With 27 albums under his belt, Daddy Lumba’s albums have yielded more number 1 and top ten hits than any other Ghanaian Musician in our time. Coining so many phrases with his lyrics, Lumba has been responsible for some of the lingo used in everyday language. Going to a social function without hearing at least one of his songs is unheard of.
Born Charles Kojo Fosu on the 29th of September 1964, Daddy Lumba started his music career as one of the duo in the group, Lumba Brothers, when he collaborated with his partner, Nana Acheampong, and they released their first album entitled “Yereye Aka Akwantuo Mu”. This song depicted the number of Ghanaian immigrants that originally the country to seek better fortunes abroad. But make those temporary homes permanent due to financial, emotional or other unforeseen hardships. The album was produced by Lumba’s wife.
After Lumba Brothers, Lumba’s first solo album became an instant hit, catapulting him straight into superstar status and making him a household name and a national treasure. Since then, he has averaged an album a year and has collaborated with other top musicians such as A. B Crentsil, Felix Owusu, Yaw Micah, Borax and Pat Thomas. Very recently, Lumba has even featured with some of the young artistes such as Sarkodie, Bradez, Okyeame Kwame, Samini and a host of others.
On his first solo album, the song “Theresa” quickly became a hit as he crooned about a lover and how no other woman is comparable. His delivery was unique, his style was impeccable. His ability to coin and mince ordinary sounding words, turning them into indecipherable phrases put his voice vocal technique on a level unlike any other Ghanaian musician before him. His up-tempo beats were undeniably high heat.
His second album, “Sika Asem”, wasted no time in climbing up the charts thus squashing the ‘sophomore fever’, a situation whereby most musicians’ second album fail to meet the standards or exceed the first ones. The album established him as a gifted musician who would be around for a long time.
Year after year, he released one hit album after another including, “Ohia Asem”, “Playboy”, “Seese wo se”, “Odo Foforo”, “Biribi gye gye wo”, and “Back for Good”. Then just like so many pop musicians behind him had done, he found a new life in gospel music and released “Mesom Jesus”, and “Hwan na Otene”. Praising and singing about Jesus had become a passion and he reached out to and garnered the many new fans who had previously not listened to his secular music.
After taking some time off the pop scene, Lumba reverted to the secular genre and released “Aben wo ha”, an album that took the country by storm. His finesse with wors=ds was up to the summit, his beat had become even more vibrant and the consistencyof his tempo had precise and recognizable overtones of his familiar and unique style. The master had coined yet another phrase for the country, “Aben wo aha,” was so popular and controversial (profane) that after it won the best song of the year at the Ghana Music Awards, every other song that was deemed profane was disqualified from running for awards.
After having collaborated previously with other stars, Lumba in 1999, paired up with a risig star, Ofori Amponsah to release “Woho kyere”. That album produced five hits and thrust Amponsah iinto the national spotlight. Reenergized, Lumba followed up with “Adepa Hye Adepa”, “poison”, “Papa Somo”, “Ofie Banbofo”, “Asee Ho”, “Odo bewu Dee Eno Wu”, and collaborating with Pat Thomas for “Ahenfo Kyinie” single and then “Give Peace a Chance”.
His solo career has been nothing short of controversy; one moment he would release a gospel album and in the next, he would shock people with his provocative lyrics and music videos. He owns his own studio where he does all his work and also owns his own machines that do mastering, cassette duplication, loading, printing and shrink wrapping exclusively for his works. His music has evolved over the years to reflect the changes in his taste and demands for music; he can currently be described as a contemporary highlife artist. Daddy Lumba Ghana Music Awards as well as other excellence awards and continues to appeal to the young and old.
Lumba proved that he is still a force to reckon with when he scored several nominations in the 2008 Ghana Music Awards with his album, “Tokurum”.
He is set to release his 28th album by the end of this year.
Congratulations, Daddy Lumba, you are truly a legend.
Biography compiled by Imajin Advertising.
