OJ Blaq, a rapper from Ghana, died tragically at the age of 40.
Although the precise reason for his passing is still unknown, the rapper bravely battled a long-term kidney condition.
OJ Blaq, aka The Biggie Boy Lover, confessed that binge drinking and smoking led to his double kidney failure a few years ago in an interview from February of last year.
“I totally stopped smoking and drinking, and I started eating more vegetables. Not all vegetables are good for renal patients, it hasn’t been easy switching my diet, but if you really love your life, you have to adapt. It can be life altering for renal patients when they stop taking their BP drugs as well,” OJ Blaq siad on Asaase Radio.
Additionally, he counseled the young people to prioritize their health and lead healthy lifestyles.“What I want to tell young ones is that they need to check what they eat well,” OJ Blaq said, adding: “Do a lot of check-ups and eat well. Sometimes, due to ignorance we are not aware that certain things aren’t good for us, so we need to research on the right foods to consume.”
Touching on how he found out about his kidney failure, OJ Blaq recalled: “I had an accident on a motor bike. After that I started having swells on my feet and I thought it was from the accident, which some doctors told me they were just infections from my accident.”
“I attributed all the kidney symptoms to the motor accident I had. I was later diagnosed with kidney failure and put on dialysis when I expressed intense fatigue,” OJ Blaq added.
About OJ Blaq
OJ Blaq began his musical career in the early 2000s. He was born Andy Nii Akrashie in Accra, Ghana.
In 2006, he released his debut album, “The Blaq Mixtape,” which propelled him to fame. His chart-topping song “Chalewote” received a lot of praise as he continued to bless the world with tracks over the years.
OJ Blaq was a multidimensional artist known for his unusual rhyming style and biting social commentary woven throughout his songs. Later, he transitioned from rap and hip-hop to urban gospel.
“It’s not easy moving from one path to the other. Now I do Christian urban gospel music. My switch to Christian urban music was from my experience with kidney failure, so I decided to do gospel music with the same old rhythm style but different wording because the now Christians are different Christians.
“The new generation is not interested in the old style of Christianity but they are my target, they are the souls I want to win,” the “I’m Blessed” the singer said.
In addition to his musical talent, he was well-liked and frequently appeared on Ghanaian film and television screens, most notably in the hit television series Sun City.
The artist courageously battled a renal condition after learning of its diagnosis in 2021. He underwent a dialysis treatment schedule while he awaited the possibility of a kidney transplant. The artist, however, passed suddenly on August 17, 2023, a Thursday.
SOURCE: Senali News Ghana
