Lord Kenya

Lord Kenya's Yeesom Sika topped the Ghanaian charts in 2001 and won Hiplife Album of the Year at the Ghana Music Awards. By his own account he was addicted to cocaine for much of that period, and in October 2010 he gave up secular music for the church.

Early life

He was born on 19 September 1978. His father, the late Nana Akpor Kainya, was Nzema from Sanzule, and his mother is Asante from Fumesua near Kumasi. He went to Central International School, Anglican Senior High School in Kumasi and Nkwatia Secondary School, did sixth form at Mpraeso Secondary School and ran the 400 metres and 110 metres hurdles.

Hiplife

He signed with Slip Music in 1998 and released Sika Card that year, and recorded six more albums over the next decade. The best known are Sika Baa and the 2001 chart-topper Yeesom Sika; the last two, Born Again in 2006 and God Dey in 2008, already leaned towards faith. His fast Twi rhymes made him one of the most popular rappers of the hiplife era, and he won Best Ghanaian Rap Music at Canada's Anansekrom Festival in 2000.

Ministry

He has described a spiritual encounter on 28 October 2010 that led him to quit hiplife. He released the gospel album Christlife in 2011, gave up the royalties from his earlier albums and now leads Face of Grace Covenant Temple at Ahodwo in Kumasi. He speaks openly about his years of drug addiction.