{{Short description|Rapper, Singer, Songwriter, Producer}} {{Use mdy dates|date=February 2023}} {{Infobox person | name = O'Kenneth | image = | caption = | other_names = YGA O’Kenneth, Drah Zah Gul | birth_name = Kenneth Opoku | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1999|08|13}} | birth_place = Suame-Maakro, Kumasi | education = Tepa Senior High School | occupation = Rapper, Singer, Songwriter, Producer | years_active = 2018–present | organization = YGA O'Kenneth Management | notable_works = Lonely Road ft Xlimkid Agyeiwaa ft. Reggie, City Boy Yimaye | module = {{Infobox musical artist | embed = yes | genre = {{flatlist| * [[Hip hop music|Hip hop]] * [[Trap music|trap]] *[[Drill Music|Drill]] }} | label = {{hlist||YGA O'Kenneth Management}}
}} | module2 = {{Infobox | child = yes | header = Logo | data1 = [[File:Oken logo.png|225px]] }} }} '''Kenneth Opoku''' (born August 13, 1998), known professionally as '''YGA O'Kenneth''', is a [[rapper]], singer, [[The Drill (Artist)|drill artist]], and a songwriter from [[Ghana]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=January 7, 2023 |title=#BlackStarLineFestival: Historic night as Chance The Rapper, Vic Mensa, T-Pain lead epic Accra showdown - MyJoyOnline.com |url=https://www.myjoyonline.com/blackstarlinefestival-historic-night-as-chance-the-rapper-vic-mensa-t-pain-lead-epic-accra-showdown/ |access-date=2023-02-03 |website=Myjoyonline |language=en-US}}</ref> He is regarded as one of the most influential [[Hip hop music|hip hop]] artists from Kumasi due to his progressive musical styles and socially conscious songwriting. Born and raised in [[Kumasi]], [[Ashanti Region]], O'Kenneth began his musical career in 2016 in Kumasi, Ashanti region, and quickly gained local attention, which led to him signing a [[recording contract]] with Life Living Records in 2019. O'Kenneth rose to prominence in 2020 with his verses on the songs "Sore" and "Akatafoc," both of which featured [[Yaw Tog]] and Kawabanga.<ref>{{Cite news |date=March 22, 2022 |title=Asakaa: How drill music found a new home in Ghana |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-60794059 |access-date=2023-02-03}}</ref>
In 2021 he released "Until It's All Said and Done," a conscious drill record, as his debut studio album. The album received positive reviews and featured singles such as "Loosing Grace Ft Reggie", "Gimme Dat" and "Hopez Ft Jay Bahd, Skyface SDW and Chicogod".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dwomoh |first=Kenneth |date=March 28, 2022 |title=Album Review: O'Kenneth – Until It's All Said And Done |url=https://www.hitz360.com/album-review-okenneth-until-its-all-said-and-done/ |access-date=2023-02-03 |website=Hitz360.com |language=en-US}}</ref> In 2022, he released his second studio album "Straight Outta Kumerica 2" with Reggie under the aegis of Life Living Records. The album, which featured the singles "Pa!", "Loading," and "Timing" and was heavily influenced by Drill and gangsta rap, received widespread critical acclaim.<ref>{{Cite web |date=November 25, 2020 |title=Kumerica radio: The anthems shaping Ghana's drill scene |url=https://www.musicinafrica.net/magazine/kumerica-radio-anthems-shaping-ghanas-drill-scene |access-date=2023-02-04 |website=Music in Africa |language=en}}</ref>
O'Kennth is one of the pioneers who brought the Asakaa genre of music to light as a member of the group (Asakaa Boys) that started the Kumerican movement.<ref>{{Cite web |date=April 12, 2022 |title=Asakaa movement is misunderstood - Kweku DMC - MyJoyOnline.com |url=https://www.myjoyonline.com/asakaa-movement-is-misunderstood-kweku-dmc/ |access-date=2023-02-04 |website=Myjoyonline. |language=en-US}}</ref> Asakaa thus refers to the group's ability to speak and use street slang on each track.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Rouhani |first=Neena |date=January 5, 2023 |title=Vic Mensa is Bringing Clean Water to Over 200,000 Ghanaians |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/rb-hip-hop/vic-mensa-clean-water-ghana-1235194354/ |access-date=2023-02-04 |magazine=Billboard |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Dwomoh |first=Kenneth |date=July 18, 2022 |title=How Life Living Records Poineered The Asakaa Wave With The Asakaa Boys |url=https://www.hitz360.com/how-life-living-records-poineered-the-asakaa-wave-with-the-asakaa-boys/ |access-date=2023-02-04 |website=Hitz360.com |language=en-US}}</ref>
