Rex OmarBorn on the same day as the legendary Bob Marley (6th February), Rex Omar’s career ap-pears destined to chart a path to worldwide star-dom, such as the late reggae star attained.

From humble beginnings in his birthplace, Kumasi, capital of the Ashantis Rex Omar has gained wide recognition in the West African region and beyond. Having performed internationally at a variety of places including Cote d’Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Benin, Britain, France and Togo Rex is set to explode on the international market.

Indeed a performance by him in Britain in October 2000 earned him a description by British promoters, Serious, as “Ghana’s most exciting musical export…” with the London entertainment magazine Time Out predicting Rex is “… going to raise the stakes for Ghana’s music.”

Rex Omar, originally called Rex Owusu Marfo, was born in 1965 to the late Dr Owusu Ansah who was a medical doctor in Kumasi and Madam Grace Boachie, a dress designer. On his father’s side, Rex has seven brothers and four sisters, while on his mother’s side he has five brothers and a sister.

Rex Omar is firmly rooted in his native criss-cross rhythms and melodic inflections. With this heritage plus the pervasive influence of western pop music and his personal love for jazz, Rex has played a unique blend of Afro-pop and jazz music. His singing style portrays influences from the praise singers of Northern Ghana and Ashanti.

He had his primary education at the Suame Salvation Army Primary School, and continued at the Methodist Middle School at the same place where he successfully attained the Middle School Leaving Certificate.

Being a son of a medical doctor, most people would expect that he enroll formally in a secondary school. This however was not the case with Rex Omar. Instead he took to the “streetwise” secondary school and graduated from the “Hard nut” University and was trained as an auto electrician.

One might be wondering how he got himself into the music profession. That is simple finding, Rex Omar was born into a family of musicians. His father though, a medical doctor, was also a musician. He was very good at playing the guitar and sax, but refused to perform as a musician for a living.

With this family background, Rex Omar picked up learning music from a very tender age. From about the age of 10 years, he started directing his fellow pupils whenever it was time for singing or music.

Rex has pursued his own dream of a music career with single-minded devotion since he defied at an early age, his father’s desire for him to become a lawyer. His recording career has spanned eighteen years with a number of hits to his credit. His album “Dangerous” which includes the hit song “Abiba” has sold over 300,000 units and is still attracting audiences beyond Ghana’s borders.

Rex now has a twelve-piece band, the nu-Ashanty that provides exciting renditions and backing to his music. In November 2002, Rex Omar and his band put up an excellent show at the Jazz a’ Ouaga in Burkina Faso.

At their performance in August at the 2005 Les Escales Festival at St Nazaire, France, was so sensational that they had the thick crowd actually chanting for more! A similar scene occurred at the Standard Joy of Jazz Festival in South Africa - August 2005.

Rex is the winner of several awards including the Ghana Music Award - Best Contemporary Song of the Year 2004. He was also a Kora Awards nominee in 2004.

He has to his credit the following albums AWAREPA 1989, TWI, 2000, AWUGYADE 1990 GOSPEL WITH, KPANLOGO 1992, AFRICAN ROOTS 2001, KOTOSA 1995 “WHO AM I?” 2002, DANGEROUS 1997 GOSPEL WITH, FA 1999 AFRICAN ROOTS-(2) 2003 AJALA 2004.

“Dangerous” is one album which made Rex very popular, though he really had to work on it, especially in terms of promotion.

Asked about challenges he faced as musician, Rex Omar told “The Spectator” that the challenges were enormous, especially being a Ghanaian musician.

“Being a Ghanaian makes your work as a musician 50 per cent more difficult. This is so because majority of the Ghanaian society do not think that music must be paid for. Generally people in Ghana think playing music is for free. So music has become the cheapest commodity in the country.

In fact, it was when I grew up to face these challenges in the music profession, that I got to understand why my father never wanted me to be a musician. It is never rewarding in Ghana.

Rex Omar is a Member of “SUISSA” Copyright Society of Switzerland and is on publishing contract with EMI (Germany).

He has been an active participant in many local programmes organised by both government and the private sector on issues dealing with the development of the music industry in Ghana (Since1992).

He attended the conference on West Africa and Intellectual property organised by the International Intellectual Property Institute - December 8,2004,Dakar, Senegal.

Currently he is a member of a World Bank local committee structuring the Ghanaian music sector in preparation for a financial facility geared towards poverty alleviation.

Rex Omar is a strong advocate for the rights of the Ghanaian musician, within the context of universal copyright principles.

Recent efforts as a member of the Coalition of Concerned Copyright Advocates (COCCA) has led to the President of the Republic of Ghana, withholding his assent to the Copyright Bill, recently passed by Ghana’s Parliament for anomalies to be corrected.

Rex’s belief in adopting the positive aspects of African culture for the socio-economic advancement of the African has led him to set up an N G O, the D I Y-Africa.

For his hobbies, Rex Omar likes driving fast cars, reading and writing of songs.

He enjoys taking “Hausa koko” (porridge) and “koshie’ for breakfast, banku and okro soup or Kofi Brokeman (roasted plantain) for launch and fufu with light or palm nut soup when he is relaxed. Generally he believes as a traditionalist and Pan Africanism in eating natural African dishes which to him are healthier.

Rex Omar is married with four children, 3 girls and a boy.

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