Pappy Kojo

Inspired by the likes of Obrafour and Reggie Rockstone, Pappy Kojo takes on their mantel, adapting hiplife — a combination of hip-hop and Ghanian traditions — for the 21st century. He was born Jason Gaisie in 1989 in Takoradi, a large city in Ghana’s Western Region. While attending its Ridge International School he discovered music, listening to hiplife pioneers as well as western icons such as Eminem and Michael Jackson. In Takoradi, he organized his own rap shows, but by 2004 he had moved to Verona, Italy to live with his mother. His appetite for rap and Ghanian music continued while he was in Europe, where he began to upload online videos of himself performing cover versions of his favorite tracks. By 2013, he was regularly traveling back and forth between Italy and Ghana, and his focus on developing a career in music had significantly ramped up. In 2014, he guested as Pappy Kojo on Joey B’s “Wave.” Later that year, Joey B repaid the favor by guesting on the debut Pappy Kojo single, “Realer No,” which became a huge success in Ghana. Not only did it top local radio charts in southern areas of the country, but it was also named the Hip Hop Song of the Year at the Ghana Music Awards.
Although the following year was comparatively quiet for Pappy Kojo, he returned in 2016 and enjoyed another Ghanaian hit single with “Awo’a.” Further singles followed, including “Van Damme” with Akiti and December 2017′s “Abena,” released in collaboration with Mr Eazi and Bisa Kdei. His next hit arrived in June 2018, in the shape of “Ay3 Late,” which included a guest spot from the fellow Ghanaian rapper Sarkodie. 2019 was perhaps Pappy Kojo’s most productive year to date. He released no fewer than five singles, two of which — “Balance” and “Green Means Go” — would ultimately make the cut for his debut album. Another track which anticipated his first full-length was December 2020′s remix of the previous year’s single “Thomas Pompoy3yaw.” Performed with South African singer/songwriter and poet Busiswa, it won the International Collaboration of the Year gong at 2021′s Ghana Music Awards. Preempted by a further single, “My Heart,” Pappy Kojo’s debut album, Logos II, was finally unveiled in March 2021. Named after a ship that would visit his city when he was a child, the record was completed prior to the initial COVID-19-related global lockdowns in early 2020. In March 2022, he followed this release with the Logos Hope EP, featuring “Koobi,” a piece recorded alongside O'Kenneth & Reggie. ~ James Wilkinson