Guru (Ghanaian rapper)
{{Short description|Ghanaian rapper and fashion designer}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name = Guru Nkz
| image =
| alt =
| caption =
| birth_name = Maradona Yeboah Adjei
| native_name = Nana Yaw Yeboah Adjei
| native_name_lang =
| alias = Guru, Gurunkz
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1987|05|07}}
| death_date =
| death_place =
| genre = {{flatlist|
| occupation = {{flatlist|
| instrument =
| years_active = 2009–present
| label = {{flatlist|
- NKZ Music
}}
| associated_acts = {{flatlist|
}}
| website = {{URL|https://gurunkz.com}}
}}
Maradona Yeboah Adjei (born May 7, 1987),{{cite web|title=Guru Profile|url=http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/people/person.php?ID=1249|website=Ghana Web|ref=Ghana Web}} also known by his stage names Guru and Gurunkz, is a Ghanaian rapper{{Cite web |date=22 August 2016 |title=Guru |url=https://profileability.com/guru |access-date=2018-10-06 |website=Profileability. |language=en-GB}} and fashion designer.{{Cite web |title=Lil Win Spotted in Ghanaian Rapper Guru's New Clothing Line in Pictures |url=https://www.fashionghana.com/site/lil-win-spotted-in-ghanaian-rapper-gurus-new-clothing-line-in-pictures/ |access-date=22 May 2023 |website=FashionGhana |archive-date=2 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211202211628/https://www.fashionghana.com/site/lil-win-spotted-in-ghanaian-rapper-gurus-new-clothing-line-in-pictures/ |url-status=dead }} He is known for his contemporary hip-hop rap style that combines English and Ghanaian indigenous languages.{{cite web|title=The Inspiration & Hope Hip Life Rapper Guru's Background And Music Give To The Village Folks & The Hundreds Of Underground Rapper|url=http://www.ghanacelebrities.com/2012/09/06/the-inspiration-hope-hip-life-rapper-gurus-background-and-music-give-to-the-village-folks-the-hundreds-of-underground-rapper/|website=Ghana Celebrities|date=6 September 2012|ref=GhanaCelebrities}} {{Cite web |title=The Hero of Our Time: Guru Redefining Hiplife Music. | Livegh.com |url=http://www.livegh.com/entertainment/the-hero-of-our-time-guru-redefining-hiplife-music/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160816171459/http://www.livegh.com/entertainment/the-hero-of-our-time-guru-redefining-hiplife-music/ |archive-date=2016-08-16 |access-date=2016-07-03}} Guru's breakthrough was in 2011, when his hit song "Lapaz Toyota" appeared on the Ghanaian music charts.
Early life and education
Guru was born on May 7, 1987 in Accra, and grew up in the small town of Nkoranza, in the Brong/Ahafo Region of Ghana. As an adolescent, he attended the Reverend John Teye Memorial Institute and studied at a secondary school in Apam. He continued his education at NIIT{{clarify|reason=unclear that this is NIIT|date= November 2024}} and at IPMC, studying architecture and computer networking. Afterwards, he attended Zenith College in Accra to study marketing.
Guru did not pursue music as a career until he found himself performing at large events while in school, like Miss SSS, a national contest in Ghana. He also made appearances on national radio programs. Guru was the first artist to win the WAPPI Talent Discovery Program in 2008, a national contest seeking underground music artists.
On 18 September 2024, Guru won the Students’ Representative Council (SRC) presidential election at the University of Ghana.{{Cite web |date=2024-09-18 |title=Guru wins University of Ghana SRC election - MyJoyOnline |url=https://www.myjoyonline.com/guru-wins-university-of-ghana-src-election/ |access-date=2024-09-18 |website=www.myjoyonline.com |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=Owusu-Amoah |first=Gifty |date=18 September 2024 |title=Guru wins University of Ghana SRC Presidential election |url=https://www.graphic.com.gh/entertainment/showbiz-news/guru-wins-university-of-ghana-src-election.html |access-date=18 September 2024 |website=Graphic Online}}
Music career
Guru recorded his first mixtape video with Ghanaian music artist Sarkodie in late 2009. His first major feature, was on Obrafour's song "Kasiebo",{{Cite web |title=Obrafour – Kasiebo ft. Guru |url=https://www.ghanamotion.com/obrafour-on-ghanamotion/obrafour-kasiebo-ft-guru-2/ |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20190202212518/https://www.ghanamotion.com/obrafour-on-ghanamotion/obrafour-kasiebo-ft-guru-2/|archive-date= 2 February 2019|access-date=2019-02-02 |website=GhanaMotion |language=en-US}} where he was named best featured artist by the 4Syte TV Music Video Awards. He came out with his first studio album, Platform, which also featured Sarkodie. Platform received six Vodafone Ghana Music Award nominations.
