The Ghanaian creative takes us into his world during a quick but insightful chat.
Emmanuel Amponsah Nyamekye also known as Imani N.A.D is a young creative in Ghana with lots of love for various arts, especially music. Imani describes himself as someone who likes to ask a lot of questions, learn about things that he is passionate about and stay committed to whatever goals he sets for himself. He enjoys the process of creating and loves working alongside various talented people. As a firm believer in religion, he is all about the power of positivity and spreading love. He does this through his music.
The name Imani N.A.D. is a shortened version of Emmanuel, his full name being Emmanuel Amponsah Nyamekye. In High School, he used to go by the name “Strap”. The N.A.D stands for New Age Dynasty. N.A.D is a society for creative minds who come together for a common goal which is to uplift other creatives. Also focusing on building bridges between each other and platforms on which they get to elevate one another. Some people of the society include Carlo who is a Videographer, Robbie King who is an Entertainment Industry Personality, El Row who is a Rapper and last but not least Ireana who is a Presenter / Industry Personality.
He began rapping back in primary school, back then he says it was just for the fun of it and trying to get popular in school. He did this straight to High School – Accra Academy. It was at the end of high school he made the choice to pursue his dream full time in 2013, since then he has never looked back. “The journey has not been easy but it has surely been worth it”, says Imani.
The foundation of his music began with rap as he discovered this was his hidden talent. As time went on he grew from being just a rapper to a complete artist with the help and mentorship of Ghanaian Producer, Liquidbeatz. Through the help of Liquidbeatz, he grew from being just a rapper to singing, writing and learning how to produce. This allowed him to be versatile with his sound. He is a huge advocate for artists having their own unique sounds so he makes sure that his sound is different and special. He does not like being boxed into different genres.
“I believe with my talent I can fit in anywhere, be it HIPLIFE, AFROBEATS, TRAP, ALTE, RNB, EDM, etc. These genres in particular are ones I like to play around with a lot and an example of that is in my mixtape Olivia in which I delivered a rather brief demonstration of what I can do with my versatility and talent” states Imani. Through his music, Imani addresses a lot of random topics, his inspiration or mind set at that particular time dictates his vibe. When he falls into his comfort zone which is rap music, he usually tackles issues happening in the society and mostly things that happen amongst his generation. For example, in VGMMAY freestyle in my 2k19 series he tackled specifically issues happening in the Ghana industry. On the contrary, in his HelloJune freestyle he preached a message of positivity and good vibes. His inspiration for music comes from his listening influences. For example, the likes of Sade, Jay Z, J.Cole, Drake, Burna Boy, Wizkid, Mr Eazi, Fela, Ebo Taylor, Osibisa, Ramblers, Kojo Antwi, E.L, etc. Not forgetting artists from his music family, Liquidbeatz, BiQo, Ansah Live, Tano Jackson, Xorse, Fameye, Suzz Blaqq, AmakyeTheRapper, Ankwa, Jo Humphrey, and Denzel Roberts. Some of his inspiration is also drawn from things that happen around him or experiences that he goes through. His favourite genres include HipLife/Hip-hop, RnB & Soul, Afrobeats, Jazz, Borga Hi Life, Dancehall Reggae and Alte. His Top 5 rappers in no particular order include Jay Z, J.Cole, Drake, Method Man and Rick Ross. He believes each artist represents a different vibe or energy, with different skills and techniques in delivering their message. He states that his dream collaboration would include Sade and Burna Boy and song with J.Cole to preach a message of love and consciousness. Lastly, a classic with Hov and Drake.
WHAT DOES YOUR DAY LOOK LIKE?
“A typical day for me starts at 5am. It starts with reading, a prayer and a quick workout, if I’m feeling up to it. Being at the studio every day is my default, I am a studio rat so unless there is something more important to connect about I am almost always there. I spend my days doing a lot of learning and a lot of creating. Every day I live and breathe is a chance to take in something new, it is also a chance to create a masterpiece, you never know.
WHERE DO YOU SEE YOURSELF AND YOUR MUSIC CAREER IN THE NEXT THREE YEARS?
“Although I prefer to live a day at a time like every ambitious person I have goals I want to reach. In the next three years I see myself establishing my music brand not only in Ghana but across Africa. Next thing is either running or establishing my own independent label, setting up a platform to help fellow talented artists or creatives.”
WHAT WOULD YOU TELL YOUR YOUNGER SELF?
“I would tell him to believe in himself more and have confidence in his ideas, I would let him know his limits go well above the sky and all he needs is to work hard and be consistent. Lastly, to never look down on himself or his capabilities.”
DID YOU KNOW?
- He is a sports fanatic. He has a favourite team in almost every famous sport. His top two sports games are Football and Basketball.
- Back in High School, he got the chance to try out for the Manchester City football academy, unfortunately, he did not make the cut.
- He is a huge admirer of modern art and photography; he has a VSCO page where he posts some of his work purely for fun. He is a huge fan of Ghanaian visual artist, Prince Gyasi.
- He grew up wanting to be part of the Military. He read a lot of books on the US Marines and wanted to be part of them.
- He loves poetry.
Connect with Imani N.A.D on social media:
Facebook: Imani N.A.D
Twitter: @Imani_NAD
IG: @imani_n.a.d
Snapchat: @imanigh
