Ko-Jo Cue, one of the nation's acclaimed rappers, has noted he has no interest in fame, and this may be the cause of his stunted stardom.

“I don’t really like fame,” he told Prince Benjamin (PB) on Accra 100.5 FM’s Entertainment Capital.

“Pen & Paper [with Shaker] is the most commercial thing I have ever done,” he underlined.

When the tape was released, “we had multiple VGMA nominations, we won 4Stye Music awards, but after all that, I didn’t get any fulfillment from it like when I release these introspective songs and people tell me I was reflecting their life events”.

He said suicidal people had testified about receiving salvific relief via his music, and personal conversations upon their request via social media.

He emphasised “such things are abundantly precious to me more than” acclaim and accolade.

Getting to the bottom of his aversion to fame, he said, “I’m sure it’s maturity because I’ve not always been like this”.

Additionally, he regretted that there  were “a few times” when due to “my name and responsibilities that came with it, I lost control over some things unlike previously, and I dislike that”.

He remembered an incident in “class three” which convinced him “power and those things were not for me”. He was the class prefect, and charged with keeping order and quiet in the absence of his teacher. He said when he once penned down names of those who were disturbing the class, they promised him toffees “and he crossed out their names, after they pleaded” only for these to teem up and report him to the teacher.

“That day, I was the only one beaten by the teacher, and I was stripped of the title, too,” he amusingly narrated.

“With great power comes great responsibility, and there are some responsibilities that I do not desire because you may stumble and do something and it may destroy your relationship with some people,” he added.

Ko-Jo Cue conceded fame may lead to money but asserted that “one does not need fame to make money.

“Fame may help, but it is not the sole path to wealth.”

“We all know [Apple founder] Steve Jobs, but even though you cannot mention Apple’s top 100 workers, they all have money,” he illustrated.

“So the popularity and applauds is not that important to me,” he stressed.

He admitted his wide-acclaim had been elusive despite his beloved music skills and star power significantly because of him, “and that’s why I disengage when I am asked whether the industry has been fair to me”.

He identified there had been “many” opportunities to grow his momentum from “events” that had taken place in his career but he had not.

He said he could have used social media and his gift of humour and entertainment, for instance, to achieve increased and rapid fame but “I don’t want the responsibility that comes with all that.

“I don’t want to add to my responsibilities, things that will not bring me joy and fulfillment. The fame brings me no joy.”

He said he would like to go about publicly without anyone addressing him as a music star.

He said he was taken aback when people he grew up with were now calling him “Ko-Jo Cue and not Junior”.

“I want to be human. If not, they blow up your mistakes, for instance. And one other thing that frightened me was those behind me, like my family, who have no interest in fame, are affected by mine fame,”

He said he meant to protect himself and his family, and “it’s held me back a lot - that’s the truth”.

“I would experience levels of success where I’d see if I’d only add another three or four, it’d be extremely successful but the fear sets in and I relax a bit,” he added.

Ko-Jo Cue underlined he experienced moments of depression, too, which impacted his career. 

“Some two things that happened to me back-to-back, and it was really tough, but these are not events I would want to share, at least not at this time. I had a personal tragedy, real life issues that were very serious, that I needed time to calm down and [get] my thoughts [under control] before I resume work. 

He said though he was engaged in some work in the background, he could not bring himself to making music in this trying period.