Hippocritz

THE HIPPOCRITZ African Roots Reggae Band was founded in the year 2000 by the ghanaian singer, bass-player, songwriter and composer Agbenyega Attiogbe alias ’Pepper’. In 1998 he left his homeland Ghana to live in Germany with his family, where he works as a teacher for non-disabled and disabled children and adults in the section of music and art. In January 2008 he opened THE HIPPOCRITZ SCHOOL Attiogbe’s African Music and Art School, where he continues his teachings of African Music and Art. Please check out www.hippocritz-school.com for more detail. Born into the culture of the Ewe, he early came across music and art. His house in Ghana as well as in Togo, where he grew for some years, was full of music and spirituality. He learnt drumming and singing at the early age of childhood and for him, rhythm is like breathing, eating and sleeping. It’s his life. After schooling in Ghana and Togo, he left to Nigeria as young man, where he helped his father to work to support his younger brothers and sister. Beside working, he created sculptures, painted pictures, worked on decoration and sold his art to the public. After his fathers death he returned back to Ghana and worked as a sign-writer and on ceramic field. Some years later he became a sub-contractor for painting and decoration. As music has always been playing a big role in his life, some of the songs and lyrics on his first album ’FREEDOM’, 2006, RockWerk Records, had already been written by him in the early 80’s. Forming his African Roots Reggae Band THE HIPPOCRITZ in the year 2000 was his personal Breakthrough on the music section. Playing with 12 musicians on stage or with only 3 people has never made any difference to him. The ’message’ plays the most important role in his music. Reggae music is messeage and the message has to be carried to the people ! Concerts and festivals are played regionally and over regionally. In November 2006 the band THE HIPPOCRITZ had been choosen out of a bandpool of more than 70 bands of their region, to play in competition for the creole- prize for world-music contest. At the end they didn’t gain the creole- but they gain a lot of respect and honour for their performance. Pepper is a blessed, authentic and charismatic vocalist, bass-player and performer who sings in different languages like Ewe, French, English and sometimes a little German. His lyrics show his deep love he gives to his motherland Africa. JAH TIME STILL...is his motto, means : patience is the key ! JAH TIME...