Exclusive Interview: Coca-Cola Goes Azonto

Talk about artistry in the Ghanaian music industry, one thing that gets people grooving everywhere around town in recent times has been the craze and crave to do the nationally acclaimed Ghanaian 'Azonto Dance.'

The dance, beyond all reasonable doubts has spread its tentacles like a raging fire across the length and breadth of the country. This has caused a grave stir in the showbiz industry where Azonto has become a big deal in the dancing circles.

The story is virtually not different at all in the all new Coca-Cola Azonto Handshake Commercial presently streaming live on social media networks like twitter, Youtube, facebook, google-plus among other blogs on the internet.

Against this backdrop, ModernGhana caught up with Ghana's Hiplife Icon, Okyeame Kwame, aka 'Rap Doctor,' one of the most celebrated Hiplife Idols of all time; talking about one of the Godfathers of Ghana Hiplife.

Okyeame Kwame also happens to be the brain behind this newest Coca-Cola Advert and he sheds some light on the whole Azonto concept of the commercial:

“When you think 'Azonto,' what comes into mind is the young people, the trendy Ghanaian; we needed to give the Coca-Cola commercial a touch of trendy energy. We needed to place it in an environment and carve an identity for it and at the same time to give it a trendy energy in the form of a band and that is how come we settled on 'Azonto' because, presently in Ghana, you can't do without Azonto,” Okyeame Kwame told ModernGhana.

He further revealed that Coca-Cola specifically requested for an Azonto concept since they believe that is the dance of the moment, a dance which is gradually fast becoming a live band.

“The Azonto dance is beautiful and those who do the dance put a lot of positive energy behind it and as such we wanted to put Ghana on the international stage with the doing of the dance in the commercial. That is how come you can see some international students exhibiting their own Azonto moves in the advert which obviously stands for creativity,” Okyeame Kwame emphasized.

He went on to add that what appears to be very unique with the Azonto dance is the bare fact that it is self-explanatory. He said one can easily realize that every move in the Azonto dance means something.

“I see Azonto to be a dance of symbolism since you exhibit a lot of energy, you move and then push down, which is the philosophy of young people and then in the process you open a bottle of Coke and become happy; that is exactly the idea behind the Coca-Cola Azonto Handshake Commercial. Azonto is one of the easiest ways to communicate open happiness open happiness goes with a cool ice-chilled bottle of Coke,” Okyeame Kwame stressed.

Touching on how he landed on the Coca-Cola commercial deal, he recounted that after the Okyeame Kwame Versatile Show in Accra which was a huge success, he was contacted by the marketing team of Coca-Cola to design a concept that can make up a Coca-Cola advert with the target being the youth on social media and other networks of the internet.

“After the Show in Accra, I was called by the Marketing Manager of Coca-Cola since they were convinced that I was the best person to handle such a project. So, I opened up to them and we brought ideas together. So they gave me the contract to shoot the advert and I started organizing everything by bringing the right people onboard.

I got a Choreographer called Nii Tettey from the University of Ghana School of Performing Arts and also got a Joe from Phamous People as the Videographer and it was a combination of professional skills which at the end gave the advert a professional touch indeed,” Okyeame Kwame stated.

The Rap Doctor also disclosed that the patronage of the Coca-Cola Azonto Handshake commercial has recorded enormous success with over 130,000 views on Youtube channel.

Okyeame Kwame urged fans and lovers of Coca-Cola to also upload their own Azonto moves on the Coca-Cola Fan Page on Facebook to win very surprising and mouthwatering prizes.

The advert begins with the handshake and is filled with some suspense. Waiting any longer? Click on the following link, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sfo66Eh4bs, and watch the video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sfo66Eh4bs

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