Ayigbe edem
Encyclopedia
Denning Edem Agbeviadey (born in the mid 1980s), is a Ghanaian recording artist and entertainer who performs under the name Ayigbe Edem or Edem for short. Edem is his middle name and Ayigbe is a local Akan
word with reference to the Ewe
ethnic group that occupies most part of the Volta Region of Ghana
. He rose to fame with the release of his maiden album, The Volta Regime in 2008, which has songs like the hit ‘U dey craze’, ‘Bra fremi fremi’, ’ Nyornuviade’, ‘Give it up’, ‘Emmre Sesa’ and ‘Lorlortor’. This album was produced and executive produced by the music maker, Edward Nana Poku Osei, aka Hammer of The Last Two
Edem collaborated with other Ghanaian acts such as the sensational Samini
, the tongue-twisting Sarkodie, the ‘mad’ artist Kwaw Kesse, the love – laced Kwabena Kwabena, KK Fosu,Obrafour, Tinny, the Ga sensational rapper, the yet to come up Tuba and EL, Ruth of Mentor and A.S.E.M Asem.
Currently, Edem does all his music in the local Ewe language and is the most notable rapper in the dialect at the moment.
Aside writing and recording music and being a student, he has also ventured into philanthropic works. He has made quite a number of donations to needy patients to undergo surgery, donations to the Maternity Ward of the Mamobi polyclinic and to the Weija Leprosarium.
He lost his mum at age 14. He was left with his dad, a lawyer, and his sister. He lost his dad at age 17. His only immediate family at the moment is his sister, whom he adores very much.
He grew up surrounded by music in his locality and music from across the world ranging from hip hop to dancehall, reggae and hi life.
By the age of nine, Edem was usually caught hitting tables, empty tins and any item that could produce good rhythm. He took off with his first music group in junior high. In senior high, he formed a 6 member group called the Ringmasters. They performed at the school’s entertainment programs as well as at funfairs held in other schools. They usually did singing, rapping and dancing. After completion of senior high school, he proceeded with his quest to build a commercial career in music for himself. he recorded uncountable songs in the underground with the likes of Kokromoti, Nival, Trigmatic, Vyroz,M.O.B and Osibo .
. This record label is responsible for bringing up artists like Obrafour (an Akan artist) in 1999, Tinny (a Ga artist in 2002) and the madman Kwaw Kesse (a Fante artist) in 2005.
During his career advancement, Ayigbe Edem also made a lot of appearances at live shows, the major of which was as the opening act for the John Legend concert organised by Charterhouse and held at the International Conference Center in Accra in 200-- .
Before his debut album, He did a lot of collaborations with other acts, the major one being with Obrafour for a TiGo telecommunications promotion. He went on a national tour with him, sponsored by TiGo.
After spending two years in the studio (2006 December to 2008 December), he came up with his first single “bougez” which received a lot of airplay from radio stations across the country. He later came up with his first album which featured a lot of new as well as established acts such as Tinny, Kwaw Kesse, Sarkodie, Obour, Asem, K. k. Fosu, Tuba, Samini, Jayso, Trigmatic, El and Gemini.
Edem has appeared on major shows like Stars of the Future Season 3 Finales, Ghana Music Awards (2009) and all major university concerts. He has been a part of the University of Ghana’s Commonwealth Hall week, Akuafo Hall week, Evandy Hostel(Legon) week celebration, Pentagon Hostel week celebration, Miss WA Poly, Miss Ho Poly and KNUST’s Unity Hall week celebration.
He has become a household name in neighboring Togo as they share the Ewe language.
This album is as a result of two years of recordings in the hush hush studios in Accra. All the lyrics of the songs on this album were written by Edem himself. The compositions for all the songs were produced by Hammer of The Last Two
. He also doubled as the executive producer of this album.
The hit single ‘bougez’ featuring Ruth, Kwaw Kesse and sarkodie is part of the compilation for this first album. The album has a general introduction consisting mainly of the historical background and the migration of the Ewe tribe from notsie to Ghana. Each song has an intro that briefly talks about the track. All these intros were done by Jeremie Van Garshong. Other songs on this album are nyornuviade feat Kwabena Kwabena,bra fremi fremi feat tinny,give it up feat sarkodie, emmre sesa feat tuba
, the album, he said, holds a mixture of unique beats produced by various engineers including hammer. Edem says, “…It basically is a transition from me being an artiste with a first album and now trying to put music out that will be appealing to everybody that has supported me. Now the album is Mass Production because it is going to be made easily available and affordable to everybody in a sphere of life in the country.”
Following this passion, on Monday 7 September 2009, he made a donation of various items and a cash amount of ------ to the maternity ward of the Mamobi Polyclinic in Accra.
After hearing Father Campbell, the priest in charge of the Weija Leprosarium calling for help, Edem went to the Weija Leprosarium on 10 October 2009 and in the spirit of charity, he donated ---------items and a cash amount of ------. In a short speech at the presentation, he told Father Campbel that he felt responsible enough to help them in his own small way. In an interview with Myjoyonline, Edem also said “I was touched by what I saw on the TV some weeks ago where Father Campbell spoke about the plight of the Leprosarium....“my priority is making people who need help get help. People do not have to be rich before they can donate and help the needy in society.”
