VIP (hip hop crew)
Encyclopedia
VIP is a Ghanaian Hiplife
group. Made up of Promzy (Emmanuel Promzy Ababio), Prodigal (Joseph Nana Ofori), and Lazzy (Abdul Hamid Ibrahim) from a ghetto suburb in Accra, Ghana called Nima. The founder of this group is actually Friction (Musah Haruna) who made this group with a friend of his who later had to leave the group for the U.S. to finish his education. So Friction asked four people (Promzy, Lazzy, Prodigal, Bone-later left the group) he knew and before they knew it, the five of them were performing at ghetto parties, clubs, street festivals etc. Friction's dog, Chicago, was also an official member of the group. You could hear the dog growling at the end of their tracks from the late 90s, Chicago, after sometime died. In 1997, VIP presented at a street carnival. It was then that a television-presenter, DJ Black Koffi and a radio-presenter called Michael Smith discovered the group. Black Koffi became their manager, and Michael Smith gave them a contract by the name, Precise Music. In 1998, they released their first album, Bibi Baa O, they were famous all over Accra. They became the most popular Hiplife group in Ghana. In 2000, they released their second album, Ye De Aba, which was more successful than their first album. After the second album, Friction felt that it was his time to work as an individual artist and quit the group. The group now left with three members (Promzy, Prodigal and Lazzy) released a third album in 2001 called Lumbe Lumbe Lumbe with the smashing hit Daben na Odo Beba. However the hip life group conquered the Ghana music charts with their 2003 album Ahomka Womu; their single also named Ahomka Womu was number one on the Ghanaian charts for over 20 weeks. VIP won 5 awards at the Ghana Music Awards from the hit single and the group gained international exposure after this success. Since then, the group has been touring world wide and is now among the most famous artists in Ghana.
, Mzbel, Rab Bakari, Faze of Nigeria and other artists from Africa and the Caribbean. And to celebrate the release of HomeGrown, BDNP (Boogie Down Nima Productions) is set to travel a worldwide release tour of the film in several countries including Brazil, England, India, South Africa, Nigeria, Canada, Italy, Norway, Jamaica, and the United States of America.
Hiplife
Hiplife is a Ghanaian musical style which fuses highlife and hip hop. It is also influenced by dancehall and reggae. Recorded in Ghanaian languages such as Twi, Ewe and Ga, hiplife is rapidly gaining popularity throughout West Africa and abroad, especially in the United Kingdom, United States,...
group. Made up of Promzy (Emmanuel Promzy Ababio), Prodigal (Joseph Nana Ofori), and Lazzy (Abdul Hamid Ibrahim) from a ghetto suburb in Accra, Ghana called Nima. The founder of this group is actually Friction (Musah Haruna) who made this group with a friend of his who later had to leave the group for the U.S. to finish his education. So Friction asked four people (Promzy, Lazzy, Prodigal, Bone-later left the group) he knew and before they knew it, the five of them were performing at ghetto parties, clubs, street festivals etc. Friction's dog, Chicago, was also an official member of the group. You could hear the dog growling at the end of their tracks from the late 90s, Chicago, after sometime died. In 1997, VIP presented at a street carnival. It was then that a television-presenter, DJ Black Koffi and a radio-presenter called Michael Smith discovered the group. Black Koffi became their manager, and Michael Smith gave them a contract by the name, Precise Music. In 1998, they released their first album, Bibi Baa O, they were famous all over Accra. They became the most popular Hiplife group in Ghana. In 2000, they released their second album, Ye De Aba, which was more successful than their first album. After the second album, Friction felt that it was his time to work as an individual artist and quit the group. The group now left with three members (Promzy, Prodigal and Lazzy) released a third album in 2001 called Lumbe Lumbe Lumbe with the smashing hit Daben na Odo Beba. However the hip life group conquered the Ghana music charts with their 2003 album Ahomka Womu; their single also named Ahomka Womu was number one on the Ghanaian charts for over 20 weeks. VIP won 5 awards at the Ghana Music Awards from the hit single and the group gained international exposure after this success. Since then, the group has been touring world wide and is now among the most famous artists in Ghana.
Documentary
VIP have just finished launching their 110-minute documentary, HomeGrown:Hiplife in Ghana; produced and directed by American independent filmmaker Eli Jacobs-Fantauzzi. Some artists present at the launching are Reggie Rockstone, Hashim, Tinny, Sidney, Tic TacTic Tac (musician)
Nana Kwaku Okyere Duah aka Tic Tac is an award-winning hiplife musician originally from Kwamo, a suburb in the Ashanti Region in Ghana.-Career:...
, Mzbel, Rab Bakari, Faze of Nigeria and other artists from Africa and the Caribbean. And to celebrate the release of HomeGrown, BDNP (Boogie Down Nima Productions) is set to travel a worldwide release tour of the film in several countries including Brazil, England, India, South Africa, Nigeria, Canada, Italy, Norway, Jamaica, and the United States of America.