'I hope I am remembered as someone who wrote songs that remain useful' -Ko-Jo Cue reflects on songwriting, vulnerability and legacy

Dorcas Agambila 14:18 - 11 August 2026

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Kojo Cue

Ghanaian rapper and songwriter Ko-Jo Cue has opened up about the experiences, influences and creative principles that have shaped his career, revealing how his childhood in Bantama continues to influence the way he tells stories through music.

Ko-Jo Cue admitted some of his most personal songs, including Gold Dust and a line on F176 , left him wondering afterward if he'd shared too much, even as fans told him the honesty was necessary.
He revealed a song exploring his past romantic relationships was cut from KANI: A Bantama Story, and said he wishes he addressed "fun and love" more in his catalogue.
He defined his career philosophy in one line: a hit is always numbers-based, but that's never mattered to him more than making music he considers useful.

For Cue, songwriting is deeply connected to observation and lived experience. Growing up in a busy compound house with his grandmother, he was surrounded by different personalities and daily events that later became a rich source of inspiration for his creativity.

He explained;

All of it, my unique perspective comes from the compound house. When you live with so many people, you see so many characters that it becomes easy for you to write and create characters of your own,

According to the rapper in an exclusive interview with Pulse editorial , the constant activity around him provided an endless supply of stories, with something seemingly happening every day.

Ko-Jo Cue

His approach to music was also shaped at an early age by Obrafour’s influential album 'Pae Mu Ka'. However, Cue believes the cultural environment that made the project resonate so strongly with him as a child has changed considerably.

He said;

The culture has changed and I don’t think the reality outside then, which is what drew me to the song, is the same as the reality now

He suggested that a nine-year-old discovering Ghanaian music today might connect more readily with contemporary acts such as Black Sherif than with Obrafour.

Cue’s own catalogue reflects his preference for meaningful songwriting over chasing conventional mainstream success. He revealed that he has several songs he considers personal favourites despite their lack of commercial appeal.

One example is Konchita, a song from his 'My Brothers' project which he says few people appreciate but remains one of his favourite pieces because of its old-school hiplife influence.

For Cue, authenticity is more important than deliberately trying to make a personal story relatable to an audience. He said he does not consciously determine when an experience becomes universal for listeners.

Ko-Jo Cue

I don’t. My goal is always to be as honest as possible and not try to embellish too much. I’ve discovered that people are drawn to my art that way

He told Pulse Ghana,

That honesty, however, has sometimes made him question whether he revealed too much.

Cue identified Gold Dust as one song that left him particularly vulnerable after its release. Although the response from people who connected with the song has reassured him that it needed to be shared, he admitted that he still wonders whether he went too far.

He also pointed to a line in F176 as another moment when his writing became especially personal.

As he reflects on his body of work, Cue said he is less concerned about being remembered simply for awards, chart positions or commercial achievements.

Instead, he wants his music to remain useful to people long after its release.

He said;

I hope I am remembered as someone who wrote songs that remain useful. That humans can draw inspiration and motivation from in their daily lives. For me, art has to be useful

Ko-Jo Cue

That philosophy also informs his exploration of masculinity in projects such as Abrantie. Rather than subscribing to rigid expectations of what it means to be a man, Cue believes character should be the standard by which people are judged.

He explained;

There are no specific set rules to being a man and there isn’t anyway to stop being a man. What you must be is a good person, if you are a good person, you are a good man. The criteria for being a good person isn’t gender specific

His latest reflections also reveal a softer side of his storytelling. While KANI: A Bantama Story explores his roots and personal evolution, Cue revealed that a song removed from the project would have explored his growth through his romantic relationships and experiences with women from his past.

He described the unreleased song as beautiful and admitted that love and fun are themes he does not explore enough in his music.

Cue’s ability to move between English and Twi is another important part of his songwriting identity. He believes certain emotions and ideas simply cannot be transferred completely from one language to another.

He said.

There are words that don’t translate well, whether to English or to Twi. Every language has these words and translating them usually takes half of their power

For an artiste whose career has been driven largely by creative expression, Cue also acknowledged an important lesson he learnt about the business side of music.

He identified failing to structure his career as a business early enough as his biggest mistake.

He said;

The biggest mistake was not structuring it as a business. When you are coming up, you are very passion-led. This is great for your evolution but it shouldn’t be at the expense of your business,

Asked to select a single song that captures his identity as both a writer and an artiste, Cue admitted that his complexity makes such a choice difficult.

However, he pointed to Bantama Blues 3 as one of the strongest summaries of his artistry.

He said;

I think currently Bantama Blues 3 is a great summary because you get the storytelling, honesty and emotion but you also get the technique, aggression and rapping

His definition of a hit, meanwhile, remains straightforward. Cue said commercial success will always be measured by numbers, but those figures have never been his primary motivation.

He stated;

A hit is and will always be numbers based. I have never been delusional about that, it has just not mattered more to me than making meaningful and useful music,

For Ko-Jo Cue, therefore, the measure of a successful song extends beyond streams, charts and commercial recognition. His focus remains on creating music that tells honest stories, reflects his experiences and ultimately leaves something useful with the people who listen.

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