Have our music industry in Ghana and our musicians made the best use of Disc Jockeys all around the world? Does our music industry recognize that harnessing the collective power of Ghanaian DJs around the world does three things; sell our music, sell tickets, attract the world to our culture and music?
These are the questions Kweku Amoako, a top DJ in Bowie, Maryland stewed on as he began the journey to bring together Ghanaian DJs from all over the world to form the biggest music platform for Ghanaian music in the world.
DJ Kweks is the name Kweku Amoako goes by. Bringing like-minded Africans around a single concept is not new to DJ Kweks. He started AfropolitanCities, a successful African networking organization which spread all over the United States. Under Kweku’s leadership and guidance, the Blackstar DJs Worldwide was born in July this year with membership of over 250 Ghanaian DJs all over the world.
It is easy to argue that Ghanaian music has come far but not far enough to make an impact globally. We should ask ourselves, have Ghanaian music made it to the soundtracks of major Hollywood productions?
Have Ghanaian music and musicians regularly made the playlist outside Ghanaian events around the world? Making Ghanaian music a household name around the world is not out of reach and Blackstar DJs around the world are committed to making that happen.
Blackstar DJs are extremely important to the Ghana music industry given that, they directly play music to the consumers and interact with audiences on a more regular basis than the musicians.
Last year, I was hired as a DJ for a non-Ghanaian fundraising event in San Francisco. I snuck in Wutah’s track “Bronya” to see how the crowd reacts. A minute into the song, several people came up to ask about the track, the musician and the genre.
They wanted to know how to get the track and some started conversations with me about Ghana, our music and culture. Thinking back to that moment, DJ Kweks vision became clearer.
As Disc Jockeys, we clearly understand the music taste of our given audience around the world as a result of our direct and regular interactions with consumers.
With this influence, Blackstar DJs want to do our part and bring Ghanaian music and culture to the world by partnering with musicians and others in the industry to introduce new Ghanaian music and reach new audiences.
You may have already heard some of the buzz about this massive initiative on social media. Popular Ghanaian DJs such as DJ Black and Sarkodie’s resident disk jockey, DJ Mensah are two of the many exciting members in the Blackstar DJ Worldwide network. DJ Mensah (Ghana), DJ Fisho (USA), DJ Black (Ghana) and DJ E’Love (USA) serve as advisor members on the leadership team.
The official launch of the Blackstar DJ Worldwide initiative is August 15th.
Promo video for Blackstar DJs Worldwide Live Concert – Aug 15th; Video produced by www.clickshotpictures.com
The music platform will offer a number of exciting features including live dj sets, music charts, playlists, talk series addressing issues with industry, browse and book top Ghanaian DJs around the world. Any artist can reach global audience through the Blackstar DJ Worldwide platform.
Blackstar DJs Worldwide leadership team is made up of highly educated professional Ghanaians from all across the globe. Together, they form a powerful group of executives with a strategic aim to promote Ghanaian music around the world through partnership with the music industry stakeholders and musicians.
Allow me to introduce you to the leadership team of the Blackstar DJs Worldwide network.
Kweku Amoah (DJ Kweks) – Founder of Black Star DJs Worldwide – Bowie, Maryland
Kweku’s DJ name is DJ Kweks. Kweku is located in Bowie, Maryland, USA. Kweku is a Business, Marketing & Technology Strategist and the founder of AfropolitanCities & DrumPulse Entertainment.
Kweku has been a professional DJ for 10 years and he services the Maryland, Washington and Virginia area. He holds a degree in Electrical Engineering from Howard University in DC, USA and an MBA from Georgetown University.
Selassie Ahorlu (EmperorVibes) – Los Angeles, California
Selassie is an event promoter in Los Angeles, California. He is the founder of EmperorVibes & Calabash Mafia (event curating and community building organizations). He is also an AfropolitanCities Partner and operates mainly in the Southern California area. Professionally, Selassie works as a Control Systems Engineer in the Oil & Gas industry.
Selassie has a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Southern California. He holds an MBA from Aberdeen Business School (RGU). Selassie’s passion is networking, music and exposing the diaspora to Pan African culture, starting with my homeland Ghana.
Eddy kofi ( DJ Eddy K) – London, UK
Eddy Grant is a well-known and popular DJ in London, UK. Eddy is a Teacher in the UK and he shows the same passion and dedication to this profession as he does with Djing.
Eddy got into the DJ business because he has a passion and love for music. He started collecting music at an early age and naturally went into dj’ing when the time came.
Daniel Kwaja( DJ Kudjo/Phat) – London, UK
Daniel Kwaja aka DJ Kudjo/Phat) is a household name in London/Kent, UK. DJ Kudjo is one of the catalyst of exciting and popular music events in Ghana back in the 80’s and 90’s.
