spacely

$pacely’s love for music was undeniable when loaded his PSP with tons of music instead of using it to play games, but meeting his fellow brothers to float “La Meme Gang” stepped up things for him.

The Ghanaian rapper and singer whose real name is Elorm Kabu Amenyah who grew up in Geneva, Switzerland was exposed to many cultures and absorbed a diverse palate of international music. His love for music, fashion, and art manifested upon relocating back to Ghana in 2012.

$pacely’s ‘La Même Gang’, meaning the same gang, reflects the energy, camaraderie, and alternative vision the boys shared for shaping the future of the Ghanaian music scene.

In this interview, the “Afroballers” crooner speaks about his flexible creativity, switching flow from English to French to Twi effortlessly, and his skill in Trap, Afropop, and recent projects.

You are a member of La Meme Gang, how does the group influence your solo career?

This was a collective that was put together via a common foundation, we have the same interests, the name says it all, “the same gang”, coming together did good for everyone, we learned from each other, built our craft, and experimented new stuff together, we feed off each other and moving forward, it has been very progressive for my solo career too.

Do you prefer doing solo or there’s a future for groups in African music?

After our come up, and the history of groups in Ghana, the likes of Praye, 4×4, R2BEES, I’m very confident in the emergence of groups in the industry, we will go places as a group.

Tell us about your debut EP Fine$$e or Be Fine$$ed released in 2019

FOBF is a vast part of my craft, from the jargon to the dollar sign, that’s $pacely as a whole, I just wanted to create a body of work that will cement my trademark as one of the most diverse trap acts in the game, and that’s all that it is, an introduction into Spacely’s world.

Watch the visuals for “Yawa” via YouTube. Stream “Fine$$e or Be Fine$$ed” at all DSPs: https://africori.to/spacely_fobf.oyd.

You secured four nominations at the 2019 Vodafone Ghana Music Awards for the EP, how did you feel when you found out?

I felt like it was the beginning of something good, though we didn’t win, it was still a good accomplishment, a group of boys playing around with experimental sounds and living freely, it was a good feeling, it reminds you that there are people out there really listening to your craft, it boosts your motivation.

You have collaborated with Kwesi Arthur, Joey B, RJZ, Pappy Kojo, and Kiddblack, how was your experience?

It was a heavenly experience if you ask me, like I said, the whole process is not just about making music, it’s also about learning, when you’re in the booth with these acts, you’re bound to excel, they push you to top!

Joey B is a legend, having the chance to work with him is a goal, I learned a lot from him, especially during the Daryl EP sessions.

When did you take up music?

I’ve always been a music head, while growing up, I had a PSP for video games, instead of playing games, I loaded it with tons of music, I always knew it’ll lead to this path, but meeting my fellow brothers stepped up things for me.

Tell us about the challenges, was there a time you wanted to quit?

Well, with the type of music we were making, the challenges were a lot, in an era where Afrobeats was hitting higher heights, songs like “Godzilla” weren’t bound to make it, but that’s the beauty of music, if it’s good, it’ll get the recognition it deserves, it took time, but still made it, all we had to do was stay true to our craft and look where it landed us.

You moved to Ghana in 2012, where did you grow and how did your growing up influence your music?

I grew up in Accra, even before my move to Ghana, I had harnessed inspiration from my family, the drive to school by my dad was filled with listening sessions in the car, I had a peak interest in music, I drowned myself in all sorts of genres, thanks to the diversity of my family’s listening range, I think that set things up for me.

There’s a synergy between Nigerian and Ghanaian artists, who are those Nigerian artists you’re planning to work with?

Yes, there is, the Chemistry between us and Nigerians is an excellent one, it goes beyond music, we are neighbors, if you deep it, I’ve had the chance to work with Prettyboy, Odunsi, and Telz. I’d like to work with a lot more of them, it’s a vast list, and Nigeria is stacked with talent.

What project do you want to embark on now?

My debut album! Now that La Meme’s tape 3 is ready, it’s only right I channel my energy into the next body of work, I’m halfway done, but it’ll be ready soon.

What do you think the future holds for the Afrobeats in the Western world?

We’ve seen how essence catapulted into the western world, we are in an era where the bridge between us and the western world is not far, we have been able to make it into their space and it’s only gonna get better, We have top acts touring all over the world and shutting down the 02, songs making it to Netflix movies, the future is bright for us.

If you’re not doing music, what will you be doing?

I think I’d still be in the creative industry, way music I’ve had a thing for fashion so I’m pretty sure I’d be in that space if I wasn’t making music, I mean even with music, I have a successful fashion pop up, so that sums it all up.

What project do you want to embark on now?

I’ve been working on my album for like a year now, I’m like 80% done and it’s actually a totally different sound from what my fans are used to, like a more mature me.