Nana Kwabena Tuffuor (born March 25, 1986), better known by his stage name NANA KWABENA, is an American record producer, rapper, singer, songwriter, DJ and sound engineer. He is most noted for co-producing

Jidenna Jidenna Theodore Mobisson (born May 4, 1985), known mononymously as Jidenna, is an American rapper and singer. In 2015, Jidenna released two singles, "Classic Man" (featuring Roman GianArthur and Kendrick Lamar) and " Yoga" (with Janelle Monáe ...

's certified platinum single, "

Classic Man "Classic Man" is a song by Nigerian-American rapper Jidenna, released on February 3, 2015, as his commercial debut single by Epic Records. The song, which features vocals from fellow American singer Roman GianArthur, was included on Janelle Monáe ...

." In 2015, the song was nominated for a Grammy at the 58th annual

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

s for

Best Rap/Sung Collaboration The Grammy Award for Best Melodic Rap Performance (awarded as Best Rap/Sung Collaboration until 2017, and Best Rap/Sung Performance from 2018 to 2020) is an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and original ...

. Tuffuor also co-produced "Made To Love" by

John Legend John Roger Stephens (born December 28, 1978), known professionally as John Legend, is an American singer, songwriter, pianist, and record producer. He began his musical career by working behind the scenes, playing piano on Lauryn Hill's " Ever ...

and "

Yoga Yoga (; sa, योग, lit=yoke' or 'union ) is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines which originated in ancient India and aim to control (yoke) and still the mind, recognizing a detached witness-consciou ...

," featuring Jidenna and

Janelle Monáe Janelle Monáe Robinson (; born December 1, 1985) is an American singer, rapper and actress. She is signed to Atlantic Records, as well as to her own imprint, the Wondaland Arts Society. Monáe has received eight Grammy Award nominations. Mon� ...

. As a music producer, Nana Kwabena has collaborated with

Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer. Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, West gained recognition as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the ea ...

Rick Ross William Leonard Roberts II (born January 28, 1976), known professionally as Rick Ross, is an American rapper. Prior to releasing his debut single, "Hustlin'", in 2006, Ross was the subject of a bidding war, receiving offers from Sean Combs, D ...

Kimbra Kimbra Lee Johnson (born 27 March 1990), known mononymously as Kimbra, is a New Zealand singer and songwriter. Known for mixing pop with R&B, jazz and rock musical elements, her accolades include four ARIA Music Awards, two Grammy Awards and se ...

Kendrick Lamar Kendrick Lamar Duckworth (born June 17, 1987) is an American rapper and songwriter. Known for his Progressive rap, progressive musical styles and Social consciousness, socially conscious songwriting, he is often considered one of the most infl ...

Seun Kuti Oluseun Anikulapo Kuti (born 11 January 1983), who is called by the name Seun Kuti, is a Nigerian musician, singer and the youngest son of the famous Afrobeat pioneer, Fela Kuti. Seun leads his father's former band Egypt 80. Biography The y ...

Mr Eazi Oluwatosin Ajibade (born 19 July 1991), better known by his stage name Mr Eazi, is a Nigerian-born, Ghana-based singer. He is a pioneer of Banku music, a fusion of sound he describes as a mixture of Ghanaian highlife and Nigerian chord progressio ...

Goldlink D'Anthony William Carlos (born May 17, 1993), better known by his stage name GoldLink, is an American rapper and singer. In 2014, he released his debut mixtape, ''The God Complex'', which received critical acclaim. In June 2015, GoldLink was cho ...

and

Quavo Quavious Keyate Marshall (born April 2, 1991), known professionally as Quavo (), is an American rapper, singer, and actor. He is best known as the co-founder and former frontman of hip hop group Migos. Quavo is the uncle of late fellow Migos m ...

. Following his younger brother's passing from

Sickle Cell Disease Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a group of blood disorders typically inherited from a person's parents. The most common type is known as sickle cell anaemia. It results in an abnormality in the oxygen-carrying protein haemoglobin found in red blo ...

in 2011, Nana Kwabena founded AllOneBlood in 2012, a nonprofit organization dedicated to raising awareness of the disease. Nana joined Fear & Fancy Social Club and Arts Collective in 2012.

Early life and education

Tuffuor was born in

Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

. Tuffuor's mother is an accountant and founder of an elementary school in

Ghana Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...

and his father is a computer engineer and entrepreneur. Nana grew up in

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

. He attended high school at

George School George School is a private Quaker (Society of Friends) boarding and day high school located on a rural campus in Middletown Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania ( Newtown postal address). It was founded at its present site in 1893, and has grown ...

. Nana Kwabena graduated from the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universitie ...

in 2008 as a pre-med student with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Health & Societies and a minor in both Sociology and Africana Studies. After deferring his acceptance into George Washington University's

Milken Institute School of Public Health The Milken Institute School of Public Health (known as School of Public Health, Milken School, or SPH) is the school of public health of the George Washington University, in Washington, DC. '' U.S. News & World Report University Rankings'' ranks ...

for a year, Tuffuor later moved from Philadelphia to New York in 2010 to pursue his music career full-time.

