Nana

Nana Kwame Abrokwa (born 5 October 1968) is a Ghanaian born German rapper and DJ, performing under the pseudonyms Nana or Darkman. Nana is not an actual first name, but is rather a Ghanaian title of nobility. His 1996 self-titled debut album was certified Platinum in Poland and Gold in Germany and Switzerland. The album spawned the 1997 hit single, "Lonely", which reached number-one in Germany and Switzerland, and was certified Platinum in Germany.

Early life Nana arrived in Hamburg, Germany, with his mother and his brothers at the age of 10.

Musical career Beginnings At the beginning of the 90s, his debut consisted of DJing in hip-hop clubs. He also co-produced and rapped in some songs of DJ David Fascher ("Here We Go", "Make The Crowd Go Wild"), under the alias MC Africa True.

1994: Eurodance project and departure In 1994 he joined the Eurodance project Darkness as a rapper, which was produced by Bülent Aris and Toni Cottura. The song "Dreams" became a club hit, but Nana did not feel very comfortable with the style Darkness adopted and the group separated. However, his current scene name, Darkman, originated from this time.

1996-1997: Debut album and commercial success In 1996 Aris and Cottura founded the Black Music label Booya Music, which Nana joined as the first artist. The first single, "Darkman" reached the top 10 of Germany's official single-chart by Media Control. The following single, "Lonely", became the most successful euro-rap song, being number-one for several weeks. The album, Nana, released in 1997, is more on the mainstream, American style of rapping. It features numerous other members of the Booya Family, such as Jan van der Toorn and Alex Prince.

1998: Father The second album, Father, was released in May 1998 and contains slower pieces and more personal lyrics.

1997

GER: Gold SUI: Gold

POL: Platinum 1998

2004

2008

2010

Singles

Awards 1997: Comet Award for "Best German debut" 1998: ECHO for "Most successful German debut" 1998: ECHO for "Most successful German artist" 1998: Comet Award for "Best German act"