Transcript of The Sound of Home

This is mind your own, a storytelling show, navigating what it means to belong, all from the african perspective. And I'm your host, Lupita nyong'o. Mind your own. That's a phrase I've heard used throughout the continent. It's both an admonition and an invitation. It's mind your own business. Like, deal with what you're dealing with, you know? But it's also like, mind your own people. Find them, take care of them. So when I think about that phrase, for me, this podcast is about me minding my business. And my business is african stories. I grew up surrounded by african stories, those experiences, not the hot button news reports that we get a whole lot of. But the nuanced, intimate stories are extremely interesting to me. I want to help share them and tell a few of my own. And it is a way for me, as a homesick person, to feel more at home. So in this podcast series, we're going to the village and the big city. We're going to sneak into a cemetery, hop onto a stunt plane, hit the red carpet at the academy awards, and maybe make an escape in a getaway car. We're going to Kenya and Canada, Ghana and Saudi Arabia, Nigeria and South Africa and beyond.

We're going home.

And follow us home. The light. I saw my jawline. It's the cat we call light your own.

In order to create this podcast, I had to get very comfortable with my voice.

I'm, like, fixing my voice, trying to find that perfect radio voice. Welcome to the sundowner, live from New York City. Today, a little bit of jazz as.

The sun goes down. It has not been easy. I've long had a complicated relationship with the way I speak. You'll see what I mean.

While I was in undergrad, I held onto my kenyan accent for dear life. I had seen so many Kenyans not even get off the plane, and all of a sudden, they have an american accent. You know, I would eat tater tots. That's okay. But I would hold on to my accent. After I graduated from undergrad, I was in New York. I was an assistant. I had to do things like quickbooks. I have no business doing quickbooks. I call my mom, and I say, hey, I don't want to do this. I decided that I wanted to be an actor. When I showed up at the Yale School of drama, I made this pact with myself that I would learn how to sound american in a way that would guarantee me a career in acting, because obviously, I didn't know very many people in movies and television with kenyan accents, there was just no market for that. Casting is unforgiving. It's so hard to suspend people's disbelief if they've seen something in you that they have an unconscious bias about. And I knew that Africa was the unknown element, and I didn't want it in the room.

So I made that commitment to myself that I would do lessons twice a week to figure out technically what this american accent actually is in my mouth. I had an accent coach, actually, two accent coaches. That's how serious I was about it. There were just these sounds that I were hellish, like the word c a n apostrophe t. As a Kenyan, I would say that as Kante. And Americans say can't and, oh, my.

God, just like, sound can't.

And it just sounded so off. Couldn't. That's very american. Couldn't, because I say couldn't. And so what it was is that the kenyan accent is you pronounce everything it's there for pronouncing, so pronounce it. One of the main ways that I could test my. How well I was doing with my accent was automated voice messages.

Hello?

This call may be like, you know when you call your phone service provider or something?

For billing, press one.

For billing, press one. Or say billing for. And see. And so I'm practicing my american accent, so I'm going to choose to say the things, and I want to see how far I can get. And so sometimes I got far. Other times I gave up. My classmates always loved my accent. We were rehearsing a play. We had an assignment, a group of us, maybe five actors, we were devising a show together. And one of my classmates, she's giving an idea of how we should move. She says, okay, so how about you guys come over here and then we can form a curlicue, and then we can go back, and then we can start the scene.

I.

Didn'T fully understand what she meant. I raised my hand and said, you spoke of a curly Q. What is that? And everybody burst out laughing. In that moment, everyone was so tickled because of my choice of words. You spoke of a curlicue. I guess that's not very american.

Oh, God.

I still have work to do. The hardest was calling home.

Hi, mommy.

How are you? It was very uncomfortable for me to do that. It was just. It felt like a shirt just didn't fit, you know, an itchy shirt that didn't fit. And I was so afraid to let go of the exercise because I knew that it was in repetition, that it would stay. And the idea was to stay, stick to an american accent until it became second nature, so that I could reach for it whenever I wanted it. My very first meeting with a casting director and her saying, asking me about where I was from, and I said, kenya. And she said, oh, my goodness, you don't have an accent. And it was. I was at once so elated and also so crushed. I had rid myself of myself kind of. Right before I graduated, I auditioned for this movie called twelve Years a Slave. It starred some heavy hitters. I mean, you're talking Brad Pitt and Chirutel, edgy afore and Michael Fassbender.

These names that I had, you know.

People that I'd studied and grown up watching, it was just so bizarre. And now I was cast in that movie. They had an edit of it, and they had an understanding of what this might do for my career.

I had this ghanaian british friend who also worked as an agent before I started press for twelve years a slave.

