Hammer in an interview on Showbiz A-Z mentioned that news of the demise of Agyekum affected him to the extent that he has been unable to release a music video of the singer’s hit single he facilitated.
“It was so sad. It broke me. It was just too much to bear. The pain in the song and the message he was trying to deliver… And I blame myself for waiting too long to get that song properly out. I feel like if I had released it very early, you know people feed on hope and it could have prevented something. It was too painful,” remarked Hammer.
In 2011, Agyekum’s song with Sarkodie titled, ‘Ohohuo Asem’ - to wit, the plight of a stranger - became an anthem owing to the message, instrumentation and delivery.
The song which was originally produced by Hammer for his compilation “Reprisal”, told the story of how a migrant was confronted with unbearable situations in his incessant quest to survive in the city having left his hometown for greener pastures.
Eight years after the song leaked in the public domain, Agyekum pleaded with Hammer to bless him with a music video. Agyekum, however, did not live to see the final cut. According to Hammer’s narration, “two months after the video, Agyekum fell ill in NkawKaw, where he was based”.
“I eventually did the video… He didn’t even watch the final video. He came through to watch the first cut, went back to Nkawkaw; then we heard he had fallen sick and had been taken to Koforidua Government Hospital. I spoke to him, and after two days, his brother called me and said ‘Agyekum had passed away’,” Hammer sadly recounted.
Agyekum [R] featured Sarkodie [L] on the song
Aside from the pain Agyekum’s exit has caused him, Hammer indicated that “it was out of respect for his [Agyekum’s] family and the arrangements for his funeral and all that I shelved the video. I’ve shelved the video for two years; it was fully done.”
The revelation came after George Quaye had inquired from Hammer the reason behind his decision to not release the music video.
In what appeared to be a question that put Hammer on the spot, the radio show host asked: “The last time you came here, which was in 2019, I remember very well you said you were done with the video of some song with a gentleman called Agyekum and Sarkodie and you said you were going to release the video. Till date, the video never show. Where is the video?”
Hammer in the studio during the recording of Agyekum's song
While disclosing that the video was shot by one Hafiz, Hammer said the song is a special piece because Agyekum addressed things that “were on his heart and it was partly his personal experiences”.
After the host and his panelists appealed to Hammer to release the video, he tells GhanaWeb he intends to honour Agyekum’s memory by heeding the plea. But before he does that, he would seek the consent of Agyekum’s family although the song was on his 'Reprisal' compilation.
Hammer of The Last Two Music Group