Hiplife artiste, Okyeame Kwame, shared that his father initially hesitated about his music career, fearing he might turn to drugs and a carefree lifestyle.
Speaking with Kwame Dadzie on Joy FM’s Showbiz A-Z, Okyeame Kwame explained,”My father was afraid I’d become a musician, because he was afraid I’d become a drug user and a drug addict.”
“We fought from when I was 14 up until when I was 21 when he said: ‘Okay, go ahead and become a musician’,”Okyeame Kwame.
Elaborating further, he stated that when he turned 20, his father realized there was no convincing him to abandon his music dreams. This led to negotiations, and his father made two requests: to stay away from drugs and earn his first degree.
Most fathers who object to their children “going into the arts” do so because of this very fear,” shared the Rap Doctor.
Highlighting the reality of parental concerns, Okyeame Kwame, also known as OK, recounted instances when industry seniors and media personalities advised young artists to “drink this, smoke this, take this pill” to cope with stage nerves.
He acknowledged, Stage fright is “natural,” but strongly disapproved of using hard drugs to manage it. The drugs will “lower your inhibitions, and once your inhibitions are lowered, you’re able to express yourself which is true,” he conceded, but raised a worried question, “What happens after that expression?”
Reflecting on persistent advice, he revealed, “I kept hearing my father’s voice everywhere I went. Going to play a show in Europe, immediately you land, the first two people that will come to your hotel, they’ll bring weed and ask you where they should take you for the girls [and such].”he disclosed.
The multi-talented artist cautioned against handlers promoting misguided ideas, saying, “give these young [musicians] wild ideas, telling them if they’re going to be successful, they’d need to – they’ll mention some names of some artistes who also used drugs and became success.
“once you start , they’ll be buying it for you for free. Once you become addicted, you’d buy it yourself and buy some for them.”