He asked me, Lupita, what's the story with your accent? I can understand why you would do that for an american market, but the truth is that the stage you're going to be on is a global one. And do you want to send a message of an american accent being more valuable than your own? I remember being so stunned by that. Like, the truth is, like, at the end of the day, I never wanted to lose my authenticity. I called my reps and we had a conference call, and I said, I've decided that from tomorrow I am going to return to my original accent. I want to send a message that being an African is enough. You know, they've never heard me in a kenyan accent, so they were like, well, we look forward to hearing what that sounds like. And I was like, gah, I look forward to it too. You know, I gave myself the weekend, actually. I don't think it was an immediate thing because I was just like, oh, my God, I don't, you know, it was like this. My american accent was this, what can I call it? It was a harness that had been holding me for so long, and all of a sudden, like, how am I not gonna have my harness to wrap my head around it?

I'd also prepped my roommate as well. I remember waking up and going, like, to the kitchen to see her and trying to remember how to say good morning in a kenyan accent. And what came out was so neither here nor there. And I realized, oh, my God, there is no turning back. It sounded like what I sound like now I say a few words that sound kenyan, others that sound like deceptively british, others that sound american. And I couldn't find myself in my mouth anymore. I just felt like, yeah, the word is imposter. And I just wept. Then I spoke to my mom and she said, your accent is representative of your life experience. That gave me, like, solace. You know, that an accent is actually born of it comes to being from your life and accent, just like skin and hair, it can change and it's okay, you know, I guess this accent is called lupita. I don't know who can claim it but me.

We'll be back in a quick second. Stay tuned.

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Welcome back. You're listening to mind your own. In my story, I get all kinds of mixed up whenever I try to express myself. Some people don't have that issue. They know their voice. They know exactly who they are every time they open their mouths to speak. But does the world really hear what they have to say? Today on mind your own, we're passing the mic to yao ataosu, someone who knows that struggle. Our story starts in Germany in the late 1980s. When a young couple, Yao and Mary, had just moved there from Ghana. I hope you're listening.

I got home, and I said to my wife, I lied to the guy. I don't know what happened to me. I've lied to somebody, and I'm still thinking about it. I shouldn't have, but I don't know what I did.

This was a guy Yao met at the post office, of all places. Yao was in line, sending a letter back home to Ghana. When this man just came up to him from nowhere and said, are you a musician?

I looked at his face and I said, I played the drums. Because that was the only thing that could come to mind. And he said, oh, yeah, I'm looking for a drummer. So I told my wife that I was going to use the dinner table, dining table as my drum set while I was playing on my dining table. And my wife said, you are disturbing me because there's no way you're going to make it. My wife said, call the guy right now and apologize and tell him you're not a musician. I didn't listen to her, so I started training, playing. I wouldn't even sleep. Five days later, the guy came, picked me up.

Two years into living in Germany. Yao was still struggling to find work. He didn't speak German. So he was ready to jump on any opportunity that came his way. Even one as strange as this one. The man from the post office drove Yao to a big building. A rehearsal space. And he put him in front of a drum set.

As soon as I got there. For the first time in my life. I sat on the drums. And I remembered what I was playing on my dining table. Using both legs. I got so scared. But there was one thing that I could do. I could hold on to the temple. By temple, I mean how fast or how slow it goes. And how you are able to keep the timing. That was that I was very good. So after the session, I was expecting the guy to say, nah, man, you can't. But he said, man, you're good. And I thought he was joking. How could I be good?

Yao came back home, sat down at the dinner table. And ate dinner with his wife.

I told her that I didn't embarrass myself. She didn't believe me. But that was okay. Because I knew I was telling her the truth. After maybe some months, two, three months. I gained confidence. And so I was able to play the way I wanted to play. The only thing that I couldn't do at that time. Was I couldn't play any drum phrase or drum roll. And by that, I mean I couldn't do that. But playing straight, I was so good.

But Yao had a point to prove. He took his wife to rehearsal to show her the songs he'd been working on.

When she saw me playing it on drums. Singing songs that I had written myself. It was amazing. Seeing my pregnant wife dancing to the tunes or singing. It was awesome. I just loved, yes.

All that time Yao had been banging away in the middle of the night on those drums. His wife had been pregnant. But as happy as he was playing. The truth was the music, the band. The idea of building a future in Germany was over.

The dream of coming up with a reggae album in Germany. Did not materialize. Because they were putting pressure on me to leave the country.

He had this vision of creating a reggae album. But Yau and Mary had come to Germany. On temporary visas. That had run out. So none of it would be possible. They would have to leave.

It was tough. And that was when we left for Canada.

They moved into a tiny apartment in Toronto. With their baby boy. Who was born just before they left Germany. Over the next few years, Yao worked to make ends meet. And eventually he got a job at Toys R Us. The pay was low at the toy.

