‘I have nothing against King Paluta’ – KOKA responds to critics over ‘useless’ comment

Kwaku Osei Koranteng Asiedu (KOKA), an entertainment critic, has reacted to those who took issue with his assessment of King Paluta’s singing abilities in a previous interview.

Recall that KOKA criticized King Paluta for singing off-key and calling his voice “useless” in an Asempa FM interview, where he was critiquing the song “Mokoma.”

But he acknowledged King Paluta’s artistic potential and advised him to work with a vocal coach to get better at singing.

Social media users reacted differently to this, with many criticizing him for his remarks.

In an interview on Hitz FM on July 17, 2024, KOKA refuted allegations that his remarks were motivated by resentment toward the artist or an attempt to disparage King Paluta.

“I have read on social media that the party has paid me to be an NDC boy. I am an NPP in the interim. I am employed with Bawumia. Many of our people have not even heard the song before. Additionally, I believe that what I said has given them the chance to go listen to his music.

“And then there was the disaster of the crappy act he performed at Party in the Park; over time, the party had repressed that.”

“I’m not against him. I streamed his song. I’m Ashanti. He’s an Ashanti boy. For the longest time, we have not had dominance in the Ashanti region. So, if our own has come and I’m speaking well about it, I don’t see why people should take me on and chastise me,” he said.

He defended his stance on King Paluta’s voice, insisting that more work needs to be done on his singing in order to ensure an improvement in his craft.

“He needs to work on his singing… We should help him. Those who claim to be musicians should try to score the song. and see if what I’m saying is a lie. A lot of people don’t think I know or understand music. The fact that I don’t have the voice to sing does not mean I don’t understand what I do,” he said.

KOKA added, “We keep saying we want to go to the Grammy, but we can not go to the Grammy with chaff,” in reference to the caliber of music produced in Ghana. We will be producing mediocre music, which is exciting but not standard music, if we do not work on our production. Even though we will be doing something pleasant, it might not meet standards.

“Why are we still missing out on BET awards?” he continued. Why are our songs and productions becoming less and less good? Once we master it, no one can compete with us. And that was all I was attempting to discuss. I do not mean to disparage his work. He is doing fairly well. He is performing admirably.”