Ameyaw Meets
Spotlight on Billboard-Topping Producer, Coptic
U.S.-based Ghanaian beat-making genius, Eric Kwabena “Coptic” Matlock, continues to rise after his Billboard topping hit, “I Need a Girl”, for P.Diddy and his Bad Boy Entertainment label. The talented producer who relies heavily on hiphop melodies and drum beats has made beats for the likes of Notorious BIG, G-Dep, Jermaine Dupri, KRS-One, Black Rob, […]
U.S.-based Ghanaian beat-making genius, Eric Kwabena “Coptic” Matlock, continues to rise after his Billboard topping hit, “I Need a Girl”, for P.Diddy and his Bad Boy Entertainment label.
The talented producer who relies heavily on hiphop melodies and drum beats has made beats for the likes of Notorious BIG, G-Dep, Jermaine Dupri, KRS-One, Black Rob, Mase, Memphis Bleek, Carl Thomas, and Ice Cube, and is currently working on a project that aims to bring hip hop to Africa. The Africa-meets-America hip hop album, featuring rappers from both sides of the world.
Coptic was born in Kumasi, but grew up in Accra and Awukugua mostly. His love affair with music started at an early age; according to his mom, he was making music from the time he was a baby, beating on his grandmother’s pots. But his earliest memory of making music was when he was in a local band based in Newtown, Accra. He played the base drum and some percussion instruments. Perhaps, this is responsible for his signature thumping drums and melodies in his beats now.
In January 1983 he left Ghana for the US at age 13 and that marked the beginning of what has become the success story of this pure musical genius today. I bring you the untold story of this African gem from his own mouth.
What was your first production?
My first production sold was to Puff Daddy, this was before his first album came out, and when Biggie Smalls was still alive. It was supposed to be on Puff’s album and it was to feature Biggie Smalls. Well, I got paid for the track, Biggie died a few weeks later and I never heard that track again. My first actual released production was to Jermaine Dupri, for his ‘Life in 1472’ album. The song was “All That’s Gotta Go”, featuring Da Brat, and that album sold platinum plus.
How did you make this breakthrough?
I hung out at Uptown Records a lot, which was Andre Harrell’s label. That was around the time that Puff was A&R for Andre and working with Mary J. Blige and others. My boy/business partner David Best worked in the mailroom for the record label, so that got me through the front door and a chance to see a functioning and successful record label in action. About a year later David introduced me to his junior high school friend, Harve Pierre. Harve is the current president of Bad Boy Worldwide, but back then Harve was Puff’’s A&R at his newly created label, Bad Boy Entertainment. With Harve’s early and later guidance, I was able to get in the right places.
How did this lead to meeting the likes of Diddy, Jermain Dupri and others?
I worked on my craft for a few more years until Harve felt that my music was ready, at that point he passed my tape to my current manager, Anthony Hubbard, who then passed it on to Deric “D-dot” Angelette, who at this point was the hottest hip hop producer in America. Deric had produced the “Benjamins” and a whole lot of other hits for Bad Boy. He liked what he heard on the tape and it went from there. I worked as a producer for him, co-producing records for The Notorious Big, Puff, Jermaine Dupri, and others. At this point he had me, Kanye West and Charlemagne (Bronx) working as producers for him. This was good for us because it got us exposed to artists that we would normally not know.
What’s inspires your works and who are your influences?
My beats are inspired by melody and drums. I like hard Hip Hop drums; I always have that in my music. My influences include Bob Marley (I was fortunate to work with some of his kids in Miami) and Old School Hip Hop.
Jamati: Are you currently working on any productions or projects?
Yes, I am working with my artist Lil Goonie from Nashville, Tennessee. He has the official theme song to the Girls Gone Wild movement; he also has a few songs featured in their television show “The Hottest Girl in America”. I am also working with Ghana’s own Gibril Da African.
What is your assessment of our contemporary Africa music?
I love the music coming out of Ghana, for example, but I believe the main problem for an African musician is proper compensation from people using their music. African radio and televisions stations need to pay artist royalties; this will have a positive effect on the movement.
Have you work with any African acts?
Yes, I am working with Gibril Da African. I also worked with Zimbabwe Legit, Wanlov The Kubolor, and Angelique Kidjo. I am working on an Africa-meets-America hip hop album, featuring rappers from both sides, maybe one day I will finish it.
Have you ever pitched using African rhythms and beats on the works of any of these big US acts and what was the response?
Well I have actually sold a couple of tracks with African influences, but for some reason or the other they were not released.
What are we likely to find in your studio right now?