Store, but the work, it was very easy. I didn't have to use the brain much. Very easy to do so I could sing and not make mistakes. I got the opportunity to work on my songs because every time I was working, I could sing loud. It was okay for everybody. They even liked. They enjoyed it. So the day I didn't sing, they will come and say, hey, come on, we want to hear some songs. Then I'll be singing. I'll be singing. So that helped me a lot when I was working at Toys Rs, sometimes they play music. They have loudspeakers while we're working there. You know, sometimes they'll play it on the radio. I remember this song, everybody dance now. Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom. If you are dead, you wake up, you listen to it. That is excellent sound. I just love it. And so that influenced me a lot. I wanted to be quite different from anything that I already heard from Ghana. I left Ghana, and so what was actually happening in Ghana, I wasn't so sure. I had not heard anything about rap music from any ghanaian musician.

And so with my influences by Grandmaster Flash, I said, why don't I introduce this into the musical scene in Ghana? So I made up my mind to rap in the free language.

As Yao's mastery of music grew, so did his family. He and Mary had another baby, so Yao picked up another job to help pay for recording equipment.

Imagine living with your wife and two little children in an apartment and always going, bam, bam, bam.

An Atari computer next to the dishes, wires everywhere. It would be a lot for anyone to put up with.

My wife, from the very beginning, knew everything I was doing, because the studio was right in our living room. I finished the album, and the first people I played to were my wife and kids. I told my wife, this is what I have. I played it, she loved it, my kids loved it, and they danced with it. And I said, ah, this is good. It must be good, because I know my wife. And once she was satisfied with the album, I was very happy about what I had done. So when I played to some Ghanaians, there were those who said, oh, it's good. They appreciate it. Oh, this good. But you look at their faces, and you can read from their faces that are. It's not good. It doesn't sound good to them.

Yao's songs were so different from the ghanaian high life everyone was used to. The rap was in Chui, not in English. And the dance tracks were quick, quirky, mixing so many styles because it's so unpredictable.

You get some kind of fear. What of if it doesn't work the way you envision it? What of if people don't like it? What of if the album doesn't sell?

What would be the point of all these sacrifices that he and Mary had made. If the album flopped? But Yao was determined, and he had a plan. He sent the master cassette tapes of his album. Over to his twin brother in Ghana. Who agreed to help him try to get it into clubs and onto the radio. They had enough money to produce 50 cassette tapes. He decided to call himself Atakak, which means little twin. The one thing he didnt have to think about at all. Was what to name the album. Hed always known what it would be. Obasima, Yao's brother, handed it out to DJ's in Ghana. And Yao waited. Months crawled by. Then his brother called.

He also tried what he could, but it wasn't the best.

No one was interested in his album. And for all Yao knew. Those tapes were sitting in the corner of some shop gathering dust.

And honestly, I was so disappointed. So disappointed. Because I put so much effort into this. And I had wasted my money. That's what I thought. And I. So I had to start something new. And when it happens this way, sometimes it piss you off. So I wasn't writing any songs anymore. But I didn't forget to what I did, you know. I knew I had done a good job by just. It wasn't good enough. So I was. I was angry at myself. My wife didn't say anything about it. He didn't mention it. And I didn't want to mention it either.

Don't go anywhere more. Mind your own after this quick break.

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You're listening to mind your own. Where were we? Yao wasn't sure what to do next. Should he keep going with music? He tried to find a more stable job.

And then one day after work, I went to church.

I was playing the drums. We were just rehearsing. While I was there, I had a call from somebody that my wife had called. They asked her to come to the immigration for her papers, so she went there. And so I went to pick up the kids. And when they came home, they asked, where is mommy? And I said, mommy will come back. I lied to them. I went to the immigration, and they said she had been deported. I was dumbfounded, and I wanted to hide from many people, so I tried to hide my feelings by emotion. I was so downcast.

Yao and mary had separate asylum applications. So while mary had been deported, Yau stayed behind in Canada. The kids, however, would have to go with their mother.

It wasn't easy sending your kids to Ghana or having your wife in Ghana. It doesn't make you think straight. So I was working hard, working even on weekends, Saturdays especially, because all I needed was money, money, money.

Yao knew he had no choice but to turn away from music once and for all. He got rid of his entire studio. The mics, the computer, the keyboard, all his equipment.

I wished I could get manifest. So that I could leave Canada as fast as I could. But it never worked that way. I had to wait and wait. And so it took me a long time. Long, long, long time. And I had to endure it until the end. When I said, now, hey, I have this. I have that. And I think I'll be able to settle down in Ghana. Work to keep my family going.

Yes. After eight years. He had finally saved up enough money. To provide for his family.

And that was when I left for Ghana. I was so excited. She was so excited. And I can't describe it. She had to run to me. And, yes, we hugged for a long time. Yes, finally, I was with my wife again. We went home, and the kids were there. They jumped me. And I said, yes, I'm back now. I'm on my feet. I'm on my feet again. I'm on my feet again.

Yao had his family together again.

