| Biography: BLAKK
RASTA. -His
Background -His
Education -His Music
Blakk Rasta was born on the Monday of 2nd September 1974
in Tamale in the Northern part of Ghana, West Africa. He was
born to devout Ahmadi-Moslem parents.
As a growing youth in the slums of Moshie-Zongo and Aboabo,
Blakk Rasta (born ABUBAKAR AHMED), underwent a lot of injustice,
favouritism and other social ills.
Education was number one on Blakk Rasta’s mind since
his parents were both educationists. He grew up as a learned
ghetto youth who was a real role model for other youths in
the slums. He topped his class several times. Everyone in
the slum saw Blakk Rasta as an extraordinary chap with over-endowed
academic talent.
Music was the last thing to Blakk Rasta though he enjoyed
listening to very popular slow music. The ghetto chap wrote
several plays, directed and acted some of them. He writes
novels too and won several writing competitions.
In 1990, Osman Habib Dollar, a ghetto youth told Blakk Rasta
about a Nigerian Reggae superstar-Ras Kimono. Blakk Rasta
was immediately captured by the lyrical presentation of the
singer. He particularly wondered why people should fight black
people and Rasta. All this was mentioned in the Ras Kimono
music. Blakk Rasta wept over some of the lyrics and started
asking about Rastafari and Black people. This research opened
Blakk Rasta to several mind-blowing experiences, which led
him to embrace Rasta, though still a Moslem.
Blakk Rasta met Ras Kimono in 1993, watched the artiste perform
live and, for the extreme love for the artiste, Blakk Rasta
formed a conscious youth club called ‘The Ras Theatre
Group’ in Tamale, which acted plays, made movies and
performed Ras Kimono’s music.
That was when Blakk Rasta started trying to write his own
lyrics. The first one he wrote was ‘Keep on Rockin’
/ I & I Rastas.
His first album, “Rasta shrine” came out in April
2000. It was a smash hit with singles like ‘Afreeka
swit’, and “Keep on Rockin’ / I & I
Rastas”
In 2003 July, ‘More Fyah’ was released and the
single ‘ Congo Bongo’ was voted as the best reggae
song of the year 2003 by the Ghana music award.
In February 2004, Blakk Rasta visited England where he teamed
up with accomplished artistes to produce the hit single ‘
Kunta Kinte’ to be released in February 2005 on the
‘Ganja Minister’ album (Blakk Rasta’s third
album). Ras coz, Moffart, Sista B, Sista Lahnah, Suniel and
dancehall great, Macka B all featured on this album.
Blakk Rasta is currently Ghana’s number one Reggae
star. His greatest assets are his humility, consciousness
and fearlessness.
Beside music, writing and travelling, Blakk Rasta is a reggae
DJ. on Hitz 103.7 FM, Accra, and judged as the best Reggae
DJ in Ghana.
He is a vegetarian – no meat, fish, eggs, white sugar,
flour, salt and anything animal. |