Veteran Ghanaian rapper Nii Addo Quaynor, popularly known as Tinny, has revealed that he originally began his music career rapping in Twi and English, but later switched to Ga to stay true to himself and his cultural roots.
“Yeah, I actually started as a Twi rapper,” Tinny said. “I was doing more Twi and English than a bit of Ga, but I wasn’t a Ga rapper.”
Explaining his initial preference for Twi, Tinny pointed to its broader commercial appeal.
“Twi is the most spoken language in Ghana, so when you’re doing something in Twi, you perceive that it will go faster. Consider merchandising and market-wise—it goes fast. So I decided to do my thing in Twi.”
However, a moment of self-reflection prompted a change in direction.
“Later on, I realised that I’m not original. I have to be me and represent where I’m coming from. That’s why I went back to my pen and my paper and I wrote songs like Makola Kwakwe and others.”
When asked whether someone had influenced his switch to Ga, Tinny was emphatic.
“No one, I decided myself.”
There had been rumours suggesting that acclaimed producer Hammer encouraged the shift, but Tinny dismissed them.
“No, this was way before meeting Hammer. I was a Ga rapper before meeting him.”
He recounted how he first crossed paths with Hammer through another artist.
“I remember I met Hammer through Doggo. When Doggo was going to record his album, Hammer was looking for a Ga rapper.
“So Doggo actually told Hammer about me, and I was home when he called me. I drove there, and I met him—and the rest is history, as they say. So it wasn’t Hammer at all.”
Reflecting on his collaboration with the legendary producer, Tinny described the creative experience as powerful and inspirational.
“The feeling alone was great. Hammer is the type that can mute everything and just drop a baseline that will make you go crazy—wow—even before adding the strings and everything.
“So it brings the feeling out of you, it brings out your creativity. I love working with Hammer, one of the best engineers so far.”
When host George Quaye mentioned that some artists have found Hammer difficult to work with, Tinny offered a different perspective.
“Maybe it is the understanding. I dey worry, but Hammer still works with me.”