So I wasn't writing any songs anymore. I gave up on music.

For the next decade, Yao worked to support his family any way he could. His kids grew up and moved away. His beats were a thing of the past. Or so he thought.

And I had a call from my son in Canada. She called me, and I said, there's a guy by the name Brian. And he's looking for me. He's been looking for me for a while.

It was 2015, over 20 years since Yao created Obasima. His son gave Brian Yao's number. Brian called him up and said he'd uploaded Obasima to the net.

And I was shocked, because I never saw that my. Somebody with his on the net. And it was doing well on the net.

Brian was an american indie record guy. Who found one of the last Obasima cassette tapes. On a random roadside stand in cape coast. On the COVID was a young yao with his nineties haircut. Black shades popped, denim collar. And a backwards captain. The words attacack jumping out in retro 3d printing.

Brian Shimkovich, you know, came to Ghana and found the cassette. Bought it and loved it.

Brian made a blog page. And put Obasima out there on the Internet. This time, people from all over the world connected to it. The old school beats, yao rapping in twee, the high life chorus. It all came together to make a certified underground hit. Turns out Brian had been looking for him for eight years.

I asked myself, is this guy for real? No, he doesn't even understand the language. So how. How could he possibly like my songs?

Language differences don't have a place on the dance floor. People in Europe wanted to come see him play Obassima live. And Brian was making yao the offer of his dreams. To sign him to a record label. And launch a worldwide tour. Took a leap of faith.

So my first concert was in London. I'm speaking in language that my fans don't understand. And it tells me that I have done something good. Because even though I restricted myself initially to my people. Now it's become global. And I love that.

Next stop, Berlin, Amsterdam. And eventually the US of A.

I am a downhill skateboarder. And your music is very big in the downhill skate community. We love skating to it. That's, like, our favorite. Thank you very much.

And nice to know.

Yes.

All those years ago, squeezed in between an Atari computer and a dining room table. Yao had performed for an audience of just three. But now, hundreds were dancing along to his title track and ultimate inspiration. Even though Mary couldn't attend. Yao sang her praises every time. Because she is Obasima.

So Obasima actually means an ideal woman and our guide, my wife. As an ideal woman, I believe in loving somebody forever. Not just for a while, not temporarily. When I'm in love with you, I'm in love with you forever. She's everything to me now. Besides goddess. My wife is next. And she's taught me a lot of things. She's taught me about life. And so I sang about her love. That's what I wrote about an ideal woman. And what she does.

Yao's voice is so bright. There is just. It's just laced with optimism. And when you hear the lengths he went to. First of all, to pass as a musician before he was one. And then to make his dream happen. It's all contained in his voice. His hope, his faith, his confidence. The cloud doesnt have a silver lining. It seems like the whole cloud is silver. Yeah. He just seems to wear his heart on his sleeve. In a really, really inspiring way. For sharing your story with mind your own, I thank you. Yao yau lives in Kumasi with his wife. And still performs as Atacak to this day. To find more of his music, check out our show notes. Thanks for listening. It's been good to have you. And I enjoyed going to our living room. Scratch that. Our home studio. Where there's an Atari computer. And microphones in the bathroom. And smiling in front of us. Obasima. See you the next time. You mind your own. Until then, here's a song from the continent show my side by CK and Amaraeh. Mind your own is hosted and produced by me, Lupita Nyong'o. This is a production of Snap Studios at KQED, with sales and distribution by Lemonade Mediaev.

The executive producers are Glynn Washington and Mark Ristich. Our managing editor is Regina Bediako. Our director of production is Marissa Dodge. Original music in my story losing my accent was by Ian Hughes Pelton, also known as Tofu Jack. The story Obasima was produced by Marisa Dodge and Regina Bediako, with assistance from Bo Walsh. Original music by Clay Xavier. Additional music from Marla Kether and Atacax Obasema, courtesy of awesome tapes from Africa. Our mind your own producers are David Exume and Priscilla Alabi. Our story scouts are Ashley Okwasa, Fiona Nyong'o, Jessica Carissa, and Lesedi Oluko Moche. Our editors are Nancy Lopez and Anna Sussman. Our story consultant is John Facile, engineering by Miles Lassie. Our music supervisor is Sandra Lawson Ndu, also known as Sandu Ndu. She also created the Mind your own theme song with peach Curls, featuring vocals from Ejoribo. Graphic design by Jemima Eke. Original artwork by Mateusz Sithole Special thanks to Alan Coy, Jake Kleinberg, Samara Still, Sarah Yu Warner Music Group and Afropods. Make sure to follow. Mind your own and listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify Amazon Music or wherever you get your podcasts. There's even more to love with Lemonade.

Premium subscribers get exclusive access to bonus content from across the network for only $4.99 a month. Subscribe now on Apple Podcasts. Now go out, get together, and mind your own voice.