EARLY LIFE
Alphonse Tutu Dasa (born November 1, 1963). popularly known as African is a songwriter and singer, noted for his good melodies and harmonies.
https://youtube.com/@African.tutudasa
He was born in Tarkoradi, the Western Region of Ghana. He hails from the Upper West Region of Ghana, Wa to be precise before relocating to Norway in 1985 in search of greener pastures at the age of 22 but began his music career in 1985 and he has been active in the music industry from 1989 till present.
Africa had a record label with EMI Records in Norway, in 1994.
MUSIC CAREER
African started his music career in 1989 when he was 26 years of age. He was previously a DJ, but in 1989 he had a vision from His Majesty, Emperor Hail Selassie to go out and play reggae music; then he started his first Reggae Band, which was called Survival. Within months, Survival Band was called the Scandinavian (Denmark, Sweden, Finland, and Norway) Best Reggae Band.
When his music career began in 1989 with DJing, when he had the call from Emperor, Hail Salasie, he released Sunshine which was a hit just within a few weeks where 25,000 copies were sold because of the level of his good melodies and harmonies. 4 albums have been released during his music career and still counting.
He has been under the Management of EMI records 1995 -1997, TK records, Norway
1998-2001 and under Self-management till now.
Some shows attended by Africans were the TMV festival, Norway, Trondheim, 1994, with the likes of Black Uhuru, Gregory Isaac, Rocky Feller Music Hall, Norway, 1995, and Tromso, Norway, 1995.
He also did some Recordings with Sly and Robbie with Peter Torsh’s band in 1993.
He has a hobby of football, both playing and watching and his icon is Christiano Ronaldo.
His best quote and word of encouragement to anyone he comes across, especially the youth is; “Hard Work Pays”
Encounter with Joseph Hill (Culture)
I fell in love with his music in 1978 at the age of 15. I met him in 1991 July at the Rocker Feller Music hall, Concert hall in Oslo, Norway. He came to perform in the said hall in Norway, as his crew was busily setting up the instruments and equipment for the performance later in the night, he (Joseph Hill – Culture) had just sat in isolation observing the proceedings, I was also just at one corner of the Concert hall observing proceedings; I just realized a tap on my shoulder, that Culture was calling to talk with me, I was like, mehn, I do not know this man from Adam, but the errand man, just said, never worry, just come listen to what he has to say to you, well, I just obliged.
When I got close, the first item he mentioned to me was, hey you are my blood brother from the heart, I have been looking for you all this while, you always listen to my music and you connect with me deep from the heart and I always feel it wherever I am. After talking to him and connecting to him from the soul, he then mentions, I need to come to visit him in Jamaica. So I had pay a visit to Jamaica in January 1992 to meet him.
On my visit to him, one of the days, he had traveled and the son (Kenyatta Hill, then a schoolboy), came to see me sitting on his father’s bed, he just asked, who are you, I said I am; I said to him; I am Alphonse Tutu Dasa, African, he goes out and brings a bowl of ganja and papers to me then goes to school.
On his return, he said, sorry, I did not mean to disrespect you but even the biological brother of the father, does not even has access to his bed, but if my father has been able to allow you to his bed, it
means, you mean a lot to him; we become friends since then, even though Kenyatta Hill was still a young schoolboy.
His departure (Joseph Hill – Culture)
Tears have filled my eyes as I narrate this; on that faithful Saturday morning of August 19, 2006, I had been playing his collections the whole morning, but deep within, something was seriously wrong, I mentioned to my wife that, something is not just right with me, but still with his music on as I entered a car with my wife to attend a concert. As something had been wrong deep within me since morning, at the concert I just mentioned to my wife to return home, thus I am not feeling well, something deep within is disturbing, while his song was still playing in the car. On my arrival home, a friend just called that if I had heard what has happened to my brother, Culture, I said, what, what I just remembered was my phone was to the east, while I was to the west sobbing like crazy. I went on the internet, and it was very true, what!
The sufferer is the best song I have ever loved even now.
In 1996, I was recording at Music Asylum, in Jamaica, producer and the owner (Tony from Nigeria). Tony was amazed to see Kenyatta Hill (the son of Joseph Hill – Culture) with me, and he asked the interest Kenyatta, “I am interested in being a music engineer, so Tony opted to teach Kenyatta whatever he would needed to know to be the music engineer.
Thus, today Kenyatta Hill is continuing the legacy of the late father in the music industry
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