Now with the release of his debut album, TINA, the 26-year-old rapper is hoping
his music will change the world's perception of Africa. Speaking to Empty Ice Cream Tub about the release, which is an acronym for This Is New
Africa, Fuse revealed that the journey to the creating the LP was a life
changing experience.
Letter To TINA
The MOBO Award winner said of his choice to become an afrobeats artist: 'It was a conscious decision to reconnect with my African roots and African music so I could bring it to people outside of Africa in an authentic way.
'I took that decision in 2011 when I went to Ghana and I was learning about the culture again and learning about the music.'
Continuing he added: 'But I realised that it actually became bigger than what I was going to do when I started to share my story of Africa as it started to inspire other people and that's actually how TINA came to me.
'I realised that there has to be something that encapsulates what Africa is now and not the old Africa that they keep showing, and that is how This Is New Africa came fruition.'
Born in London but raised in Ghana, Fuse ODG, real name Nana Richard Abiona, came to capital at the
age of 11 to begin his secondary education an experience which he admits was
difficult and scarred his perception of his African heritage. However it was an eye-opening trip back to his motherland three years ago which
set his music career in motion and his need to showcase his view of the
continent.
TINA
Alongside the likes of D'Banj, Wizkid, Ice Prince, Sarkodie, P Squared and Davido, to name a few, Abiona has played a crucial role in helping afrobeats into the mainstream. Explaining how it feels to be a part of the movement which is changing the clubbing scene, the rapper asserted: 'Right now being African is so cool and it's because all these platforms are playing our music.
Alongside the likes of D'Banj, Wizkid, Ice Prince, Sarkodie, P Squared and Davido, to name a few, Abiona has played a crucial role in helping afrobeats into the mainstream. Explaining how it feels to be a part of the movement which is changing the clubbing scene, the rapper asserted: 'Right now being African is so cool and it's because all these platforms are playing our music.
'Trust me when I was growing up if afrobeats was as big as it is now my school life would have been so much easier. Growing up in the UK would have been so much easier, I would have felt more proud to be African.'
He added: 'When I go to clubs and I hear African music being played like as
part of the main playlist to me it just means that we're moving forward as a
continent, we're moving forward as Africans and it's not just the negative
impression that they used to have, we've given them other stuff to talk about.'
With four top ten singles under his belt, Fuse's debut body of work TINA was
released to rave reviews and features collaborations with Wyclef Jean, Sean
Paul, Angel, Krept & Konan and G FrSH. Describing the LP in his own words, the Antenna hitmaker
said the album is made up of 'feel good songs' embedded with messages.
Fuse added: 'It's an album that showcases my experiences of Africa just packaged in a form of music.'
Fuse added: 'It's an album that showcases my experiences of Africa just packaged in a form of music.'
Come Closer
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