NEWS | MUSIC | ENTERTAINMENT

By Anderson Mannings Gowa

In and around 2008, the name OB made a resounding entry into urban music with musical shows filled to the brim just to get a glimpse of this charming positive ghetto dweller with a slender stature, whose bars were but a marvel to many a youth.

Talk of Obrigado, Katoto main hall and innumerable other music venues in M-zee, OB made music lovers pregnant with his ecstatic display of excellent urban musings whose lyrical contents capitalized on the tough life that the so called Ghetto offers to unsuspecting youths.

Ten years on, OB, born Francis Komwa is still riding the urban music boat with the very enthusiasm that punctuated his entry into the music scene.

Mzuzu CCAP primary school still remains the set where OB popped out of nowhere to stamp a mark in the urban music world.

The fascinating part is that OB,  who generated the name from his grandpa’s first name Obadia, was the only primary school kid who made a formidable force with Katoto secondary school stars a rare combination of its kind.

OB showers kudos to Jah-Face of Blackface family as one of those fellas who made sure that OB’s urban music is but a talk of all lovers of good good urban music in M-zee and yonder.

Before the digital age came into dominion, OB and Jah-face used to record their compositions on cassettes, the quality of that music was but the talk of the town, such that ladies were heads over heals with OB’s name constantly emanating from their sweet cozy lips.

When he jumped into music, the Chibanja Ghetto citizen didn’t ponder of walking a solo journey. He and his close buddies formed a group and named it Black Warriors releasing a popular hit in the process called Ghetto. A Ghetto anthem of those sugary early days of urban music in Malawi.

The Black Warriors pats itself on the back with two albums under its tag; Ghetto, and pakamwa.

As a musician though not achieved all wants in life, the Chibanja music president and probably one of the undisputed Mzuzu music forerunner says as a human being his music journey is a good story to narrate and redo.

The only hiccup that OB has noted in the world of Music that still haunts him to date is the failure to completely break the national cake.

Most of the excellent compositions made, die a northern death failing to hit the National stage more especially on Radio 2 FM which to him is and has been an excellent platform for new and old talent when broadcasting is bagged into account.

As a way of making the future another interesting era, OB has enveloped himself into acoustic music, training himself in the nitty-gritties of the guitar operation.

“You see bossman my fingers are somehow hard man. It’s not that am ploughing in some fields; not at all. I have been married to the guitar. I surely want to have the know-how of this instrument

And as I am saying, ma men the exquisite aura of knowing this instrument makes me to shake my right foot whenever and wherever I remember to have no knowledge of the same,” articulates unmarried and completely single OB while showcasing his rather hard fingers.

Currently OB who is journalist by profession has released a music video titled Ghetto.

The central message in Ghetto on one hand encourages the youth to hold the future with a tight grip on the other hand Ghetto music video is a medicine to the youth to rather desist from uncouth behavior of engaging into illicit drugs that will put their future on a chopping board.