Emmanuel Owusu-Bonsu, known by his stage name Wanlov the Kubolor (born September 8, 1980) is a
Ghanaian-
Romanian musician and film director born to an
Akan father and a Romanian mother.[2] Kubolor is a
Ga word that essentially means
truant, but can be understood to be a wanderer or vagabond.[3] He is the brother of the television show host, model, and musician
Deborah Owusu-Bonsu.
Early life
Kubulor's parents moved to
Ghana before he was a year old, and he grew up in an artistic household where both parents were avid collectors of music and had an interest in the arts. He attended
Adisadel College.[4] It was while he was at Adisadel that he began rapping his favourite lyrics with high school friends and performing the local circuit in
Cape Coast and
Takoradi. It was here that his enduring musical partnership with the songwriter M3NSA was formed. He then moved to the
United States for college in 2000 where he attended the
University of Mary Hardin Baylor. He dropped out after two years of studying computer science and business administration, to dedicate himself fully to his musical career.[5][6]
Musical career
Kubulor released his debut album "Green Card" in late 2007 on his return to Ghana after a 7-year stay in the USA. Wanlov the Kubolor has collaborated with
Gyedu-Blay Ambolley, Ghana's rap pioneer/
Highlife legend, and
Reggie Rockstone, the godfather of
Hiplife, among other artists worldwide.[citation needed]
He has campaigned for the cause of OAfrica,[7] a charity for out-of-home children and various similar causes, in particular, those linked to ecology or pollution in Ghana. In 2017, he told members of Blogging Ghana that he "is considering making a third installment to his Ghanaian Pidgin-English musical
Coz Ov Moni".[8]
2006 WCS International Song Contest - Winner (World) - "Human Being" [14]
2006 International Songwriting Competition - Finalist (World) - "Never Die"
2007 Peacedriven Songwriting Award - Runner Up - "Human Being"
2008 Ghana Music Awards - Nominated for Discovery Of The Year, Record Of The Year (Smallest Time), Video Of The Year (Kokonsa), & Hip-hop Song Of The Year (Kokonsa)[15]
Activism
He is an activist for the rights of LGBT+ people in Ghana. In 2021, when the
Ghanaian anti-LGBT bill was introduced, he spoke against the intent of the bill.[16][17] He collaborated with
Angel Maxine and
Deborah Owusu-Bonsu to use their music as a form of activism against homophobia in Ghana.[18]