According to Nana Acheampong, contrary to long-held public opinion, there has never been bad blood between him and "my brother" Daddy Lumba.

The Highlife legend spoke to Nana Romeo on Accra 100.5 FM's Ayekoo Ayekoo, Monday, April 22, 2024.

He was reacting to the notion that his said fight with Daddy Lumba was the first or at least the biggest between two music giants in Ghana music history.

“It may look as though we started this beef phenomenon but me and my brother, with whom people say I had a beef, had nothing ill going on between us. We had no problem, not for a single day.

“What happened was that after we made music together for a while, we parted. People thought it was over money or women," he said.

“The fans were hurt because they had admired us as a duo of young talented music performers and breaking up, for them, was a signal that something big had caused it," he explained.

Nana Acheampong said, “When we broke into two different music brands, it also divided the fans causing rivalry similar to the one between football teams Hearts of Oak and Asante Kotoko, struggling for one trophy.”

He said the fight was really among the fans, buttressing “no one heard him or I make any accusation against the other”.

The influential singer-songwriter recalled how keen the rivalry between his fans and Lumba's as members of the public gathered into two factions: “Nana Acheampong Football Club and Daddy Lumba Football Club.”

“They were fighting but my brother and I had no beef between us,” he stressed. "We didn't do what is done now where there is give and take, and verbal exchanges."

He admitted some of their songs “clashed,” in fact. However, concerning Daddy Lumba songs that seemed to take aim at him, he offered: “In my opinion, those songs were not made about me. I don’t claim them for myself and vice versa.”

“These were just songs we released to entertain our fans,” he said.

Nana Acheampong categorically said he has never recorded and released a diss track. His music only mirrored life, he added.

| L-R: Nana Acheampong and Daddy Lumba in 2023

In the 80s, before seeking solo careers, Nana Acheampong and Daddy Lumba were a Highlife duo called Lumba Brothers. They initially met in Germany and performed in line with the Burger Highlife tradition.

According to Daddy Lumba, he was once a Gospel act in Germany "until I found Nana Acheampong, who introduced me to Highlife. He has played a major role in my music career and I owe him a lot”. He was eulogising Acheampong during his performance at The Legends Night programme at the Accra International Conference Centre (AICC) in January 2023.

When Nana Acheampong surprisingly joined Daddy Lumba on stage that night, it marked a moving reunion after many years since their legendary beef.

Meant for release in 1986 but eventually materialising in 1989, Yɛɛyɛ Aka Akwantuo Mu (Stranded Abroad) was the Lumba Brother's first long play (LP), executive produced by Daddy Lumba's wife, Akosua Serwaa. 

Ye Wo Nyame (We Have God) is Nana Acheampong's latest offering and features Fameye.