I looked at my watch and it read forty-five minutes past one. I was running late and fume at the driver of the cab I was riding in a couple of times because I have an appointment with one of the most talked about musicians in Ghana today, Wanlov the Kubolor. A few metres to the Busy Internet where I was to meet Kubolor, I spotted him walking barefooted but graciously along the road playing a traditional musical instrument made with gourd and a rope. One of the few questions that came into my mind was “is this guy for real,’ walking in this hot sun barefooted?”
Finally, I sat with Wanlov the Kubolor at Accra’s premier cybercafé and, one of the first questions I posed to him was: why he wears a wrap, dresses anciently and walks barefooted? “It is the common sense that our ancestors applied - they dressed that way before the Europeans came. They were dressing like that because of the weather. I wear a wrap to protect my rear and my genitals to make me comfortable if I sit down. I don’t need shoes and I have walked barefooted for a year now and also I don’t feel the ground heat anymore. Even if I am walking in town and I feel hot I remove my shirt. I just dress according to the weather.”
Relaxed and watching pictures of his recent performance in London on his Dell laptop, truthfully, Wanlov the Kubolor, dresses according to the weather because he had to confess that he wore shoes when he went to London three months ago to perform because the weather was freezing and he had no option. The talk about musicians, who dress traditional and walk barefooted, will be meaningless without mentioning legendary Jamaican musician cum poet MutaBaruka whom Kubolor admits as his inspiration.
Born Emmanuel Owusu Bonsu, to a Ghanaian dad and a Romanian mum, Wanlov the Kubolor got educated at North Ridge School, Christ the King and to Adisadel College where he was mates with Scooby Sellah of TH4 Kwages fame, T-Blaze of LifeLine Family fame, Mensah and other artistes in the Ghanaian music industry.
Wanlov moved to the United States of America in January 2000 to seek greener pastures and this trip transformed his life and also was the inspiration behind his debut album titled “GreenCard”. The “GreenCard” album comprises twenty totally different songs and Kubolor sums it up like this: “The album is about documenting my life in the United States and also shows the States through my eyes. I call the album “GreenCard” because when I was in the States, friends and family wanted me to get married and get a green card and I didn’t do that.”
The album comprises of hits like “Kokonsa”, “50th Independence” which Wanlov says was inspired by the excess expenditures the country made just to celebrate our 50th Independence Anniversary. Also on the album is “Sagaa”, “GreenCard” and other inspiring songs. Having returned to Ghana to stay permanently only a year ago, Wanlov the Kubolor has collaborated with Ghanaian artistes called M.anifest based in Minnesota, he is on King Ayisoba’s “Africa Album”, he is on a joint with “Hip-Life grandpa” Reggie Rockstone in his upcoming album called “Best of Reggie”. He has also blazed tracks with Kwaw Kese and Gyedu Blay Ambolley – a man believed to have initiated rap music in Ghana way in the early ‘70s.
Many fans are curious and want to know why the name Wanlov the Kubolor? He explains: “Wanlov came first. When I walk around Los Angeles, people see me and think I am a Rastafarian so they say to me “One Love” and I started using the name and also because I noticed that anytime an artiste walks on stage to perform, he says one love to the crowd before he starts performing. “Kubolor came about when I was performing one day for Gyedublay Ambolley at a Ghanaian concert in Los Angeles. Some Ghanaians who were in the crowd listened to my lyrics and they started saying hey you are a “Kubolor” -- wandering child. It was a long time since someone called me that because I was called by that name when I was growing up in Ghana and they started screaming “Wanlov the Kubolor” and the name stuck.
The “GreenCard” album has been on the market for over a year now and Wanlov the Kubolor describes it as a success. “Everybody who has bought the album can’t put it down. People have come to Ghana just because of my album. My track called “In Ghana” was played during the World Cup Finals in Germany in 2006. There are many genres of music and Wanlov considers the kind of music he composes as “Pidgin Music”. “My music is “Pidgin Music” because it is a broad genre that can contain my different styles”
International artistes like Ice Cube, Snoop Dogg, and Will Smith just to mention a few have albums and big screen movies to their credit. Wanlov the Kubolor is following this phenomenon as he has attached movies to his music career and has an upcoming movie which he directed with his friend M3nsa titled “Coz of Moni”. Interestingly in the movie, a pidgin musical, he said the characters will be rapping to each other instead of talking to each other.