While watching and listening to the prime time news on TV3, he sympathized with the parents of Michelle Koranteng, a 4 month old baby who was suffering from a congenital brain disorder. The poor girls’ condition touched him enough to make yet another donation to aid her medical bills and surgery. This was on 3 December 2009. On the same day, he travelled to Hohoe in the Volta Region and made yet another donation to the maternity ward of the Hohoe General Hospital.
He also has expressed his displeasure over government’s inability of providing adequate malaria health care to the many Ghanaians.
As of 2011, Edem has plans to start a Volta Regime Foundation which will be a full time charity organization.
Akan
Akan may refer to:*Akan people, an ethnic group in Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire**Kwa languages, a stock of dialects spoken by the Akan people.**Central Tano languages, a stock of dialects spoken by the Akan people....
word with reference to the Ewe
Ewe
Ewe or EWE may refer to:* Ewe people, an ethnic group in Eastern part of Ghana, Benin and Togo** Ewe music, music of the Ewe people** Ewe language, the language of the Ewe people* Ewe, a female sheep...
ethnic group that occupies most part of the Volta Region of Ghana
Ghana
Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
. He rose to fame with the release of his maiden album, The Volta Regime in 2008, which has songs like the hit ‘U dey craze’, ‘Bra fremi fremi’, ’ Nyornuviade’, ‘Give it up’, ‘Emmre Sesa’ and ‘Lorlortor’. This album was produced and executive produced by the music maker, Edward Nana Poku Osei, aka Hammer of The Last Two
Hammer of The Last Two
Hammer of The Last Two, born Edward Nana Poku Osei is a record producer in the Ghanaian music industry. He is the founder and CEO of The Last Two Music Group and is also known for grooming some of the best artists Ghanaian Hip Hop or Hiplife has ever produced such as Obrafour, tinny, Kwaw Kese,...
Edem collaborated with other Ghanaian acts such as the sensational Samini
Samini
Emmanuel Andrews Samini , known in show business as Samini , is a musical artist....
, the tongue-twisting Sarkodie, the ‘mad’ artist Kwaw Kesse, the love – laced Kwabena Kwabena, KK Fosu,Obrafour, Tinny, the Ga sensational rapper, the yet to come up Tuba and EL, Ruth of Mentor and A.S.E.M Asem.
Currently, Edem does all his music in the local Ewe language and is the most notable rapper in the dialect at the moment.
Aside writing and recording music and being a student, he has also ventured into philanthropic works. He has made quite a number of donations to needy patients to undergo surgery, donations to the Maternity Ward of the Mamobi polyclinic and to the Weija Leprosarium.
Early life
With both parents late, Edem was born in Dzodze in the Volta Region of Ghana. He is the only son of his parents and has one sister, Wendy Sefakor Agbeviadey who resides in Accra. The young Edem spent most part of his toddler and teenage years in Accra and Aflao. He started his primary education at the Amazing Love School, and then continued there for his junior high school. As a product of the secondary school system in Ghana, he proceeded to Bishop Herman College for his senior high school education.He lost his mum at age 14. He was left with his dad, a lawyer, and his sister. He lost his dad at age 17. His only immediate family at the moment is his sister, whom he adores very much.
He grew up surrounded by music in his locality and music from across the world ranging from hip hop to dancehall, reggae and hi life.
By the age of nine, Edem was usually caught hitting tables, empty tins and any item that could produce good rhythm. He took off with his first music group in junior high. In senior high, he formed a 6 member group called the Ringmasters. They performed at the school’s entertainment programs as well as at funfairs held in other schools. They usually did singing, rapping and dancing. After completion of senior high school, he proceeded with his quest to build a commercial career in music for himself. he recorded uncountable songs in the underground with the likes of Kokromoti, Nival, Trigmatic, Vyroz,M.O.B and Osibo .
Music
In 2006 he released his first radio hit single “WOTOME WOSHI” which literally translates as “we came and they run”. It gained much popularity in his region and added to his underground reputation as a talent to look out for. It was in this same year that he got together officially with The Last Two Entertainment Group, headed by the hit maker Hammer of The Last TwoHammer of The Last Two
Hammer of The Last Two, born Edward Nana Poku Osei is a record producer in the Ghanaian music industry. He is the founder and CEO of The Last Two Music Group and is also known for grooming some of the best artists Ghanaian Hip Hop or Hiplife has ever produced such as Obrafour, tinny, Kwaw Kese,...
. This record label is responsible for bringing up artists like Obrafour (an Akan artist) in 1999, Tinny (a Ga artist in 2002) and the madman Kwaw Kesse (a Fante artist) in 2005.
During his career advancement, Ayigbe Edem also made a lot of appearances at live shows, the major of which was as the opening act for the John Legend concert organised by Charterhouse and held at the International Conference Center in Accra in 200-- .
Before his debut album, He did a lot of collaborations with other acts, the major one being with Obrafour for a TiGo telecommunications promotion. He went on a national tour with him, sponsored by TiGo.