Career

Following the passing of his younger brother, Kwame Apau, from Sickle Cell in 2011, Nana Kwabena founded the non-profit organization AllOneBlood. This initiative expands public awareness of Sickle Cell disease through photo and video campaigns and celebrity hospital visits. The organization aims to raise money for existing organizations dedicated to finding a universal cure for the disease. Tuffuor is a member of Fear & Fancy, a social club that began in California in 2006. The society, reminiscent of the social aid and pleasure clubs of

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

, is an international collective of entrepreneurs, activists, educators, scientists, and artists who host soirees, dinner parties, and demonstrations.

Personal life

Tuffuor currently resides in

East Flatbush East Flatbush is a residential neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. East Flatbush is bounded by Crown Heights and Empire Boulevard to the north; Brownsville and East 98th Street to the east; Flatlands, Canarsie and the ...

, Brooklyn. Tuffuor supports several initiatives for social justice, especially pertaining to African Americans. He joined Janelle Monáe, Jidenna and other Wondaland artists in leading demonstrations to support the

Black Lives Matter Black Lives Matter (abbreviated BLM) is a decentralized political and social movement that seeks to highlight racism, discrimination, and racial inequality experienced by black people. Its primary concerns are incidents of police bruta ...

movement during the Wondaland Eephus Tour.

Production credits

2009

Elliot Yamin – ''Fight For Love''

*12. "Someday" (Drum Programming)

2013

John Legend – ''Love in the Future''

*02. "The Beginning" (Drum Programming) *04. "Made To Love feat.

" (Producer, composer, engineer, Drum Programming, Programming) *05. "Who Do We Think We Are feat.

" (Additional Producer, Drum Programming) *08. "Save The Night" (Drum Programming) *14. "You & I (Nobody in the World)" (Drum Programming) *15. "Asylum" (Drum Programming)

2015

Wondaland – ''The Eephus''

*02.

– "

feat.

Roman GianArthur Roman GianArthur is an American musician, singer, songwriter and record producer known for his collaborations with artists Janelle Monáe and Jidenna. He is a member of Monae's Wondaland Arts Collective, and was featured on Jidenna's Grammy-nom ...

" (Producer, composer, Drum Programming, Background Vocals, Arrangement) *03.

– "

feat.

" (Producer, composer, Drum Programming, Background Vocals, Arrangement)

Jidenna

*00. "Long Live The Chief" (Lyrics, Arrangement, Recording Engineer) *00. "Extraordinaire" (Producer, composer, Arrangement, Drum Programming, Background Vocals, Synthesizers, Recording Engineer) *00. "Knickers" (Producer, composer, Arrangement, Drum Programming, Background Vocals, Synthesizers, Vocoders, Recording Engineer)

2016

Jidenna

*00. "Chief Don't Run" (Producer, composer, Arrangement, Lead Vocals, Background Vocals, Drum Programming, Programming, Recording Engineer) *00. "Little Bit More" (Producer, composer, Arrangement, Drum Programming, Palmas Handclaps)

Desiigner

*00. "Timmy Turner Remix" (Additional Producer, Drum Programming)

2017

Jidenna – ''The Chief''

*01. "A Bull's Tale" (Producer, composer, Arrangement, Synthesizer, Drum Programming, Programming, Sound Effects, Recording Engineer, Mixing Engineer) *02. "Chief Don't Run featuring

" (Producer, composer, Arrangement, Lead Vocals, Background Vocals, Drum Programming, Programming, Recording Engineer) *03. "Trampoline" (Producer, composer, Arrangement, Drum Programming, Programming, Sound Effects, Recording Engineer) *04. "Bambi" (Co-Producer, composer, Arrangement, Drum Programming, Programming, Mixing Engineer) *05. "Helicopters / Beware" (Producer, composer, Arrangement, Background Vocals, Synthesizer, Drum Programming, Programming, Recording Engineer, Mixing Engineer) *06. "Long Live The Chief" (Lyrics, Arrangement, Recording Engineer) *07. "2 Points" (Co-Producer, Arrangement, Drum Programming, Programming, Recording Engineer) *08. "The Let Out featuring Nana Kwabena" (Producer, Featured Artist, Lead Vocals, composer, Arrangement, Synthesizer, Drum Programming, Programming, Recording Engineer) *09. "Safari featuring

St. Beauty St. Beauty was an American musical duo consisting of singers Alexe Belle and Isis Valentino. The duo was affiliated with a larger artistic collective called Wondaland Art Society, a group of musicians that also includes Janelle Monáe, Jidenna, R ...

and Nana Kwabena" (Co-Producer, Featured Artist, Lead Vocals, Vocal Production, composer, Arrangement, Programming, Recording Engineer) *10. "Adaora" (Producer, composer, Arrangement, Synthesizer, Drum Programming, Programming, Mixing Engineer) *11. "Little Bit More" (Producer, composer, Arrangement, Drum Programming, Palmas Handclaps) *12. "Some Kind of Way" (Producer, composer, Arrangement, Synthesizer, Drum Programming, Programming, Recording Engineer) *13. "White N****s" (Producer, composer, Arrangement, Drum Programming, Programming, Sound Effects, Mixing Engineer) *14. "Bully of the Earth" (Producer, composer, Arrangement, Drum Programming, Programming, Recording Engineer, Mixing Engineer)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tuffuor, Nana Kwabena Living people Black Lives Matter people American people of Ghanaian descent Record producers from Pennsylvania American audio engineers Musicians from Cleveland Musicians from Philadelphia 1986 births Songwriters from Pennsylvania Songwriters from Ohio Activists from Ohio Engineers from Pennsylvania Engineers from Ohio 20th-century African-American people