== Early life and career == Kenneth Opoku was born on August 13, 1998, in [[Santasi, Kumasi|Santasi]], Ashanti Region, to [[Ghanaians|Ghanaian]] parents. He grew up in Suame with his parents and siblings. Although he was not a member of a gang, he grew up around street gang members, which he claimed in an interview was the source of his musical language.<ref>{{Cite web |last=bigedemtimes |date=December 27, 2022 |title=O'kenneth Biography, real name and net worth |url=https://timesinghana.com/okenneth-biography-real-name-and-net-worth/ |access-date=2023-02-04 |website=Times in Ghana |language=en-US}}</ref> While still a teenager, he was admitted to Tepa Senior High School in [[Tepa]], Ashanti Region, where he studied [[General science]]. At Tepa Senior High School, he began his musical career. He has been a working musician since 2016. He admitted that American rapper [[Kendrick Lamar]] served as his inspiration and that he initially began by freestyling. O'Kenneth revealed during an interview on [[The Delay Show]] with [[Deloris Frimpong Manso]] that he comes from a happy home and that his parents had wanted him to pursue a formal career and further his education. His parents did not, however, support his decision to pursue a career in entertainment because they believed it might not be a good fit for him and that he should instead pursue something else.<ref>{{Cite web |date=April 18, 2022 |title=DELAY INTERVIEWS ASAKAA BOYS (Kwaku Dmc, Jay Bahd, City Boy, O'Kenneth) |url=https://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/television/news/We-don-t-smoke-we-only-sing-about-it-Asakaa-Boys-154157 |access-date=2023-02-04 |website=GhanaWeb |language=en}}</ref>
He is a member of Asakaa, a [[drill music]] group in Kumasi that was established as a result of random men stopping by to record at the "Trap House," which is where the "Life Living" home studio in Kumasi, run by Sean Lifer and Rabby Jones, is located.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Going Global: Inside Ghana's Burgeoning Drill Scene |url=https://www.complex.com/music/2020/10/inside-ghana-asakaa-drill-scene |access-date=2023-02-04 |website=Complex |language=en}}</ref> With his verses on songs by Asakaa members like Sean Life's "Ma drip" and Jay Bahd's "condemn," O'Kenneth rose to prominence in the Ghanaian music scene in 2020.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Ellingham |first=Miles |date=July 14, 2021 |title=Meet Yaw Tog and The 'Asakaa' Boys, Ghana's New Wave of Drill Rappers |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/ghanas-new-wave-of-drill-music-yaw-tog-the-asakaa-boys-1197181/ |access-date=2023-02-04 |magazine=Rolling Stone |language=en-US}}</ref> Later, he was a featured artist on Yaw Tog's "Sore" and Kawabanga's "Akatafoc" songs, which helped Asakaa become well known in Ghana and other nations.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Braga |first=Brunno |date=December 1, 2022 |title=Chance the Rapper And VicMensa Team Up With United To Offer Flight Discounts To Ghana |url=https://travelnoire.com/chance-the-rapper-and-vicmensa-team-up-with-united-to-offer-flight-discounts-to-ghana |access-date=2023-02-04 |website=Travel Noire |language=en}}</ref> In addition to his numerous songs, YGA has three External Play albums: "Until It's All Said and Done," a solo EP; "Straight Outta Kumerica" and "Straight Outta Kumerica 2," joint EPs with Reggie.