Rim Kwaku Obeng: the Afro-disco progenitor who overcame homelessness
Far away from the dance floors of New York’s Studio 54, disco found itself right at home within the funk-ridden musical landscape of Western Africa. Although the rhythms of the genre originated within the nightclub scene of North America, its innate danceability and old-school dance influences lent themselves perfectly to the vibrant music scenes of places like Nigeria, Togo and Ghana. In fact, Ghana surely produced one of Afro-disco’s finest exports, in the unforgettable stylings of Rim Kwaku Obeng.
Beginning his musical journey in the legendary Ghanaian highlife group Uhuru Dance Band, Obeng was all set for a successful career as a percussionist. After all, the Uhuru Dance Band could seemingly do no wrong in the early 1970s, with every release building upon the success of the previous. However, things started to go wrong for Rim following the group’s trip to Los Angeles for a recording session.
The 1973 sessions in LA proved to be tumultuous for the highlife masters, with Rim’s bandmate Duke Oketa failing to book charts for the session despite hiring an extensive backing act. Thankfully, Rim managed to turn the sessions around, earning the admiration of none other than Quincy Jones in the process. However, what could have been a life-changing opportunity for Obeng was soon to be dashed by the jealousy of his bandmate.
Oketa threatened legal action against Obeng if he left the group to work with Quincy Jones, something that seemed to scare Jones away. This missed opportunity was only the first in a series of unfortunate events that would follow the Ghanaian musician throughout 1973. Together, he and Oketa travelled to London in the hopes of furthering their musical careers. Upon returning to their hotel one day, the percussionist found that his bandmate had scarpered, taking Obeng’s luggage and passport with him.
From the recording studios of Los Angeles to the dirty streets of London, Obeng had fallen drastically in a short space of time. Following the realisation that he was stranded in London with no money, no possessions and no documentation, the gifted musician was forced to reckon with the reality of being homeless on the streets of England’s capital. For six long months, he lived day by day, sleeping under bridges and in phone boxes. Thankfully, his luck changed following a chance encounter with a young Joan Armatrading.
Passing the legendary Ronnie Scott’s jazz club, Obeng struck up something of a friendship with the future Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter, who helped him get his life back on track. After a few years of regrouping and recovering from months spent on the cruel streets of London, Obeng returned to America once again – without Oketa, this time. In a San Francisco studio, he recorded two of the greatest records in Afro-disco history. First, 1980’s Rim Arrives, and then Too Tough in 1982.
For years, these records remained undiscovered masterpieces, only known by hardcore vinyl junkies. However, the infectiously funky disco stylings of Obeng recently witnessed a resurgence, thanks to high-quality re-releases put out by BBE Records in 2015. Rim never did find out why Oketa abandoned him, but it is safe to say that the percussionist had the last laugh.
