Arts + Culture
A law student, a young beatmaker and a record that set the standard for hiplife: Obrafour’s Pae Mu Ka
Pae Mu Ka, the debut album by Ghanaian rapper Obrafour, was released in November 1999, produced by Hammer…
Afro Yard
Afro Yard Entertainment is a vibrant and dynamic entertainment company that focuses on sharing captivating stories and promoting exceptional talent across all African countries. Our mission is to celebrate the rich cultural heritage and diversity of Africa through various media platforms, including music, movies, arts, and content creation.
Arts + Culture
Ebo Taylor made his first international album at 74 and died at 90: the Saltpond guitarist who bridged highlife and Afrobeat
Ebo Taylor, the Ghanaian guitarist, composer and arranger who blended highlife with Afrobeat, was born on 6 January…
Arts + Culture
Dead at 32 on the road to a show: Cardinal Rex Lawson, “Sawale” and the highlife of the 1960s
Cardinal Rex Jim Lawson, born in Buguma in present-day Rivers State on 4 March 1938, was one of…
Arts + Culture
A groaner, three singers and a band that invented a style: Mahlathini and the Mahotella Queens
Mahlathini and the Mahotella Queens were brought together in Johannesburg in 1964 by producer Rupert Bopape at Gallo.…
Arts + Culture
They called him the evil genius of highlife: Victor Olaiya, the trumpeter who gave Fela a job
Victor Abimbola Olaiya, the Nigerian trumpeter known as the evil genius of highlife, was born on 31 December…
Arts + Culture
South Africa banned “Fire in Soweto”. The townships played it anyway: Sonny Okosuns and the songs against apartheid
In 1977, Nigerian musician Sonny Okosuns released "Fire in Soweto" and "Papa's Land", attacks on apartheid South Africa.…
Arts + Culture
Ghana’s Golden Voice of Africa got a second career at Glastonbury: Pat Thomas and the Kwashibu Area Band
Pat Thomas, known as the Golden Voice of Africa, became a highlife star in Ghana in the 1970s…
Arts + Culture
Was the first rap record made in Ghana in 1973? Gyedu-Blay Ambolley and “Simigwa-Do”
Gyedu-Blay Ambolley recorded "Simigwa-Do" with Ghana's Uhuru Dance Band in 1973, delivering fast, spoken Fante lyrics over highlife…
Arts + Culture
Lagbaja means “somebody” in Yoruba. Why Bisade Ologunde hid his face to make Afrobeat
Lagbaja, the masked Nigerian musician born Bisade Ologunde in Lagos in 1960, performs with his face covered to…
Arts + Culture
One album changed juju music in 1989: Sir Shina Peters, Ace and the Afro-juju craze
Sir Shina Peters and his International Stars released Ace (Afro-Juju Series 1) in 1989 on CBS Records Nigeria.…