Stories and facts

Emmanuel Kofi Botwe, known as Kwaw Kese and popularly called Abodam, is a Ghanaian hiplife artist famous for his energetic stage performances.

He gained national attention with his 2007 album Abodam, which earned him five awards at the 2008 Ghana Music Awards.

Born in Agona Swedru in the Central Region, Kwaw Kese attended Happy Home Junior Secondary School and Winneba Secondary School. He began making music at age 14.

After high school, he worked as a meter reader but later moved to Accra to pursue music full-time. In 2004 he met Hammer of The Last Two and was signed to the label.

He founded Mad-Time Entertainment in 2005 and released albums including Na Ya Tal and Abodam 07. In 2012 he won Hiphop Song of the Year with “Popping” featuring Opanka.

In December 2014 he was arrested for publicly smoking cannabis and was later sentenced to one day in jail and fined GH¢1,200.

Kwaw Kese has received several awards, including Artist of the Year at the 2008 Ghana Music Awards. He also celebrated his daughter, Docilla Nanahemaa Botwe, when she won the Pan-African National Illustration of the Year award at the Ghana Models Awards Juniors.

His singles include “Swedu Agona,” “Aseda,” “Allo,” “Unlooking,” and “Kapa.” He has also released music videos such as “Aseda,” directed by Alexi Ju Nior and Kwadwo Bediako.

Explore the life of Kwaw Kese below.