AY Poyoo

AY Poyoo, born Emmanuel Yeboah on 5 June 2000, is a rapper and comedian whose loud, playful style turned a debut single into an international talking point. His song GOAT (Aponkye) went viral in 2020 and earned him a profile on BBC News Africa.

Early life

He was raised by his mother after his father left the family. He did well in the Basic Education Certificate Examination, but money was short, so he went to a technical school to train as an auto mechanic instead of following the usual senior high route.

Career

He started releasing music in 2019. The video for GOAT spread quickly the following year, and later in 2020 Snoop Dogg mentioned him during a livestream hosted by comedian Michael Blackson. That July he announced a collaboration with South African star Sho Madjozi, which she confirmed. He kept the joke running at the 2023 Vodafone Ghana Music Awards, arriving on the red carpet with a goat.

In November 2023 he signed with the Nigerian label Tree Money Yard Empire and moved to Nigeria to learn production, songwriting and audio engineering.

Style

His records mix comic lyrics with high-energy delivery, and much of his following comes from the videos as much as the songs.