Daniel is a Lecturer in the UK by profession. Education wise, Daniel holds a CIM Post Graduate Diploma in Marketing (IPS, Legon Ghana), a BA Business Admin( University of Greenwich, London UK) and a PGCE(UCL IoE, London UK)
A passion for music got DJ Kudjo/Phat started in the DJ business. He cares about excellent sound and has a strong interest in DJ’ing equipments. Daniel was the founder Phat Record/Sounds in Ghana in the late 90s and he continues to be very successful in the Dj’ing and music equipment space.
Kwadjo Nyame (DJ PC) – San Francisco, California
Peter Nyame aka DJ PC is a San Francisco based DJ. Peter works as an HR Director in the Tech Industry in Silicon Valley, California. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Management from Rutgers University in New Jersey, a Master’s degree in HR Leadership From Franklin University in Ohio and another Master’s Degree in Science in Organizational Leadership from Northern Kentucky University.
Peter has been fine-tuning his DJ skills with a unique repertoire of mixes, music elements and playlists since his college days. and he went professional with an entertainment and a successful DJ business about eight years ago.
DJ PC’s love for all genres of music started at a very early age and he never quit his curiosity and big appetite for music, new and old. He got into the DJ game because he believes every party has to be memorable and DJs hold the key to making that happen.
Albert Asiedu-Ofei (Mixmasterberto) – Ashburn, VA USA
Albert Asiedu-Ofei aka Mixmasterberto is a popular DJ in Virginia, USA. He is Devops Engineer and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Information Systems.
Mixmasterberto is also an AWS certified Developer, Certified Scrum Master, Red Hat certified engineer(RHCE) and Microsoft Azure Administrator. He threw his hat in the DJ game because the clubs were bumping in the 90s.
Joseph Arthur (DJ Big Joe) – London, UK
Joseph Arthur, popularly known as DJ Big Joe is a Presenter, Producer & Programs Manager at GN Radio in the UK. He is also a Professional DJ at concerts, clubs, bars and major events. Professionally, DJ Big Joe is a Qualified Sound Engineer and the founder & partner of 2NDIINONE Entertainment, an events, artists management, promotions & consultancy. His consultancy business also handles Pro sound systems, equipments rentals & logistics.
Joseph holds a Diploma in Sound Engineering, Digital Film Production & Music Business) from the SAE Institute London School of audio engineering.
He also holds a Diploma in business & economics studies from Unity College London. Like most of the executives. Dj Big Joe loves music and has a desire for expressing himself and creativity through music to the world. He also loves the financial & economic benefits of being a DJ and Consultant.
Michael Kwame Asante (DJ Kwasante) – London, UK
Michael Kwame Asante goes by DJ Kwasante and is located in London. DJ Kwasante is a Professional Sound Engineer/Sound Analyst, Criminal Investigator and Security Consultant. Kwasante is the CEO of Next Level Sounds UK and co-founder of Next Level enterprise group.
He is also a Radio Broadcaster and has 20 Years of professional Dj’ing to boast of. He holds a B.A (HONS) in Business & Administration. His love for music and creative arts made him decide to become a DJ and he has not regretted this decision.
DJ Mensah (The Untouchable) – Accra Ghana
DJ Mensah is one of the best and talented DJs in Ghana today. He refers to himself as untouchable because his skill set is unique and top musicians in Ghana rely on him to provide top quality sounds every time he is called upon.
DJ Mensah has been a professional DJ since 2000 and he continues to find success in the music and entertainment industry. He lists GIJ and RABODEF as his certifications. He holds a Diploma from Accra Poly and a Degree from Central University. DJ Mensah’s passion and love for music drove him to become a DJ.
Jonathan Djan (Selector Decker) – Manassas, VA
Jonathan Djan is a fun-loving and experienced DJ serving audiences in the Manassas Virginia area. Selector Decker is his DJ name of choice. Jonathan is a Management Consulting /Product Manager and he has a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Ghana.
He also holds an MBA from the College of William & Mary in the United States. His certifications include PMP, SASM, CSM, and AWS. Like most DJs, his love for music is the driving force behind Selector Decker’s place behind a Controller rocking a party.
In conclusion, every stakeholder in the Ghanaian music industry must embrace the Blackstar DJ Worldwide group. Blackstar DJs will always have their ear to the streets and they will be the first to know which new artists have a buzz, what songs are fully embraced by the consumers worldwide and which songs fails to garner a positive audience reaction.
Blackstar DJs can provide reliable and valuable feedback to musicians and the Ghanaian music industry while promoting our culture and we cannot wait to play our part in the industry.
Ghana Stand Up!!
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