Rex Omar

Rex Owusu Marfo, known as Rex Omar, is a Ghanaian highlife singer, songwriter and composer. He rose to fame in 1989 with the album Aware Pa, co-founded the highlife supergroup Nakorex, and later led the Ghana Music Rights Organisation (GHAMRO).

Career

His 1989 album Aware Pa, which included Wodofo Ne Hwan?, made him a star. In 1992 he formed Nakorex with the highlife singers Nat Brew and Akosua Agyapong; the group's name combines the first letters of its members' names. He later went solo and has also performed with Sony Achiba. He was nominated for a Kora award in 2004 and for Artiste of the Year at the 2005 Ghana Music Awards. His songs include Abiba, Konkontey, Dada, Dangerous and Mama, and his albums include Who Am I (2007).

Copyright advocacy

As head of GHAMRO he campaigned for stronger copyright protection for Ghanaian musicians, and persuaded President John Kufuor to hold back assent to a new copyright bill so its protections could be strengthened. He has also called for more protection of the Ghanaian music market from foreign competition, and has clashed with Akosua Agyapong over alleged misuse of GHAMRO funds.

In January 2020 he won a copyright case against Joy Industries, which had used part of his song Dada Di Da to advertise Joy Dadi Bitters without his consent. The High Court ordered the company to pay him GH₵200,000 in damages and GH₵30,000 in costs.