In a music industry saturated with fleeting trends and surface-level appeal, Ghanaian artiste AratheJay, born Samuel Ofei Ankrah Badu is carving out a space rooted in intention, identity, and pure artistry. A singer, rapper, and songwriter of remarkable versatility, AratheJay’s rise has been anything but conventional. He first burst onto the scene with a standout feature on Tulenkey’s “YARD,” which garnered attention through Mr Eazi’s EMPAWA platform. Affectionately known as “Ara” by his growing fanbase, his 2024 debut project, Finding Nimo Series: The Capsule, solidified his place in Ghana’s evolving musical landscape. Taking on the persona of “Nimo Constantine”, a name that cleverly pays homage to both Highlife legend Koo Nimo and Roman emperor Constantine, Ara invites listeners on a journey through the everyday, the spiritual, and the philosophical.
Following the EP’s success, Ara has continued to dominate both charts and conversations, with standout collaborations including “Jesus Christ 2” featuring Black Sherif and the fiery “Fire” with Bella Shmurda, among others.
In this exclusive interview, AratheJay opens up about the intentionality behind his lyrics, the power of cultural storytelling, and how he’s redefining what it means to be a contemporary African artiste.
TTC: Ghanaian Roots, Global Dreams: How has your Ghanaian upbringing shaped the way you see the world and create music?
AraTheJay: First of all, thank you for having me. I also go by the alias Nimo Constantine because of the foundation of the kind of music I do and how it comes about. The Nimo part of it is the highlife part of it and that’s where my roots come in. The foundation of my music is always spiritual and there's also a highlife core in all I do. All from my background from Ghana to be precise. That root aspect modifies my music so much to follow the highlife path even though I do other genres. I love Afrobeats, Amapiano and all that but highlife being part of my core influences the genres I'm doing.
TTC: What Hip-Life Means to Him: Your music blends highlife, hip-hop, and Afrobeats in such a unique way. What does this fusion mean to your music storytelling?
AraTheJay: For me, music is so much about messages. The genre and instrumentation help convey that message. For me, the concentration is more about the message than the genre. I love to be open-minded because I believe in doing music for the world and sending a message to the world. I love to experiment so much because I believe there’s no single way to do something.
TTC: From Accra to Lagos: Building a Pan-African Identity: You’ve collaborated with artistes from both Ghana and Nigeria, how do you see your music contributing to a more unified West African sound?
AraTheJay: I think that’s what all artistes, especially African artistes do. We try to send that message and our sound to the world. For us, that’s the little we can contribute to. Not just me, if you see artistes like Black Sherif, King Promise, and many more. What we do is our little contribution to how the sound can get to the world. It's all a form of representation of our background wherever we are.
TTC: The Power of the Pen, Storytelling as a Weapon: You’ve mentioned music as a form of storytelling. What kinds of stories are you most drawn to telling and why?
AraTheJay: For me, music goes beyond storytelling because, to me, it’s a kind of prophecy. When you keep saying something to yourself, it is prone to come to pass. Music is about saying what I believe should be said. I'm very particular about my words and lyrics. Most of the time, people are prone to sing about what they feel, but I make sure it’s a positive output at the end of the day.
TTC: Spotlight on “Fire”: “Fire” feels like a deeply spiritual and personal track. What space were you when you created it? How did the collaboration with Bella Shurmda happen?
AraTheJay: When it comes to what space or state of mind I was while doing a song, I might not really remember but referring to the lyrics, I was in a state where we were trying to do positive things despite the obstacles we faced. The song was majorly inspired by Bella. When I got to the studio, he was singing a part of the chorus and it communicated the entire message of the song. All targeted at us needing inspiration and divine energy from the Lord. It wasn't gospel but really spiritual and we were both at that place at the time. As I said, I'm always trying to make sure what we sing is positive and inspires somebody. The linkup shoutout to Sony, Orchid, Amujei.
TTC: The Spiritual Thread: Faith and resilience show up consistently as themes in your music. Do you consider your music a kind of ministry or a message to those “walking through flames” themselves?
AraTheJay: That's the point of it. Being able to speak for those who do not have the mouthpiece or avenue. My music isn't always about people struggling or going through life because I touch other themes like love too, but positivity is always present.
TTC: Ghana’s Newest Global Export?: Ghana is having a moment in the West African music space right now. How does it feel to be part of that cultural shift?
AraTheJay: It should have come way before but we appreciate God for the things going on now. We are doing our best, striving and still pushing Ghana music and African melodies in the best possible way we can. I appreciate the efforts on our end to put the continent on the map from King Promise, Black Sherif, Amaarae, and all these amazing artistes doing great for us.
TTC: Style and Identity: Your fashion is clean, rooted, but modern. How do you use style to reflect who you are and where you come from?
AraTheJay: When it comes to fashion, big love to Fadare (Lanre), he’s part of my team. For me, I love baggy clothing because I’m all about freedom and comfort. I love to be free and I sing about it alot in my music. I also like cultural outfits. When you hear Nimo, you see the mask, cowries, cross and chains to represent the sound and culture in it. Then, the cross marks my religion so everything is a representation. When you see me in a mask, it is because initially, I didn't see the need to show my face until much later. In summary, my style is a mixture of comfort, religion and culture at every point in time.
TTC: The Role of Community: Who are the people behind the scenes that have helped shape your journey? How important is it that they’re involved in your success?
AraTheJay: Big shoutout to Almighty God for strength, resilience and grace. Big love to my team, family, entire fanbase, every single person I mentioned and vast people I don't know about have affected my music. From my friends, you know their simple conversations and our time relating together in school. They are all important because these little things end up shaping us up to the tips left by fans in the comments section.
TTC: What’s Next: The Bigger Vision: You’re clearly not just thinking about the now. What’s the long-term vision for AraTheJay? Are there any future collaborations, projects, or ventures you can tease?
AraTheJay: Last year, my Nimo Constantine alias led to the start of a project called Finding Nemo. The project title is a play on that Finding Nemo cartoon. Now, we are focused on ‘Finding Nimo Constantine’ which will be coming soon. The first step was listening to Finding Nimo Series: The Capsule which has been released and leads into Finding Nimo. This year, there will be another project where the “Fire” song with Bella Shmurda will be on it. On 19th December, Ara will headline a show in Ghana. The first edition started last year and the venue will be disclosed later. Everyone is invited.