“GreenCard” has put Wanlov the Kubolor in the musical limelight but he thinks his next project will take him to the skies. He is working on his second album, which he said will entail more singing on his part and he also has a mixed-tape called “Kubolor and Friends”. Since Kubolor now has his “GreenCard” in the Ghanaian music industry, the bets are on if he can break the sophomore jinx.
Finally, I sat with Wanlov the Kubolor at Accra’s premier cybercafé and, one of the first questions I posed to him was: why he wears a wrap, dresses anciently and walks barefooted? “It is the common sense that our ancestors applied - they dressed that way before the Europeans came. They were dressing like that because of the weather. I wear a wrap to protect my rear and my genitals to make me comfortable if I sit down. I don’t need shoes and I have walked barefooted for a year now and also I don’t feel the ground heat anymore. Even if I am walking in town and I feel hot I remove my shirt. I just dress according to the weather.”
Relaxed and watching pictures of his recent performance in London on his Dell laptop, truthfully, Wanlov the Kubolor, dresses according to the weather because he had to confess that he wore shoes when he went to London three months ago to perform because the weather was freezing and he had no option. The talk about musicians, who dress traditional and walk barefooted, will be meaningless without mentioning legendary Jamaican musician cum poet MutaBaruka whom Kubolor admits as his inspiration.
Born Emmanuel Owusu Bonsu, to a Ghanaian dad and a Romanian mum, Wanlov the Kubolor got educated at North Ridge School, Christ the King and to Adisadel College where he was mates with Scooby Sellah of TH4 Kwages fame, T-Blaze of LifeLine Family fame, Mensah and other artistes in the Ghanaian music industry.
Wanlov moved to the United States of America in January 2000 to seek greener pastures and this trip transformed his life and also was the inspiration behind his debut album titled “GreenCard”. The “GreenCard” album comprises twenty totally different songs and Kubolor sums it up like this: “The album is about documenting my life in the United States and also shows the States through my eyes. I call the album “GreenCard” because when I was in the States, friends and family wanted me to get married and get a green card and I didn’t do that.”
The album comprises of hits like “Kokonsa”, “50th Independence” which Wanlov says was inspired by the excess expenditures the country made just to celebrate our 50th Independence Anniversary. Also on the album is “Sagaa”, “GreenCard” and other inspiring songs. Having returned to Ghana to stay permanently only a year ago, Wanlov the Kubolor has collaborated with Ghanaian artistes called M.anifest based in Minnesota, he is on King Ayisoba’s “Africa Album”, he is on a joint with “Hip-Life grandpa” Reggie Rockstone in his upcoming album called “Best of Reggie”. He has also blazed tracks with Kwaw Kese and Gyedu Blay Ambolley – a man believed to have initiated rap music in Ghana way in the early ‘70s.
Many fans are curious and want to know why the name Wanlov the Kubolor? He explains: “Wanlov came first. When I walk around Los Angeles, people see me and think I am a Rastafarian so they say to me “One Love” and I started using the name and also because I noticed that anytime an artiste walks on stage to perform, he says one love to the crowd before he starts performing. “Kubolor came about when I was performing one day for Gyedublay Ambolley at a Ghanaian concert in Los Angeles. Some Ghanaians who were in the crowd listened to my lyrics and they started saying hey you are a “Kubolor” -- wandering child. It was a long time since someone called me that because I was called by that name when I was growing up in Ghana and they started screaming “Wanlov the Kubolor” and the name stuck.
The “GreenCard” album has been on the market for over a year now and Wanlov the Kubolor describes it as a success. “Everybody who has bought the album can’t put it down. People have come to Ghana just because of my album. My track called “In Ghana” was played during the World Cup Finals in Germany in 2006. There are many genres of music and Wanlov considers the kind of music he composes as “Pidgin Music”. “My music is “Pidgin Music” because it is a broad genre that can contain my different styles”
International artistes like Ice Cube, Snoop Dogg, and Will Smith just to mention a few have albums and big screen movies to their credit. Wanlov the Kubolor is following this phenomenon as he has attached movies to his music career and has an upcoming movie which he directed with his friend M3nsa titled “Coz of Moni”. Interestingly in the movie, a pidgin musical, he said the characters will be rapping to each other instead of talking to each other.
“GreenCard” has put Wanlov the Kubolor in the musical limelight but he thinks his next project will take him to the skies. He is working on his second album, which he said will entail more singing on his part and he also has a mixed-tape called “Kubolor and Friends”. Since Kubolor now has his “GreenCard” in the Ghanaian music industry, the bets are on if he can break the sophomore jinx.
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