Mpc 4000, Yamaha Motif 6, Roland VP-9000, G5 mac / pro tools 002 / Reason
G4 mac / Pro tools TDM, Turntable/ Mic/ Headphones, Allen & Heath 16 ch Mix Wizard
Event Studio Speakers, and lots of Vinyl records.
Are you in touch with your Ghanaian roots?
I was in Ghana for Christmas 2007 and I had a great time. My favorite Ghanaian foods include yam with some Kontomire stew, or maybe some beans and fried plantains. I still speak okay Twi, but when I left Ghana, I spoke excellent Twi, Ga and the Akuapim language. I would love to work with a lot of the Ghanaian musicians like Reggie and King Ayisoba, we just don’t have access to each other. I am easy to find, search for COPTIC SOUNDS in Facebook and you will find me.
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He went from cooking on Instagram to owning a food truck in Atlanta and more… the story of Quabena’s Kitchen
The COVID-19 pandemic birthed many opportunities for people all over the globe. For one Ghanaian living in the US, the pandemic reconnected him with his passion which has now become a full-time job.
Quabena’s Kitchen shared with me his story about how he went from cooking for family and friends, to sharing content of his cooking on Instagram page at the height of the pandemic, which has now transformed into a thriving catering business in Atlanta, Georgia.
Quabena’s Kitchen services now include a food truck providing Ghanaian and West African delicacies to Africans and non-Africans alike, with ambitions of a restaurant on the cards!
Watch this exciting story on Ameyaw TV below:
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Fashion
Why Ghanaian-American Jeffrey Ampratwum is the menswear expert to watch in fashion!
At the start of the Victoria era, early 19th century – the English began to tone down the royal style dressing of the French army, namely those adorned in prestigious regalia and heavy embroidery. It was a sign of English nationalism and sparked a new wave of appearance in men. A few decades later, the suit was born and heavily influenced those in Italy and America. The British and the Americans have a rich revolutionary history, of course, and coincidentally the British colonized the African country – Gold Coast – until 1957 when they declared their independence and changed their name to Ghana.
As part of an independent Ghana, a host of individuals began to exercise new freedoms and venture out of the country into new territories. Many Ghanaians set their eyes on American travel and a wave of trail blazers left the country and settled in the infamous New York City. For most, it was an opportunity to plant new seeds in the hopes that their children would be afforded even more opportunities for a prosperous life.
One of these children of the diaspora is Bronx-born Jeffrey Ampratwum. The only child to Kate Bampoe and Eugene Asante-Ampratwum Mpere, who met in the Bronx after immigrating from Ghana. The dynamics of having African parents and being raised in a heavily eclectic environment gave rise to Jeffrey’s style and prose. More importantly, we can honestly say that there are only a handful of Ghanaian-Americans living in the states that can exhibit a special presentation that reflects both their African heritage married with the esthetic of their nationality. We recently caught up with Jeffrey to discuss how his early influences provided him with a framework to now become such a strong force in the menswear industry in fashion.
AD: Jeffrey, Ɛte sɛn?
Jeff: Haha, Eye.
AD: I had to test your Twi really quick! You know most Ghanaians who are born in the states don’t have a clue about the language unless it’s spoken fiercely in the home.
Jeff: You are 100% correct with that. Ha. But for me, I was lucky in that my mother took me to Ghana before I even knew how to use words. So, in actuality, Twi was the first language and vocabulary I learned, and in essence, English is my second language. So, I’m really decent when it comes to using Twi. I’m a cheat code! But keep that quiet. Ha.
AD: How much of the remnants of the Ghanaian culture factored into your approach to your style and presentation?
Jeff: When I was younger and in school, particularly in the Bronx – it wasn’t always your proudest moment to be from Africa or to say your family was African. Part of the silly embarrassment was perhaps from the narratives that were spinning on television. Americans were being indoctrinated with visuals of “feed the children” which only highlighted the extreme poverty in a few Africans countries. The images and broadcasts were all the same, for decades. So called philanthropist and humanitarians took camera crews into ravaged areas and televised starving children for us to see here in the states. I believe that had a profound effect on young boys and girls born from African parents.
However, as for me – I always looked at being dark skinned and being deeply rooted into my African culture as a super power. I liked the idea of being different, even though all the kids in all my classes were also children of immigrants. They just couldn’t grasp the concept of it at that time. So, from there, it was showtime. My Uncle, Joseph Ken Mintah – was the pioneer as the first in the family to travel to the states – he had extreme style. My mother also is very detailed with her sense of jewelry and fragrances. I adsorbed it all.
AD: Did you start dressing in traditional African attire? What do you mean exactly?
