GQ: Tell us about your alter ego, Bushman. At what point in your life did he emerge or did you notice the personality, Bushman?

CHÉ WULAAM: Bushman emerged a year after I started making music. It was what I wanted to be identified as. I wanted to change my lifestyle completely to heal the physical injuries I had. Bush signifies green, plantation, nature, and although people in Ghana call you bush if you are unkempt or have no courtesy or manners, I seek to redefine what Bush means when associated with an individual.

GQ: How would you describe Bushman? And what is the difference between CHÉ WULAAM and Bushman?

CHÉ WULAAM: Bushman is an analogy for someone who strives to live a life of simplicity and peace. One who is mainly plant based and experiments with God’s plants for healing. One who is spiritual and not religious. CHÉ WULAAM is my artist name and Bushman is my alter ego if I should say.

GQ: Tell us about your emotions and mental state when you were creating Bush Melo?

CHÉ WULAAM: I was working at ADP, an HR and Payroll company in Pennsylvania when I was creating Bush Melo; I sold payroll.

Anyone who works in sales for a billion-dollar corporation knows the hustle and bustle that comes with it. It is a highly result-driven environment where you have to deliver or risk getting fired. It kept me on my toes and improved my communication skills.

I would record Bush Melo late at night after selling payroll during the day. Songs like “Bushman Rising,” “Mutu,” “Kinkin,” and “Pla Cebo” are all centered around hustling for money, grinding and not stopping for anything.

Once Bush Melo was done, I resigned from ADP and moved to Omaha to help establish our family businesses. So, the album paved the way for a new start and gave me a great sense of freedom.

GQ: Songs on Bush Melo such as “Kinkin” “Zuki Vibes” and “Mutu” have interesting titles. Are these titles linked to culture? In what other ways do you showcase your culture through your music?

CHÉ WULAAM: Kinkin draws inspiration from Runtown’s hit Kini issue, which in my opinion helped shape Afrobeats. Zuki Bike is just a shortened form of Suzuki Bike. Mutu is a shortened form of Mutumina which means friend or my guy in Hausa.

Culture plays a significant role in my music especially when I sing in local dialects. I also reference a lot of experiences growing up in the streets of Tema in my music so my experiences in Ghana before I moved to the States are highlighted greatly in my art.

GQ: Your music is quite unique and distinct. How easy or difficult was it to come with such a unique sound and stay true to it?

CHÉ WULAAM: My style is raw and has no structure to it. It is like a blank canvas, and I am just creating. It has not been easy building my sound because I only started making music five years ago and I still struggle sometimes to come up with melodies.