Nana Kwaku Okyere Duah popularly known as TiC and formerly Tic Tac is a

hiplife Hiplife is a Ghanaian musical style that fuses Ghanaian culture and hip hop. Recorded predominantly in the Ghanaian Akan language, hiplife is rapidly gaining popularity in the 2010s throughout West Africa and abroad, especially in the United Ki ...

musician originally from Kwamo, a suburb in the

Ashanti Region The Ashanti Region is located in the southern part of Ghana and is the third largest of Regions of Ghana, 16 administrative regions, occupying a total land surface of and making up 10.2 percent of the total land area of Ghana. It is the List of ...

Ghana Ghana, officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It is situated along the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, and shares borders with Côte d’Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, and Togo to t ...

Early life and career

He first began performing in 1997 with a group called 'Natty Strangers' along with his best friend Bessem Bikhazi (famously known as Cold Sweat). After becoming the most eagerly awaited group in Ghana, winning awards at events such as Kidafest, Fun World, Source etc., TiC later went on to release a self-produced album after Bessem migrated to the UK to train as a Commercial Pilot. During his early career, TiC modeled his style after his idol

Busta Rhymes Trevor George Smith Jr. (born May 20, 1972), known professionally as Busta Rhymes, is an American rapper, singer and actor. Chuck D of Public Enemy gave him the moniker Busta Rhymes, after National Football League, NFL and Canadian Football Lea ...

. Bessem Bikhazi, now a fully qualified pilot, is currently managing TiC. TiC reached a wider audience when he was featured on Azigiza's song "Woye Bia", which was a hit in Ghana. Collaborations with Slim Busterr and Daasebre Gyamenah followed. In 1999 TiC released his debut solo album, ''Philomena'', which spawned several hits. "Menka Bio (Shordy)", a single from TiC's third album, ''Masem'', topped the Ghana music chart for 22 consecutive weeks in 2002–2003, which was a record at the time. The launch of his fourth album, ''Wope'', was one of the largest ever in Ghana. ''Wope'' was groundbreaking for the hiplife genre in that it featured several major international stars, including

Freddy Meiway Frederic Desire Ehui , best known as Meiway (born 17 March 1962 in Grand Bassam), is a singer from the Ivory Coast. He is most notable for pioneering the Zoblazo Zoblazo is a musical style from Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, created in the early 19 ...

from

Côte d'Ivoire Ivory Coast, also known as Côte d'Ivoire and officially the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, is a country on the southern coast of West Africa. Its capital city of Yamoussoukro is located in the centre of the country, while its largest city and ...

on the title track and

Tony Tetuila Anthony Olanrewaju Awotoye, better known as Tony Tetuila, also regarded as the golden father of Afrobeats is an artist from Nigeria. He was born in 1974. He is a native of Oro, Kwara state. He was a member of the now-defunct hip-hop group of ...

Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...

on "Fefe n'efe", which sampled

Fela Kuti Fela Aníkúlápó Kútì (born Olufela Olusegun Oludotun Ransome-Kuti; 15 October 1938 – 2 August 1997) was a Nigerians, Nigerian musician and political activist. He is regarded as the principal innovator of Afrobeat, a Nigerian music genre t ...

. His fifth album, ''Accra Connection'', featured collaborations with

Sway DaSafo Derek Andrew Safo (born 5 September 1982), better known by his stage name Sway or Sway DaSafo, is a British rapper of Ghanaian descent. He is also a producer, having established Dcypha Productions, signed to Island/Universal (label founder). ...

Rhian Benson Rhiannon Afua "Rhian" Benson (born 10 January 1977 in Accra, Ghana) is a Ghanaian-British Soul music, soul and jazz singer and songwriter. Early life Benson was born in Accra, Ghana, to a Welsh people, Welsh mother, a singer, and an Ashanti peop ...