Jeff: Not exactly! But, being an only child really allowed for me to sit deep in thought for long periods of time. Being left-handed allowed for me to be extremely dexterous and detailed. And being raised solely by my mother further allowed me to pay attention to the importance of clothing and accessories – as she dressed herself each morning. It was the ultimate cocktail and I was already drunk with creativity. I started customizing all the clothes I had. By no means were we wealthy, so I had to manage just a few outfits for school.
My styling began when I would turn 5 outfits into 15 – so essentially, a 5-day school week became New York Fashion Week for me. I would airbrush my sneakers, turn Old Navy sweaters inside out for a fleece appeal, and cuff my jeans in 4 different ways depending on my footwear. This soon became a bad habit and made me late for school many mornings.
AD: You see, if you are late to school in Ghana back then – you might as well have sat by the road to hide from both your mother and headmaster! What was college like for you then?
Jeff: Right! Ha. It grew legs during my undergrad. Now all the pretty girls were around, I had more freedom to come and go, and more importantly – I had a stage to showcase my style. I joined a student club in the SEEK Program, and soon became the President and started hosting a string of events based around fashion. 4 years and a bachelors degree later, there were 6 fashion shows and 3 beauty pageants under my belt. Huge successes. I started to doubt my real educational reason for attending college, which was to become a dentist. Fashion was dancing on one shoulder and dentistry on the other. But somehow, I figured out how to still involve the two. My best buddy, Kenny – whom I met at the college on the road to become dentists – made it through. So, I live vicariously through him. And now, coincidentally – together we’ve developed a brand – a service of bespoke mens luxury shoes and women’s handbags, and ready to wear womenswear shoes as well. Named, Kenjeffreys. It is serendipitous because all of the products are sourced and handcrafted in Haiti and infused with Ghanaian culture. As Kenny is from Haiti, we properly employ artisans within the community and focus heavily on our social impact.
Following undergrad, I then began at FIT as student, really just trying to test my styling hand – and to learn more about the industry. While there, I came across extremely talented and knowledgeable fashion professionals that have really guided me. Namely, Sadia Seymour and Joseph DeAcetis. Both wildly experienced, patient and embedded with a wealth of information. Respectfully in womenswear and menswear. You cannot beat that, and I am grateful for it.
AD: That is strangely unique and admirable. Talk to us about how all those experiences and inspirations give rise to the Jeffrey or Che we see today and ultimately, where that places you in your field of fashion and menswear.
Jeff: Sure. Great point. I have been indoctrinated by the basic principles of creativity as an adolescent – with respect to clothing. That is extremely hard to shake. Innately, styling was my ultimate form of communication, seeing that I was a shy introvert. So now, I still revert back to those same feelings…. the feeling of home, warmth, memories, great food and innocent fun. My approach now is exactly the same in the sense that when I am dressing, styling or designing for someone – I am taking into account their entire repertoire and holding a mirror in front of them which reflects the items that they love most. It is a skill that perhaps only empaths are only able to exhibit.
Having the ability to read into thoughts and connecting with the motivating spirits that drives people – is a gift. I ran the New York City marathon three times, and the 2nd time I ran it in a tuxedo! It was my ultimate homage and pledging of allegiance to fashion. Ha.
I also believe my extensive traveling experience has aided to the arsenal. Recent trips to Ghana always resets a creative instinct with me, as I look around and arrive back to a place of self-awareness. It feels right. My cousin Harry knows where to be to capture the real essence of the land. And, coincidentally enough, I am often back and forth to the UK as well. Savile row in London, England -as you know – is a menswear connoisseur’s Disney Land. It is the traditional hub for the world’s best tailored-bespoke suits. Naples and Florence are a close second. However, sartorially, the British have etched their names in the fine-art making of the suit. I do though spend most of my time in Brighton, UK. It’s where my love is and also like a second home for me. The culture there is infused with various styles and the community is inviting. The Duchess of Brighton-Hove, Lady Donna and her amazing friends will assure that you have a great time!
AB: Finally, talk to us about your styling approach with respect to specific talent that you work with.
Jeff: Definitely. This is perhaps an area you cannot teach. It is learned with years of experience and even reading the room wrong most times. I tell my fashion students often that they have to continue shooting airballs at the basket. Get out the miss shots, now – and properly learn your subjects. For example, if I am styling a celebrity for the red carpet – several nuances are to be considered before arriving at a dress or a tuxedo. Such as, what stages in life is your talent currently in, how body conscious are they and what are they most nostalgic about. These (and some of my other secrets that I cannot give away) are the pillars to nailing great style, image and presentation.
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