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Guru (Ghanaian rapper)

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Guru Nkz
Nana Yaw Yeboah Adjei
Birth nameMaradona Yeboah Adjei
Also known asGuru, Gurunkz
Born (1987-05-07) May 7, 1987 (age 37)
Accra, Ghana
Genres
Occupations
Years active2009–present
Labels
  • NKZ Music
Websitegurunkz.com

Maradona Yeboah Adjei (born May 7, 1987),[1] also known by his stage names Guru and Gurunkz, is a Ghanaian rapper[2] and fashion designer.[1][3] Guru NKZ is a hiplife artist in Ghana. He is known for his contemporary hip-hop rap style that combines English and Ghanaian indigenous languages.[4] Guru's breakthrough was in 2011, when his hit song "Lapaz Toyota" appeared on the Ghanaian music charts.[1] Guru is considered a contemporary hip-hop artist, as his songs use styles not common on the Ghanaian music charts, mixing hip-hop, Afrobeats, highlife, and dancehall sounds.[5]

Early life and education

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Guru was born on May 7, 1987 in Accra, and grew up in the small town of Nkoranza, in the Brong/Ahafo Region of Ghana.[1] As an adolescent he attended the Reverend John Teye Memorial Institute and studied at a secondary school in Apam.[1] He continued his education at NIIT and IPMC, studying architecture and computer networking.[1] Afterwards, he attended Zenith College in Accra to study marketing.[1]

Guru did not pursue music as a career until he found himself performing at large events while in school, like Miss SSS, a national contest in Ghana.[1] He also made appearances on national radio programs.[1] Guru was the first artist to win the WAPPI Talent Discovery Program in 2008, a national contest seeking underground music artists.[1]

On 18 September 2024, Guru won the Students’ Representative Council (SRC) presidential election at the University of Ghana.[6][7]

Music career

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Guru recorded his first mixtape video with Ghanaian music artist Sarkodie in late 2009.[1] His first major feature, was on Obrafour's song "Kasiebo",[8] where he was named best featured artist by the 4Syte TV Music Video Awards. He came out with his first studio album, Platform, which also featured Sarkodie.[1] Platform received six Vodafone Ghana Music Award nominations.[1]

In 2011, he released the single "Lapaz Toyota". Influenced by the Azonto style sounds, the song became a hit.[1][9] It was referenced by politicians during campaigns and played at the Big Brother Africa finals.[1] The video for the song was awarded the best male act by the City People Entertainment Awards.[1] The same year, he also released the single "Karaoke".[1]

In 2013, Guru came out with six singles: "Amen", "Azonoto Boys", "Abena", "Nkwada Nkwada" and "Alkayida (Boys Abre)".[1] "Alkayida (Boys Abre)" came under fire from the government when some officials claimed it "promoted terrorism" because of the similarity of the song's title to terrorist organization Al-Qaeda. Guru refuted the ban, claiming it was a song meant to encourage hard work, not violence, saying, "Ghana is a peaceful country, so why would I do a song to promote violence? I thought carefully about the song before coming out with it."[10]

In 2015, Guru collaborated with Sarkodie on the song "Baggy Jeans".[11] At the 2015 Ghana Music Awards, he received a nomination for hip-hop artist of the year and best hip-hop song of the year for "Pooley Swag".[12][13] He was described by hip-hop artist Jidenna, as one of the greatest hip-hop artists in Africa, along with WizKid, Don Jazzy, and Akon.[13] In spite of several nominations for music awards, including four major categories in the 2015 4Syte Music Video Awards, Guru has yet to win any, causing some to wonder if there is some inner industry turmoil.[14][11]

In 2018, Guru released his album Journey of Judah, featuring Harrysong, Sarkodie, Lil Shaker, and Ofori Amponsah.[15]

Discography

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Songs Year
Who Born Dog 2021

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r "Guru Profile". Ghana Web.
  2. ^ "Guru". Profileability. 22 August 2016. Retrieved 2018-10-06.
  3. ^ "Lil Win Spotted in Ghanaian Rapper Guru's New Clothing Line in Pictures". FashionGhana. Archived from the original on 2 December 2021. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  4. ^ "The Inspiration & Hope Hip Life Rapper Guru's Background And Music Give To The Village Folks & The Hundreds Of Underground Rapper". Ghana Celebrities. 6 September 2012.
  5. ^ "The Hero of Our Time: Guru Redefining Hiplife Music. | Livegh.com". Archived from the original on 2016-08-16. Retrieved 2016-07-03.
  6. ^ "Guru wins University of Ghana SRC election - MyJoyOnline". www.myjoyonline.com. 2024-09-18. Retrieved 2024-09-18.
  7. ^ Owusu-Amoah, Gifty (18 September 2024). "Guru wins University of Ghana SRC Presidential election". Graphic Online. Retrieved 18 September 2024.
  8. ^ "Obrafour – Kasiebo ft. Guru". GhanaMotion. Retrieved 2019-02-02.
  9. ^ "Top 10 Popular Ghanaian Music Artistes". BuzzGhana. 25 October 2013.
  10. ^ "Akayida is Not About Terrorism - Guru". Peace Fm Online.
  11. ^ a b "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2023-05-22. Retrieved 2023-05-22.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  12. ^ "10 Ghanaian Afrobeats Artists You Need To Know". Thefader. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  13. ^ a b "Guru is the best hip hop artiste in Ghana - Jidenna Mobisson". Ghana Web. 22 April 2016.
  14. ^ [1] [dead link‍]
  15. ^ Mawuli, David. "Guru's "Journey of Judah" album is finally here". Pulse Ghana. Retrieved 2018-10-06.
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