Ghana mourns death of rapper OJ Blaq

Multiple local media sources said the actor-turned-musician, born Andy Nii Akrashie, died in the early hours of 17 August.

The cause of his death has not been confirmed. However, in a 2016 interview he discussed that he had battled a kidney-related illness, saying he overcame kidney failure, which he attributed to smoking and drinking.

OJ Blaq rose to mainstream popularity in 2003 after starring in a local TV series. Three years later, he released his debut solo collection The Blaq Mixtape on Lynx Entertainment. He is also known for popular tracks ‘Chale Wote’, ‘Me Wo Mma’ and ‘Target’.

More recently, he switched to gospel and released his Show Dem full-length album in August last year.

“It’s not easy moving from one path to the other,” he told Accra-based Asaase Radio in February 2022. “Now I do Christian urban gospel music. My switch to Christian urban music was from my experience with kidney failure, so I decided to do gospel music with the same old rhythm style but different wording.”

News of the rapper’s death has been met with an outpouring of grief from the Ghanaian music fraternity.

“R.I.P. to the first musician to ever walk into the Lynx Studio to record his music,” the Richie Mensah-led record label, which is home to Afropop stars KiDi and Kuami Eugene, said in a statement. “You will always be remembered for your kind heart and ability to put a smile on so many faces. Condolences and best wishes to your family.”

In March last year, Ghanaian music producer and sound engineer Eyoh Soundboy passed away after a two-year battle with kidney disease.