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Celebrity Profile

SPOTLIGHT: Okyeame Quophi – A Real Creative Gem

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Late1990 saw an upsurge of rap groups and duos from all over Ghana and prominent amongst them was AKYEAME, the duo from which Okyeame Quophi emerged. Given his God given creative prowess Quophi was the main composer and writer of the duo and a performer as well.
Being the indoor type naturally, Quophi picked up music production skills from studio sessions and immediately started practicing with his own home studio which helped greatly in churning out the great hits from the band. Akyeame became a household name in no time and rose to pick the first ever best Hip Life song of the year award for their never dying song ‘Mesan Aba’ at the maiden of Ghana Music Awards in 2000.
Till date the song remains one of his biggest compositions. After five albums, Quophi was left with a solo career option which he took and recorded his ever popular ‘Quophilosophy’ album which had ‘Shake Dat Thang’ and the ‘Kolo’ songs making waves in night clubs and all dance avenues in 2004.
Quophi is multi talented and possess lots of leadership values. This informed his choices which led him to becoming a broadcaster (TV and radio) Music Producer/ Recording Engineer, Music video Director/Editor, and C.E.O Emklan Group.
As Music Producer/ Engineer
Quophi while living in the united states of America took the opportunity and polished his music recording and engineering skill by apprenticeship in Columbus Ohio studying under John Witz of Music Café and Danny Green of Amerisound.
Having taken piano playing lessons from his friend and later teacher  known as Saint Kamkam in showbiz circles in Adum Kumasi coupled with outrageous hours of hands on training with recording equipment he bought and started a  home studio, it didn’t take long for him to start making major strides in the field.
He immediately after working and investing into a proper studio setup, started working tirelessly on what turned out to be Akyeame’s last album which was titled ‘Apam Fofro’. This album included hit songs like ‘Menko Meda’, ‘Obaa Pa’, which both featured Micheal Dwamena of blessed memory.
Quophi started making a living with his music and engineering by working with All 4Won studios also in Columbus Ohio and through that recorded and mixed for many artistes including Dark side, Moody, Marion, Taji Dynamite, just to mention a few. This he did before returning to Ghana.
Quophi scheduled studio sessions with his long time friend lord Kenya and produced his song C.Y.O.C after he had been quiet for so long. The song featured Dela and instantly became a hit. This was after he had produced a song for his previous album called ‘Room 44’ which also featured Ramzy an artiste that was signed to his Emklan Record label.
After he signed Dela (Female Singer) to his Emklan Record label, he teamed up with Nicholas Baeta, one he chooses to call a brother in production and produced her maiden album ‘Girl Talk’. ‘Girl Talk’ also saw one huge song titled ‘Odo’ which was also composed and written by Quophi.
When Quophi’s ex band mate Okyeame Kwame approached him to produce a song for his album ‘M’awensem’, the results became ‘Medo Embaa’ the remix version.
Charter House, during their maiden Stars Of The Future reality show, approached Quophi to produce records for their finalist Fredrica, Jemimma and Ramzy which he also did to perfection.
In more recent times, he has worked with Kofi B, Ofori Amponsah, Kapusta, Dada KD, Shatta Rako, Jenifer Bergner and more.
His kind of music goes beyond the walls of disco and public places into the movie theatres. He has written music and scores for many movies including:

  • Sinking Sands – Turning Point Pictures ( USA)
  • Ties that Bind –  Turning point Pictures (USA)
  • The Love Of AA (Good Old Days) – Film Africa
  • My Mother’s Heart – Venus Films
  • The Bible – Morning Star
  • Incomplete – Morning Star
  • Wedlock  Of The Gods – Venus Films
  • The Golden Stool – AA Productions
  • Suffering To Loose ( Good Old Days) Film Africa
  • Heart Of Men – Venus Films

