E.L, THE MASTER PLANNER

This article was published on Loud Sound Ghana (https://loudsoundgh.com/2016/02/e-l-the-master-planner/)

I guess it’s so disheartening as an artiste to see your name in the headlines only when there’s bad news about you, or probably because every blog/site is publishing a new achievement you’ve accomplished (mostly for internet traffic). The BBnZ bigwig Elom Adablah AKA E.L deserves to be recognized fully for what he does, and on this platform I salute him & his management for great works being done and greater ones in the pipeline.

With only 2 albums to his credit, the “Hallelujah” hitmaker interspersed the period in between the official releases of his albums (i.e Something Else in 2012 and ELOM in 2015) with R&B and Hip-Hop mixtapes, titled Songs For Girls 1 & 2, and B.A.R I & II + Hip-Hop Project 2 (with C-Real), respectively.

Cover Art of "Something ELse" album

Before his first major release under BBnZ, Young LOMI did a joint tape with rap peer C-Real which they named Hip-Hop Project. In his young days with Skillions, we all knew him to be a Hip-Hop musician. Suddenly, E.L started commercializing his music, paying dues to the more popular Afrobeats/Azonto trend which actually put him in the limelight. He continued with the craze with hit songs like “One Ghana”, “Obuu Mo”, “Kaalu” and the likes. Not completely forgetting his roots, he dashed out a couple of songs to his Hip-Hop believers on his album, although he didn’t promote them that much.

EL With Skillions

The Ghanaian music scene is so difficult to penetrate, and even when one has crossed that barrier, maintaining relevance, fame and respect all at once is a hard nut to crack. Hence, E.L had to keep on feeding the masses with what they yearned for. At that point you couldn’t enlist E.L as one of the best rappers because he had just a few to show for it.

After battling it out for about 4 years, he finally settled, and saw the time right to go back to his roots, Hip-Hop, by dropping a 14-track mixtape, Best African Rapper (BAR). Right after, he staged a sold-out Hip-Hop concert at Alliance Francaise.

I had doubts he’d be doing something similar any time soon, but to my surprise, in 2015 he released a sophomore, BAR II, which he referred to as a tradition, and not just a mere mixtape. Further on, he filled World Trade Center with an impressive crowd at the BAR II Concert.

He again wowed fans with a late release of his 2nd studio album, ELOM which is a blend of multiple genres.

That’s an exact inkling to prove that E.L is not sleeping at all. He’s arguably the most hardworking musician in Ghana. Now let’s break it down and line out the plan he had when doing all these…

He ‘sold out’ to become a household name in GH music and stay relevant. He dropped Songs for Girls 1 & 2 to win the hearts of the hunnies and served the Hip-Hop heads with the BAR mixtapes and concerts. His latest album encompasses a great deal of universal music, from Afro-EDM to Pop, Hip-Life and Afrobeats, he slayed it like none. If you watch closely, he has almost every music lover (irrespective of the genre) and Ghanaian inhabitant under his radar.

Like it wasn’t enough, his next move is an SHS tour. Some may criticize it as low standard for the “Shelele” hitmaker’s brand, but let’s look at the bigger picture… Most artistes target the youth, especially tertiary students because of their vibrancy, forgetting that it’s these high school students who graduate to gain admission into these institutions.

If one is able to win their hearts from day one, they become loyal, and that’s what E.L is doing. He’ll definitely leave with them unforgettable experiences.

All these laid out and well executed plans may earn him his crown as the king of GH music and assure his takeover. I don’t know what to expect from the 6”5 dark-skinned man, however I know it shall be in line with the excellence delivered so far.

On that note, I tip off my hat in respect to the BAR!!!