ASEM Show Me Now

ASEM Nightmare

ASEM [Nana Wiafe Asante - Mensah] Ghana’s “godfather of hip hop” releases single ahead of new album due out mid-November.

On October 31, African hip hop sensation Asem will release his highly anticipated first US single, “Big Johnny.” The song will be available for download from every major online retailer.

“Big Johnny” is the third single to be released from Asem’s third studio album, “Tough Times Don’t Last — TTDL,” due out in mid-November both digitally and on CD.

His previously released albums, “Better Late Than Never” and “Solid Ground,” have sold over 200,000 units around the world.

Asem, Ghana’s “godfather of hip hop” and one of the African continent’s hottest artists, is ready to take the world’s urban music scene by storm.

As controversial as he is popular in his homeland, Asem became an overnight sensation in his native Ghana with an ode to the party life, “Give Me Blow,” in 2008. The song resonated with thousands of youths who made it the country’s most downloaded track before its release.

Over the next three years, Asem released two albums that earned him commercial success and critical acclaim. His first album “Better Late Than Never” featured “Give Me Blow” as well as the single “Pigaro,” which became Ghana’s most played song in 2008 and 2009.

In 2009, Asem won the Discovery of the Year Award in 2009 and earned a nomination for Songwriter of the Year.

Asem scooped up the World Bank’s prestigious Music For Development Award at the 2010 Ghana Music Awards with his single “School Dey Be” which encouraged youth to stay in school.

The plaudits continued in 2011 when Asem won Best West African Music Video at the 2011 Nigeria Music Video Awards with his video for “No More Kpayor,” the hit track off his second album “Solid Ground.” That same year, Asem won the Best Hiplife Video award at the 4SYTE Music video awards.

Despite his hectic schedule, Asem pushes forward with a variety of humanitarian projects focused on education and infant mortality. He serves as his country’s World Bank Ambassador for education. He also works with the Ghana Library Authority to support regional reading clinics and mobile libraries for schools in the most impoverished areas of Accra, the nation’s capital. He has created The Asem Foundation which works with the Accra Library Board to encourage childhood reading and increase the literacy rate.

“Big Johnny” will be available on iTunes, Spotify, Amazon, Google Play, Rdio, Xbox Music, Rhapsody and Sony Music Unlimited.

Asem will embark on a world tour in 2014.

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