Winneba Masquerade Festival : The First Party Of The Year In Ghana

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If you want to start your New Year with colour, celebration, and pure energy, there is only one place to be on 1st January, Winneba . While everybody is still sleeping after 31st Night, Winneba is already awake. Drums, brass band, costumes, masks. This is the Winneba Masquerade Festival, locally called Fancy Dress. It is the first major festival in Ghana every year. And it is the second biggest festival in Winneba after Aboakyer. There is a morning in Winneba that does not feel like any other morning in Ghana. By 7am, you can hear it. The brass band far away. The drum, shouting and the crowd. If you are in Winneba on that day, you cannot stay in your room. The sound will drag you out. I remember the first time I followed the sound. I thought something had happened. I thought maybe there was a funeral. But when I reached the road, I saw something I had never seen before. Men wearing masks. Big, colourful, scary, beautiful masks. Some looked like animals. Some looked like old white men ...

Who is Big Homie Wes? The new lord in the Rap Game.

Wesley J. Turner better known by the stage name Big Homie Wes is a hip hop artist, a producer and radio personality born in Texas, but currently living in Vermont, in the United States.
He has quickly carved out a critical spot in the pantheon of rap's new underground. While most of his contemporaries produce gritty, bass-driven bangers, Big Wes Homie toys with melody and adds a softer element that sets him apart from the pack. He works under his own production company called WES production LLC.

Big Homie Wes working in the Studio

In 2013, soon after completing High school, Big Homie Wes began to writing and recording in studios. He first recorded ‘Summer’ with his friend Capital E, according to Big Homie Wes, Capital E’s dad was a skilled engineer so he recorded and produced their first single. Working on few mixtapes with Capital E, his passion for sound production began to unfold. In the past few years, He has played a lot of roles including producing his own music along with dozens of artists in Vermont.. He also worked as a radio and live event DJ in the past. Wes hosted a weekly radio show “ Straight Outta Johnson” on 90.7WJSC-FM where he used his platform to spotlight emcees around him.

In April 3, 2019 , Wes’s first EP ‘Contraband’ was featured in Seven Days and headlined “Album Review: Big Homie Wes, Contraband” written by Justin Boland. In the article Justin stated that ‘Inevitably, though, a short EP feels like a prelude to something bigger.’

In 2020, Big Homie Wes released two albums. The first was in February called ‘ Spliff & Brew’ featuring some production by himself and other Vermont producers. 'Spliff & Brew has nine songs including, "Elevated" "Feel Better" "Money on my Mind" and many more.  Wes disclosed that he really invested a lot of time into all those records.

The second album which was relesed in July 2020 titled  'Airplane Mode'.The album included collaboration with , DZY, Just Cauz and Cienci.Wes revealed that Airplane Mode features more of a trap/modern sound and was really experimenting with a different sound than what he had been doing for years. He believes this album specifically really helped him hone his production, recording and writing skills.

Big Homie Wes revealed that growing up he was inspired by artist like Ice Cube, 50 cent, DMX and Freddie Gibbs. He dreams of working with producer like Dr Dre, Madlib, etc. He gives credits to Corty Booth,Dizzy the Myth and One Stop Shop Hip Hop for helping him with brand Management.

Wes  plans to grow his production company into a record label and continue to develop his wrirting and production skills.

Big Homie Wes like all great rappers has a great body of work, delivery, clarity,timing storytelling, songwriting, longevity, live performance and rhyme skills.

Links

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Official Website

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Listen to Fast Money on the Airplane Mode Album which show his effortless ability to write sticky hooks that have the way of climbling inside your brain and never leaving.