EMPIRE, an American record label with operations in Africa, has signed Ghanaian popstar Kuami Eugene, born Eugene Kwame Marfo, to their roster.
KAMPALA | LIFESTYLE UGANDA ( http://lifestyleuganda.com/) — Kuami Eugene, born Eugene Kwame Marfo, has joined the American distribution company and record label EMPIRE, less than eight months after launching operations in Africa.
Previously signed to Accra-based Lynx Entertainment, Kuami Eugene confirmed the news via Twitter on Wednesday, calling the company “my new family.” The EMPIRE, founded by Ghazi Shami, opened an office in Africa in February, following the opening of a division in the United States for West Asia and North Africa in 2021.
EMPIRE now has a growing roster of African artists, including fellow Ghanaians KiDi and Yaw Tog as well as Olamide, Fireboy DML and Kizz Daniel from Nigeria. According to TurnTable, Nigeria’s equivalent of Billboard, EMPIRE closed out the year with the highest distribution numbers in Nigeria.
EMPIRE Records is also the home to XXXTentacion (late), T-Pain, Kendrick Lamar, and Cardi B, among others, as well as the albums of Snoop Dogg, Young Dolph, Robin Thicke, and Iggy Azalea.
Kareem Mobolaji, regional head of EMPIRE’s West Africa region, was quoted by FORBES.
“Don’t forget the rate of streaming music in the States is not the rate of streaming music in Nigeria,” EMPIRE’s regional head for West Africa said. “If 10 people are streaming you in the U.S., that’s equivalent to having 60 people streaming you in Nigeria.”
Known for his two albums, Rockstar (2018) and Son of Africa (2020), Kuami Eugene first gained prominence through the local music reality television program MTN Hitmaker.
Besides his success as a solo artist in Ghana, Kuami Eugene has also secured notable international collaborations, including the remix of CKay’s ‘Love Nwantiti’, which has been awarded by the UK-based performance rights organization BMI.
In 2020, Kuami Eugene won Artist of the Year at the Vodafone Ghana Music Awards. A year later he released Afro Highlife – an EP that blended Afropop and highlife.