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dwomoh |first=Kenneth |date=March 28, 2022 |title=Album Review: O'Kenneth – Until It's All Said And Done |url=https://www.hitz360.com/album-review-okenneth-until-its-all-said-and-done/ |access-date=2023-02-04 |website=Hitz360.com |language=en-US}}</ref> He's also known for his single "Agyeiwaa", "Obaa Hemaa ", and "Cinderella" where he collaborated with Skyface SDW, [[Beeztrap KOTM]] and the Asakaa Boys.<ref>{{Cite web |last=YESU |date=January 21, 2023 |title=Skyface SDW – Obaa Hemaa Ft. O'Kenneth, Reggie, Beeztrap KOTM, Kwaku DMC & Jay Bahd |url=https://www.hitz360.com/skyface-sdw-obaa-hemaa-ft-okenneth-reggie-beeztrap-kotm-kwaku-dmc-jay-bahd/ |access-date=2023-02-04 |website=Hitz360.com |language=en-US}}</ref>
== Discography ==
=== Studio album's ===
* Straight Outta Kumerica – Joint EP (O’Kenneth & Reggie released on August 27, 2020) * Until It's All Said and Done (December 18, 2021). * Straight Outta Kumerica II – Joint EP (O’Kenneth & Reggie released on July 20, 2022) * PAIN IN GLORY - Joint EP (O'Kenneth & Xlimkid released on October 27, 2023)
=== Song catalog ===
* Breaks * Gang ft. Reggie. * All Eyes ft. Reggie. * Stakes ft. Jay Bahd * Skyface SDW ft O'Kenneth – Obaa Hemaa * Bust – (& Reggie) * Loading – (& Reggie) ft. G4 Boyz * M.O.B – (& Reggie) * Ya Parke – O’kenneth & Reggie * Calling ft. Kawabanga, O’kenneth, Jay Bahd, Sean Lifer, Reggie & City Boy. * Losing Grace ft. Reggie. * Hopez ft. Jay Bahd, Skyface SDW & Chicogod. * Lotta Guan ft. Chicogod * Nante ft. Jay Bahd. * Gaza ft. Reggie, Terrist Carter, Cartnez & Jay Bahd. * Till Finish ft. Thywill. * Wishie Wishie ft. Bra Benk, Reggie & Terrist Carter. * Gimmie Dat – Thomas The Great, Terrist Carter, Chicogod, Sparkle, Kawabanga, * Reggie & Jay Bahd. * Agyeiwaa ft. Reggie & City Boy * Pain in Glory - O'kenneth & Xlimkid * Maranatha - O’kenneth & Chicogod * Yimaye
=== Concerts Played === {| class="wikitable" |+ !Title !Location !Year !Ref |- |Black Star Line festival |Accra, Ghana |2023 |<ref>{{Cite web |last=Baruch |first=Yolanda |title=Vic Mensa And Chance The Rapper Launch The 'Black Star Line Festival' In Accra, Ghana |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/yolandabaruch/2023/01/05/vic-mensa-and-chance-the-rapper-launch-the-black-star-line-festival-in-accra-ghana/ |access-date=2023-02-04 |website=Forbes |language=en}}</ref> |- |Afrochella |Accra, Ghana |2020 |<ref>{{Cite web |date=March 17, 2022 |title=We performed for free at 2020 Afrochella but they neglected us in 2021 - Asakaa Boys - MyJoyOnline.com |url=https://www.myjoyonline.com/we-performed-for-free-at-2020-afrochella-but-they-neglected-us-in-2021-asakaa-boys/ |access-date=2023-02-04 |website=Myjoyonline. |language=en-US}}</ref> |- |Made in Kumerica Concert |Kumasi |2022 |<ref>{{Cite web |date=December 22, 2022 |title=Made in Kumerica Concert '22 Theme:"Redefining Kumasi's culture and unity" |url=https://cheesewave.net/made-in-kumerica-concert-22-themeredefining-kumasis-culture-and-unity/ |access-date=2023-02-04 |website=Cheesewave. |language=en-US}}</ref> |- |"Wizkid Live" Concert |Accra Sports Stadium, Ghana |2022 |<ref>{{Cite web |date=December 12, 2022 |title=Gyakie, Darkovibes, Efya, Asaaka Boys & others thrill fans despite Wizkid's absence |url=https://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/entertainment/Gyakie-Darkovibes-Efya-Asaaka-Boys-others-thrill-fans-despite-Wizkid-s-absence-1678667 |access-date=2023-02-04 |website=GhanaWeb |language=en}}</ref> |}
== References == <references />
{{DEFAULTSORT:OKenneth}} [[Category:1993 births]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:Musicians from Kumasi]] [[Category:Ghanaian rappers]] [[Category:Ghanaian male musicians]] [[Category:21st-century rappers]]