After spending two years in the studio (2006 December to 2008 December), he came up with his first single “bougez” which received a lot of airplay from radio stations across the country. He later came up with his first album which featured a lot of new as well as established acts such as Tinny, Kwaw Kesse, Sarkodie, Obour, Asem, K. k. Fosu, Tuba, Samini, Jayso, Trigmatic, El and Gemini.
Edem has appeared on major shows like Stars of the Future Season 3 Finales, Ghana Music Awards (2009) and all major university concerts. He has been a part of the University of Ghana’s Commonwealth Hall week, Akuafo Hall week, Evandy Hostel(Legon) week celebration, Pentagon Hostel week celebration, Miss WA Poly, Miss Ho Poly and KNUST’s Unity Hall week celebration.
He has become a household name in neighboring Togo as they share the Ewe language.
Debut Album: Volta Regime (2008)
His first album titled the Volta regime was released onto the Ghanaian market in January 2008.This album is as a result of two years of recordings in the hush hush studios in Accra. All the lyrics of the songs on this album were written by Edem himself. The compositions for all the songs were produced by Hammer of The Last Two
Hammer of The Last Two
Hammer of The Last Two, born Edward Nana Poku Osei is a record producer in the Ghanaian music industry. He is the founder and CEO of The Last Two Music Group and is also known for grooming some of the best artists Ghanaian Hip Hop or Hiplife has ever produced such as Obrafour, tinny, Kwaw Kese,...
. He also doubled as the executive producer of this album.
The hit single ‘bougez’ featuring Ruth, Kwaw Kesse and sarkodie is part of the compilation for this first album. The album has a general introduction consisting mainly of the historical background and the migration of the Ewe tribe from notsie to Ghana. Each song has an intro that briefly talks about the track. All these intros were done by Jeremie Van Garshong. Other songs on this album are nyornuviade feat Kwabena Kwabena,bra fremi fremi feat tinny,give it up feat sarkodie, emmre sesa feat tuba
Sophomore Album: Mass Production (2011)
Mass Production, is going to be a transition from his first and unlike his previous album which was solely produced by producer/sound engineer, Hammer of The Last TwoHammer of The Last Two
Hammer of The Last Two, born Edward Nana Poku Osei is a record producer in the Ghanaian music industry. He is the founder and CEO of The Last Two Music Group and is also known for grooming some of the best artists Ghanaian Hip Hop or Hiplife has ever produced such as Obrafour, tinny, Kwaw Kese,...
, the album, he said, holds a mixture of unique beats produced by various engineers including hammer. Edem says, “…It basically is a transition from me being an artiste with a first album and now trying to put music out that will be appealing to everybody that has supported me. Now the album is Mass Production because it is going to be made easily available and affordable to everybody in a sphere of life in the country.”
Awards and Honors
When the nominations list for the 2010 Ghana Music Awards was released, Edem's maiden album had clocked seven nominations. His record must have made it to some other categories under the "industry awards". this will increase his number of nominations.Philanthropic work
Before he became this popular, Edem promised himself and God that should he make it, he will make it a point to help those in need. In his own small way, he has done a number of philanthropic works and is fast gaining ground as one artist in Ghana with a passion for charity.Following this passion, on Monday 7 September 2009, he made a donation of various items and a cash amount of ------ to the maternity ward of the Mamobi Polyclinic in Accra.
After hearing Father Campbell, the priest in charge of the Weija Leprosarium calling for help, Edem went to the Weija Leprosarium on 10 October 2009 and in the spirit of charity, he donated ---------items and a cash amount of ------. In a short speech at the presentation, he told Father Campbel that he felt responsible enough to help them in his own small way. In an interview with Myjoyonline, Edem also said “I was touched by what I saw on the TV some weeks ago where Father Campbell spoke about the plight of the Leprosarium....“my priority is making people who need help get help. People do not have to be rich before they can donate and help the needy in society.”
While watching and listening to the prime time news on TV3, he sympathized with the parents of Michelle Koranteng, a 4 month old baby who was suffering from a congenital brain disorder. The poor girls’ condition touched him enough to make yet another donation to aid her medical bills and surgery. This was on 3 December 2009. On the same day, he travelled to Hohoe in the Volta Region and made yet another donation to the maternity ward of the Hohoe General Hospital.
He also has expressed his displeasure over government’s inability of providing adequate malaria health care to the many Ghanaians.
As of 2011, Edem has plans to start a Volta Regime Foundation which will be a full time charity organization.
Personal life
Ayigbe Edem's uniqueness is in three-fold: language, rhythmic quality and depth of lyrics. He is currently a student of the meridian pre university. In February 2011, the rapper became a father after the birth of his daughter and claims to be in a committed relationship with plans to get married.Discography
- Ø The Volta Regime
- Bougez
- Bra fremi fremi
- Give it up
- Nyornuviade
- Emmre sesa
- De afor tome
- Lorlortor
- Menye wokoe
- Je,tempri
- Lorm nava
External links
- Ayigbe Edem's Profile on Ghana Music.com Check out Ayigbe Edem's Videos, photos and stories on Ghana Music.com