suburb in Acc ...
. In 2019, his second EP, ''Live from Nkrumah Krom Vol II'', garnered more than 2 million streams in the first week of its release. Arthur has won several accolades, including Rapper of the year and Hip Hop Song of the year at the
Vodafone Ghana Music Awards The Ghana Music Awards, also known since 2024 by the naming rights, sponsored name Telecel Ghana, Telecel Ghana Music Awards (TGMAs), formerly Vodafone Ghana Music Awards (VGMAs), is an annual music awards event in Ghana established in 1999 by a ...
as well as a Viewer's Choice Best International Act nomination at the 2018 BET Awards. He became the second Ghanaian rapper to be nominated for BET Hip Hop Awards Cypher after Sarkodie's nomination in 2019.


Early life and education

Kwesi Arthur was born on 18 December 1998 in
Tema Tema is a city on the Bight of Benin and Atlantic coast of Ghana. It is located east of the capital city; Accra, in the region of Greater Accra, and is the capital of the Tema Metropolitan District. As of 2013, Tema is the eleventh most p ...
. He was raised in Tema Community 9 and is the second of four children with a brother named Benjamin Danso Arthur, who is popularly known as Dayonthetrack and is also a musician. After completing his high school education at Temasco in 2013, Kwesi's plans of furthering his education to study
psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Its subject matter includes the behavior of humans and nonhumans, both consciousness, conscious and Unconscious mind, unconscious phenomena, and mental processes such as thoughts, feel ...
and law at the
University of Ghana The University of Ghana is a public university located in Accra, Ghana. It is the oldest public university in the country. The university was founded in 1948 as the University College of the Gold Coast in the British colony of the Gold Coast ...
came to a standstill due to a lack of funds. This led the rapper to consider a job offer as a security guard in Tema. Kwesi Arthur got the security job and worked for a day (he knew it wasn’t his calling) then decided to pursue his music career at a local recording studio instead. Here, he made a deal with the owner of the recording studio to learn music production and record for free; in exchange, Arthur had to perform menial tasks around the studio like sweeping and general maintenance. In 2016, he met management from Ground Up Chale, a social media movement for young artists in West Africa, where he recorded his hit record "Grind day" at their studios a year later.


Music career

Kwesi Arthur was discovered by Ghanaian rapper and entrepreneur Sarkodie, whom he featured on one of his hit songs called "Grind Day", alongside
Medikal Samuel Adu Frimpong (born 5 April 1994), popularly known as Medikal, is a Ghanaian hip hop musician born to Portia Lamptey and James Frimpong in Sowutuom, a suburb of Accra. Early life and music career He comes from Sowutuom, a suburb in Acc ...
. Kwesi Arthur started writing raps after listening to
Drake Drake may refer to: Animals and creatures * A male duck * Drake (mythology), a term related to and often synonymous with dragon People and fictional characters * Drake (surname), a list of people and fictional characters with the family ...
's debut album, ''
Thank Me Later ''Thank Me Later'' is the debut studio album by the Canadian rapper Drake. It was released on June 15, 2010, by Young Money Entertainment, Cash Money Records, and Universal Motown Records. Production for the album took place at various record ...
''. In 2017, he released the lead single "Grind Day" from his debut EP, ''Live from Nkrumah Krom'' (2017). The record was released under his independent outfit and supported by a social movement called GroundUp Chale. He later released the remix for "Grind Day", featuring Sarkodie and
Medikal Samuel Adu Frimpong (born 5 April 1994), popularly known as Medikal, is a Ghanaian hip hop musician born to Portia Lamptey and James Frimpong in Sowutuom, a suburb of Accra. Early life and music career He comes from Sowutuom, a suburb in Acc ...
. Kwesi Arthur has collaborated with numerous Ghanaian musicians, including Sarkodie,
Medikal Samuel Adu Frimpong (born 5 April 1994), popularly known as Medikal, is a Ghanaian hip hop musician born to Portia Lamptey and James Frimpong in Sowutuom, a suburb of Accra. Early life and music career He comes from Sowutuom, a suburb in Acc ...
, KiDi, Jason E LA,
R2Bees R2Bees is a Ghanaian hip hop and hiplife duo from Tema, comprising two cousins, Faisal Hakeem and Mugeez, Rashid Mugeez. They were nominated for the 2013 BET Awards. In March 2019, the duo released their third studio album, ''Site 15''. Career ...
, B4bonah, M3dal, M.anifest, EL,
Stonebwoy Livingstone Etse Satekla (Born 5 March 1988), better known by his stage name Stonebwoy, is a Ghanaian people, Ghanaian Afro pop music, Afropop, Afro-dancehall and reggae musician from Ashaiman, Accra. He is the CEO of Burniton Music Group. He w ...
, Shatta Wale and South African rapper
Nasty C Nsikayesizwe David Junior Ngcobo (born 11 February 1997), known professionally as Nasty C, is a South African rapper, songwriter, and record producer. After releasing three mixtapes, and two Extended play, EPs, Ngcobo released his debut album ' ...
. He was nominated for Best International Act at the 2018 BET Awards. Kwesi Arthur is one of the most successful artists in Ghana, with his music being internationally recognized and awarded. In 2020 his song "Live From The 233" was one of the most streamed African songs on the streaming service
Apple Music Apple Music is an audio and video streaming service developed by Apple Inc. Users can select music to stream to their device on-demand, or listen to existing playlists. The service also includes the sister internet radio stations Apple Musi ...
.


Discography


EPs

*''Live from Nkrumah Krom'' (2017) *''This Is Not The Tape, Sorry 4 The Wait'' (2019) *''Live from Nkrumah Krom Vol II Home Run'' (2019) *''This Is Not The Tape, Sorry 4 The Wait II'' (2020) *''This Is Not The Tape III'' (2024)


Studio albums

*''Son Of Jacob'' (2022)


Singles


Awards and nominations


Ghana Music Awards


BET Awards


3 Music Awards


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Arthur, Kwesi Living people Ghanaian rappers People from Tema 1994 births 21st-century Ghanaian male singers Musicians from Accra