In 2011, he released the single "Lapaz Toyota". Influenced by the Azonto style sounds, the song became a hit.{{Cite web |date=25 October 2013 |title=Top 10 Popular Ghanaian Music Artistes |url=http://buzzghana.com/ghanaian-music-artistes/ |website=BuzzGhana.}} It was referenced by politicians during campaigns and played at the Big Brother Africa finals. The video for the song was awarded the best male act by the City People Entertainment Awards. The same year, he also released the single "Karaoke".
In 2013, Guru came out with six singles: "Amen", "Azonoto Boys", "Abena", "Nkwada Nkwada" and "Alkayida (Boys Abre)". "Alkayida (Boys Abre)" came under fire from the government when some officials claimed it "promoted terrorism" because of the similarity of the song's title to terrorist organization Al-Qaeda. Guru refuted the ban, claiming it was a song meant to encourage hard work, not violence, saying, "Ghana is a peaceful country, so why would I do a song to promote violence? I thought carefully about the song before coming out with it."{{Cite web |title=Akayida is Not About Terrorism - Guru |url=http://www.peacefmonline.com/pages/showbiz/music/201310/177900.php |website=Peace Fm Online}}
In 2015, Guru collaborated with Sarkodie on the song "Baggy Jeans". At the 2015 Ghana Music Awards, he received a nomination for hip-hop artist of the year and best hip-hop song of the year for "Pooley Swag".{{Cite web |title=10 Ghanaian Afrobeats Artists You Need To Know |url=https://www.thefader.com/2015/07/27/ghanaian-afrobeats-artists-you-need-to-know |access-date=22 May 2023 |website=Thefader}}{{cite web|title=Guru is the best hip hop artiste in Ghana - Jidenna Mobisson|url=http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/Guru-is-the-best-hip-hop-artiste-in-Ghana-Jidenna-Mobisson-433077|website=Ghana Web|date=22 April 2016|ref=GhanaWeb2}} He was described by hip-hop artist Jidenna, as one of the greatest hip-hop artists in Africa, along with WizKid, Don Jazzy, and Akon. In spite of several nominations for music awards, including four major categories in the 2015 4Syte Music Video Awards, Guru has yet to win any, causing some to wonder if there is some inner industry turmoil.[http://www.viasat1.com.gh/news/features/article.php?postId=433] {{Dead link|date=March 2022}}{{Cite web |url=http://ww1.radiomaxxonline.com/?sub1=35c03bb6-f8e4-11ed-9b29-d60f64f9fde4 |title=Archived copy |access-date=2023-05-22 |archive-date=2023-05-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230522210845/http://ww1.radiomaxxonline.com/?sub1=35c03bb6-f8e4-11ed-9b29-d60f64f9fde4 |url-status=dead }}
In 2018, Guru released his album Journey of Judah, featuring Harrysong, Sarkodie, Lil Shaker, and Ofori Amponsah.{{Cite news |last=Mawuli |first=David |title=Guru's "Journey of Judah" album is finally here |language=en-US |website=Pulse Ghana |url=https://www.pulse.com.gh/entertainment/music/guru-s-journey-of-judah-album-is-finally-here-id8928548.html |access-date=2018-10-06}}
Discography
| class="wikitable" | |
| Songs | Year |
|---|---|
| [https://www.motionnews.it/entertainment/guru-drops-a-new-song-who-born-dog/ Who Born Dog] | 2021 |
References
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