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, and JJC. in 2018, TiC dropped a new single named ''Kwani Kwani (Part 2)'' featuring a Ghanaian musician Kuami Eugene. TiC has performed internationally, alongside artists such as

50 Cent Curtis James Jackson III (born July 6, 1975), known professionally as 50 Cent, is an American rapper, actor, and television producer. Born in Queens, a borough of New York City, Jackson began pursuing a musical career in 1996. In 1999–2000, ...

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Kanda Bongo Man Bongo Kanda (born 1 January 1955), better known by his stage name Kanda Bongo Man, is a Congolese soukous musician and singer. His career debuted in 1973 when he became the singer for the Belle Mambo band, developing a sound influenced by Tabu Le ...

, and

Buju Banton Mark Anthony Myrie (born 15 July 1973),Larkin, Colin (1998) "The Virgin Encyclopedia of Reggae", Virgin Books, known professionally as Buju Banton, is a Jamaican dancehall, ragga, and reggae singer. He is one of the most significant and well-re ...

. He is known for hit single Kwani Kwani (Remix) featuring

Kuami Eugene Eugene Kwame Marfo (born February 1, 1997), who goes by the stage name Kuami Eugene is a Ghanaian High-life and Afrobeat singer-songwriter and record producer. He is signed to Lynx Entertainment and Empire Distribution and is known for several ...

"Kangaroo"

The video for TiC's 2006 single "Kangaroo" was directed by Gil Green and reached the top of the MTV Base Africa charts. During the

2008 Africa Cup of Nations The 2008 Africa Cup of Nations, also known as the MTN Africa Cup of Nations due to the competition's sponsorship by MTN, was the 26th edition of the Africa Cup of Nations, the biennial football tournament for nations affiliated with the Confede ...

, the

Ghana national football team The Ghana national football team represents Ghana in men's international Association football, football. The team is named the Black Stars after the Black Star of Africa in the flag of Ghana. It is governed by the Ghana Football Association, t ...

began using the song, with its accompanying dance, to celebrate goals.

Personal life

TiC is married to Awurabena Serwaa Duah.

Awards and recognition

TiC has been the recipient of eleven

Ghana Music Awards The Ghana Music Awards, also known since 2024 by the sponsored name Telecel Ghana Music Awards (TGMAs), formerly Vodafone Ghana Music Awards (VGMAs), is an annual music awards event in Ghana established in 1999 by a local event organizer and p ...

, including Musician of the Year in 2004. At the 2005

, he had a record nine nominations. He co-wrote "Gbese" performed by Wizkid.

Videography

Humanitarian work

TiC was involved in a campaign with

the United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and security, to develop friendly relations among ...

Sierra Leone Sierra Leone, officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered to the southeast by Liberia and by Guinea to the north. Sierra Leone's land area is . It has a tropical climate and envi ...

and Ghana alongside

Ramsey Nouah Ramsey Nouah (born Ramsey Tokunbo Nouah Jr.; 19 December 1970) is a Nigerian actor and director. He won the Africa Movie Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role in 2010 for his performance in the movie '' The Figurine''. He made his direc ...

and

Ozwald Boateng Ozwald Boateng, OBE () (born 28 February 1967) is an English fashion designer, best known for his trademark twist on classic tailoring and bespoke styles. Early life Boateng was born in the Muswell Hill district of London on 28 February 1967, ...

, as part of the WFP raising funds for children. He was the

vice chairman The chair, also chairman, chairwoman, or chairperson, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the gro ...

of the

Greater Accra region The Greater Accra Region has the smallest area of Ghana's Regions of Ghana, 16 administrative regions, occupying a total land surface of 3,245 square kilometres. This is 1.4 per cent of the total land area of Ghana. It is the List of Ghanaian re ...

Musiga The Musicians Union of Ghana (MUSIGA) is the umbrella group that unites all musicians in Ghana irrespective of their music genre. Bice Osei Kuffour(Obour) was the former president of the Musicians Union of Ghana (MUSIGA). He was elected on August ...

, and is constantly involved in numerous campaigns with Musiga to educate and unite the musicians of Ghana.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tic Tac Living people Ghanaian highlife musicians 1979 births People from Ashanti Region Ghanaian emigrants to the United Kingdom