Addi Self was born Jafaro Mohammed on September 19, 1992, in Mamobi, a suburb of Accra, Ghana. He coined the name Addi Self from the phrase Addicted to Me to highlight his belief in self-determination.

He attended 37 Military Hospital Basic School where he began his formal education while living in the slum community of Mamobi. He found his passion for football and joined the Gye Nyame Football Club, now Strong Tower FC where he played as a goalkeeper.

On the side of the game, he also had an interest in music and dance; taking inspiration from Michael Jackson, Tupac, Bob Marley and Anthony B. He started writing about real-life experiences around him from his neighborhood to his school. Addi Self turned those words and thoughts into freestyle songs and later, his first song.

He took his music passion to another level by sampling beats online and creating his own music as another found talent. He dedicated his time to making music as a student and also supported his family by selling sachet water, plantain chips, and pens and cleaning car windshields in the streets of Accra.

Addi Self gained popularity in the Mamobi community with his music and recorded "Life Nuh Easy" with producer Funky Beats, one of the first producers he worked with. The video gained more attention from the public after the heavy promotion of the song in various adjoining neighborhoods.

He created Self Nation as an independent record label in 2014 in honor of his brand, his fanbase, and his talent which were growing rapidly despite hostility from rival musicians in the neighborhood.

That year, his song "Mamobi" went even further after sampling the beat of the award-winning dancehall artiste and his idol, Shatta Wale.

The song caught Shatta Wale's attention on Facebook and he shared it with his followers. The two artists met in 2015 and created a friendship that resulted in the recording of singles including "Love Mi Suh" and "Ghetto Star".

Addi Self’s dedication to partnerships urged him to officially sign with Shatta Movement under the group SM Militants. The 2017 song “Taking Over” with Shatta Wale and SM Militants was their biggest banger which they performed on various global platforms including the iconic O2 Arena in London. Addi Self has been featured on BBC1Xtra with DJ Edu, together with Shatta Wale and Joint 77.

His contract ended with Shatta Movement in 2020 and the following year, he released his debut 15-track album, The Journey (Zongo to BBC), which stood at the #1 spot on the Ghana iTunes Top Albums Chart for six weeks straight and #4 on the World iTunes Albums Chart. Before that, he released singles like Where Di Money; My Daughter (freestyle); How Many Times; Grateful Letter to Shatta Wale and Eddi Worhor.

Addi Self has also released many singles after the release of his debut album on April 9, 2021. They include We Go Make Am; No Apology (featuring Liberian artist and self-acclaimed King of HipCo Takun J); and We Did It (featuring Xzone, Gariba, and Don Cash) which has a Hausa Drill vibe and has been added to mainstream music platforms Spotify and Apple Music.

He released his latest work, Slum To Hills Mixtape, on his birthday, September 19, 2022, to motivate his fans and tell his story through his music. In 24 hours, the mixtape topped the Ghana iTunes Top Albums chart.

Addi Self has received several honors and awards including Best Collaboration of the Year with Taking Over (2017 Ghana Music Awards); Best Song of the Year with Taking Over (2017 Ghana Music Awards UK); Best Afro Pop Video of the Year with Future Picture (2020 3RD TV Music Video Awards); Most Popular Dancehall and Promising Icon of the Year (2020 Ghana Discovery Music Awards); Music Artist of the Year (2021 Face of Ghana Youth Awards); Dancehall Artist of the Year (2022 Face of Ghana Youth Awards); Artist of the Year (2022 Face of Ghana Youth Awards); 2022 Ghana Tertiary Excellence Awards Citation of Honor.

Addi Self is married to Jasmin Otubea Amoh and they have two children, Faheem Mohammed and Tasneem Mohammed.

www.ghanaweb.com