Museke: Can you tell us about your background and family?
Omega: I was born and bred in Uganda.

Museke: How did you get into music and what was your first break?
Omega: I started singing from home, church was the major influence and I was shaped by Sunday school. Truth of why I sing is because my mother attended an event and saw a gentleman with his kids singing and she was so touched so she wished her children would sing too. My brother and I sing. I sang in the African children’s choir.

• View all from Styl-Plus
  Artistes Styl-Plus
  Album Four years
  Year 2008
  Writer Shifi Emoefe, Tunde Akinsanmi, Zeal Onyecheme
  Language English, Yoruba
  Runtime 4:40

Recently, Museke.com interviewed Youssoupha Sidibie, a Senegalese musician who plays West African kora/harp music. Check out his CD Sacred Sound at CDBaby.

Museke: How is everything?
Youssoupha: Very Good, Thank you.

Museke: Can you tell us about your background and family?
Youssoupha: My grand-father was from the Wassulu tribe of Mali, he immigrated to Senegal, and started a family. I was born in Dakar the capital of Senegal, in a Family of 8 children.

Museke: How are you?
Naija Nitemare: Gud men..chillinn workin hard on both mixtapes n da album cummin out early next year...

Museke: Can you tell us about your background and family?
Naija Nitemare: Yea...born n brougth up in NIGERIA(EDO STATE) moved down here wen I was 12 yearz wif da fam...started rappin wen I was 10..but didn't put out
nuthin till my big break in 2006..gettin signed under hoodridaz ENT.
now run a lable called "SLUM CITY BOYZ" so eva since den I've been doin
me.

Museke: How did you get the name Naija Nitemare?
Naija Nitemare: Da name naija came 4rm da luv of my country while nitemare was given 2 me by linzo my C.E.O, I added both 2gether n it came out hot n raw...

This is part 2 of the interview with Richie, Asem and OJ Blaq. Check out the first instalment at this link.

Museke: What is the inspiration for the songs you write?
Asem – Inspiration is divine, someone might say, you look at your environment and write songs. God inspires you to see what you see around. What people say through conversation and when someone passes a phrase, you catch it and use in the studio. You use someone’s experience - life experiences.

OJ Blaq – It comes from around, reality, what happens in the world and the people in the studio. Everybody around would give you ideas, it’s like a family. People give pointers, Richie directs most of the works I do. Anybody around who is also musically inclined chips in, and if it works out, we take it. We don’t mind who talks, if it’s good for what Lynx is doing, it’s allowed. You see realities around. If you feel what you bring (that) something out, it would make people comfortable, then you use it.

Richie – It comes from within and without. Music is inside of me so I get some ideas from divine inspiration and some from my environment and people around me.

Museke: Richie, where did you learn to make beats and what are some songs you’ve done beats for?
It was self-taught. I started making beats because I was suffering to find producers who could make beats for the kind of music I wanted to do. I have this belief that with determination everything is possible. I started when I was 17.
I have done beats for Scientific (Till Africa unites), Heated up (Irene n Jane), Tinny (Incomplete), Okyeame Kwame (Wo so n Mmaa), Amandzeba and Irene and Jane (Don’t want to be lonely), Tiffany (How we do it), Asem (Gimme blow), OJ Blaq (Me kura mu), among others.

This interview was done at Lynx Entertainment Records studio at New Achimota, Accra, Ghana. Present were Richie (executive producer), as well as Asem and OJ Blaq, two other musicians on the Lynx record label.

Museke: Can you tell us about your background, family and education?
OJ Blaq – I was born Nii Akrashi in Accra, and am the only child. I attended Motown (Achimota) prep, junior high and senior high school, through out. I also studied some ICM travel and tourism courses in the UK. I have also taken some Ghana Institute of Journalism courses.

Asem – My real name is Nana Wiafe Asante-Mensah. I was born in Cape Coast, and my family moved around and got to Accra when I was 6 years old. I attended St. John’s basic schools in Achimota and then St. Peters Secondary School in Nkwatia (Eastern Region). I am now at the Ghana Institute of Journalism studying communication studies.

Richie – I was born Richie Mensah in Accra, both parents are Ashantis. My mum is Alberta Mensah. I have 2 more siblings, a brother and a sister. I atteneded Christ the King school and then Achimota.

Here is part 2 of the interview we had with Batman Samini. Check out the first part here.

Museke: What musicians would you want to collaborate with?
Samini: Busta Rhymes, Timbaland, Sizzla, Luciano, Kanye West.

Museke: We heard recently that you are quitting miming. Aside the obvious, why are you doing so?
Samini: Because playing music live brings the best out of you as a performer, and you express your feelings the right way. I won’t opt for anything else other than a live show. The best thing to do as artiste is that.
I have never seen Kojo perform with a CD, growing up I never saw Bob Marley performing with a CD, and they are giants so if I want to be a giant, I must come like that.

This interview was done at Asaase Ase studios in Dansoman, Accra, Ghana. Thanks to Tony for hooking this up. March 20, 2008.

Museke: Can you tell us about your background, family and education?
Samini: I grew up in Dansoman. I am born and bred in Accra. I attended Holy Family Catholic school at Mataheko, and then went to St Margaret Mary Secondary school. I have 6 siblings made up of 4 boys and 2 girls and I am the 4th born.

Museke: How did you get into music?
Samini: I got into music through personal inspiration and inspiration from other people. I also had advice from close observers that I grew up with. Before I got into secondary school, I knew he had the talent. After school, I started actively.
I had been doing stage performance in secondary school and even before that, especially after junior secondary school. I sang songs from Steel Pulse, Bob Marley, Beenie man, Buju Banton, etc.

Part 2 of the interview with Becca
Check out Part 1 here

Museke: What challenges do you face in the Ghanaian music industry?
Becca: When you get into the industry, what you need to know is that many people are watching you. You should be very vigilant, because you are considered a role model. The positive side is you get inspiration, people praise u, they like the work you do, you r encouraged, and you get the opportunities to do things
Because people are watching you, it gets really hard for you to do things that you wanna do. You should be careful. People will be talking about various things and spreadin rumours. It comes like that. The negative things and downfalls, they encourage me to work harder. There are always gonna be haters, they are like critics, they inspire you to work harder. I take criticism in a positive way.
You must find the right people and you’ll be okay.
For piracy, selling CDs is a bit hard. It is left for singers to come together and educate ourselves. We need to know how to deal with these things.

This interview was done on March 11, 2008 at the house of Kwame Yeboah, a producer. It was set up by Kiki Banson of EKB Records.

Museke: Can you tell us about your background, family and education?
Becca: I was born on 15th August 1984 in Kumasi (Oseikrom). I am the 5th born in a family of 9 children.
I attended Golden age nursery, and then Morning star school in Accra till the end of Junior Secondary School. I then went to Alywin high in London. I came back to Ghana to join Wesley Girls High School and was among the graduating class of 2003. I proceeded to Croydon college, and came back to Ghana in 2006. I studied child care education.

Museke: How did you get into music and what was your first break?
Becca: I’ve always been singing. I did talent shows in schools, and sang in the church choir.
As for my big break, I met my producer, Kiki Banson of EKB records at a show. The show was being hosted by Reggie, I had gone there and I was talking to him (I am a friend of Reggie’s). Kiki met me and invited me to come and try singing in the studio. The first couple of days I didn’t go but went there on the 3rd day. That day we recorded ‘U lied to me’.