As A Radio Presenter
Quophi’s passion for music is so huge; it has become part and parcel of his being. If he is not making it himself, the next possible thing for him to do is to play it on radio for the enjoyment of the masses.
His love for radio and television dates back to the Tommy Annan Forson, Charlie Sam, KKD days at GBC. Being an ardent listener and wanting to become a radio presenter himself, he never stopped practicing by himself and ceasing any little opportunity to show off his communication skills.
He got his hands busy on a Radio Console by kind courtesy of Kwame Adinkrah (Luther King) on UST campus, presenting a mid-morning show called Top Tracks.This also meant he had to walk for 45 minutes every day to get to the console.
Continental Radio became a springboard for Quophi when eventually; Multimedia group started their Kumasi based station Luv FM. He started by hosting Highlife Safari, an after drive show which run solely on highlife music. After the management realized his potential he was moved to the Drive Time slot, which he used to place the station very high.
For the three years that he served at the station, his drive time remained the number one choice of the masses in Kumasi.
When Quophi returned from the United States of America after sojourning for close to four years, he took up new responsibilities at Fox FM, another Kumasi based station which broadcasts mainly in Twi unlike Luv Fm which was mainly English. In a matter of months, Quophi cleared the minds of the doubting Thomases and placed the stations drive time at the number one position where the management of the station so wanted.
It was when FP communications, operators of Fox FM started a new station in Accra (Hot FM) and was looking for sizzling and seasoned presenters to face the very new terrain that management after deliberations posted Quophi to take up and shape the drive time for the station.
In no time Quophi shaped the show and gathered a lot of clouds for the station. He began to introduce very unorthodox methods on the show which even though management could not understand, worked greatly to the benefit of the station. He introduced a health related thirty minutes talk segment called AHINTASEM which was also championed by Oheneba Ntim Barima.
His idea of a mock political party with Ohene Nana Kwame Amoh also did wonderful and got the station ticking very fast with popularity. In his time, the Rush Hour on Hot FM became the flagship program of the station. When his contract ended with the station, he decided to take up new challenges with his former employers Multimedia Group.
He then moved to Hitz FM. Starting with his comfort zone the drive time, (Cruise control). A few months into the show, management re-assigned him to the morning show (Daybreak Hitz) which he handled for a straight year and resigned after for personal reasons.
For him, he felt it was time to look critically at his company EMKLAN which he had been nurturing for years .This idea saw him not taking up any radio responsibilities for a whole year. Currently, Quophi is the host of the Away Bus Show (Drive time) on Rainbow 87.5 FM, a station which belongs to his long time friend who lives in the UK. He also does a request show called Total Request Live Saturday mornings.
As A TV Presenter 
Astus Kwesi Ahiagble who was then Programmes Manager of TV Africa called Quophi one hot afternoon after they had lost contact with each other. He knew him from Fontomfrom TV, a station that started in Kumasi but could not hold. He told Quophi about an opening for a once a week live request show on TV Africa and said he knew he could handle it given his radio background.
Quophi as daring as he is did not give it a second thought and immediately went for the kill. His first audition was an on air one with Mr. KwawAnsah (Owner of the station) himself sitting and looking at him directly in the face. He handled his business well and was immediately handed employment.
Quophi co-hosted with Jane Buckman Owoo for a year and over. When the idea of a weekly musical show hit the station, Quophi was consulted severally by the same Kwesi Ahiagble to help shape what eventually became SOUND SPLASH. The show became his new television love and he has handled it with dexterity ever since.
As A Video Director/Editor 
If you studycarefully, you would realize there is a trait that follow all creative minds. They share the same interests and are never limited to doing one thing.
Naturally, they all succumb to multitask. It all started when he bought his First Apple computer which was intended for music production at the Easton mall apple store in Columbus Ohio. A store attendant with a video background approached Quophi with a video editing software named Final Cut Pro and spoke extensively about it.
He was able to convince him at the end and sold him a video making package. They became email buddies and he intermittently would invite him to workshops and tutorial sessions at the store which he never missed. Even though the sessions cost money, he allowed him in for free mostly because he realized Quophi had taken what he shopped to him seriously.
Eventually when Quophi was trying out his hands on his first video project, he met another Ghanaian brother by name Steve (KK) who was studying film making in a Detroit University. Steve is really the one who schooled Quophi on the real deal when it comes to producing music videos.
From there, his interest grew and he started picking up books on film making and started reading into cameras, lenses, direction, lighting and all. Jokingly he said, “Aside intense reading watching of tutorial DVDs, YouTube has been a great classroom for me”.
He spends a lot of time watching how things are done by other people in other parts of the world when it comes to making film. Quophi’s first ever commercial video he shot and edited with the assistance of Steve, was for a song by Akyeame called ‘Menko Meda’. He later shot another for a song called ‘All I Got’ also an Akyeame song.
Later, he also scripted, shot, directed and edited the ‘Obaa Pa’ video which starred Kwame Owusu Ansah of blessed memory and Stacy of Music Music fame.
Quophi then commercialized his acquired skill and started producing for a cross section of artiste across the country on a string budget. Today, Emklan videos can boast of unlimited video projects for artiste, which have made their songs hits. Amongst these are Ofori Amponsah, Kofi Nti, Kofi B, Nana Acheampong,C-zar, Jael Wiafe, Joe Frazier, Nacy, No Tribe, Reggie Zippy, Okra, Grace Ashy, Akesifuor, Lord Kenya, Ama Boahemaa, Mframa, Ophelia Nyantekyi, PatThomas, Daasebre Dwamena, Dela, Mzbel, Dozzy and a whole lot more. Emklan Videos are still being produced every day.
As C.E.O of Emklan Group 
The idea of setting up a company that engulfed everything that he is about came at a very early age of his life and has kept this dream alive to date. Starting with nothing at all, Emklan Group today boast of a full office complex at Kokomlemle  close to Joy FM in Accra which houses the Music production studio and video suite plus a lounge where client interactions take place.
Over the years, the company has signed Frank Mensah Pozo, Okyeame Quophi, Ramzy, Kapusta, Dela, and has produced successful albums for them all. Emklan with his production branch has produced countless number of radio and television commercials for upper class and all class markets. This includes, MTN, Krif Ghana Ltd, First Capital Plus, Raid (SC Johnson), Engen, Pokeman Time Centre, White Western House, Shalina, Marcot Surgicals, Obaapapa Makerel, Smile Sardine, Fralena, Angel Cream, Mercy Cream, Yazz (Washing Powder, Tooth Paste, Soap), Eva Wine, Africa Queen Mackerel, Aya Discount Shop, Femicare and more.
Emklan’s Honourary event SHOWBIZ HONOURZ was introduced in 2010 and has proven to be one of the most prestigious and prominent award schemes in the country. Its main purpose is to celebrate stars who have excelled in their field of endeavour and have also voluntarily extended their blessings to the less privileged in society.
This saw Nadia Buari taking the first award when the event turned eyes on the movie industry. The event looks at different disciplines of entertainment on annual basis.
With a management style so liberal and idea welcoming, Quophi has been able to establish what even the critics are applauding. Emklan today employs eight key people and the staff size keeps increasing by day.
Emklan simply means Entertainment Minded Klan. The group is made up of, Emklan Music, Emklan Events, and Emklan audiovisual.
He runs this company with his wife Mrs. Stacy Amoateng of TV3 Music Music fame who is the Business Executive. The couple has three children namely, Calista, Beyoncy and Josiah.
Today Okyeame Quophi which is a nickname he coined for showbiz purposes has become so established and real that he feels he needs a new nick name. He was christened Daniel Quophi Amoateng.
 



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