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Garrick Black II
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RAMAHN JEMAHL WILDER PIX
When Kofi Boakye steps onstage and finds his place behind the piano, his inhibitions fade away. Excitement coursing through his veins, the 19-year-old Emmy-nominated Akron pianist doesn’t care what people think of him. His thoughts nearly vanish, and he welcomes the confidence that comes with letting endless hours of study and rehearsal take over during a performance.
"That’s home for me. That’s where I belong right now,” Boakye says.
In his nascent career, he’s already accumulated more accolades than you can count — but here are a few. He was the youngest African-American pianist to be accepted into a collegiate-level jazz program at The University of Akron at age 15. His autobiographical short film “Why Not Akron?” was nominated for an Emmy Award. President Barack Obama awarded him the President’s Education Award for Outstanding Academic Excellence in 2014. In 2018, he won a silver medal in the NAACP Afro-Academic, Cultural, Technological, and Scientific Olympics.
On Nov. 26 and 27, Boakye will take the stage in the Super Top Dog finals at the Apollo Theater in Harlem, New York. This is only the beginning.
Catch Boakye’s final show in Akron at 7 p.m. Aug. 9 at the Trailhead at Cascade with dinner by internationally-renowned chef Jesse Steward. After that, Boakye heads to Boston to attend Berklee College of Music, the culmination of a year-long performance-based fundraising project to raise enough money to attend the prestigious institution.
Boakye spoke with us about music, college and his big dreams.
Why do you love the piano?
KB: It was a way out of a situation for me living in the inner city of North Akron where a lot of peers don't have an opportunity or a passion to make something better of themselves. Fortunately for me, music allowed me to see beyond the situation I was in. It allowed me to understand there's more to life than what was being presented in front of me. It opened a lot of doors.
How has Akron shaped you musically?
KB: I wouldn't be who I am today without this city. I always say there's a work ethic in this city like none other, and you really wouldn't know about it unless you are here and you see it. It’s a mentality, a lifestyle. You gotta show people who you are, you gotta prove yourself. And I think that's something that I can take on any journey.
Who is your role model?
KB: My mother's an inspiration in a lot of the things I do. For her to consistently be that person that says Kofi, just continue to do what you're doing, you're doing the right things, I'm behind you — that means a lot to me. And somebody that I look up to in the music aspect of it, ironically, is not really a musician. It's Maverick Carter, the business partner and a manager for LeBron James. I've studied what he and LeBron have done since I was a freshman in high school. I look at what I'm doing in my music life and try to take parts and pieces of what they've done to put myself in a position to make my city, my family and my friends proud.
Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
KB: My long-term goals honestly aren't centered around music. I see myself doing a little bit of everything. I'm interested in business. I was at The University of Akron studying marketing, so I'm a person that's interested in investing in things. I'm a person that wants to be on TV. I want to have my own radio show. I want to have my own podcast. I want to be the house band musician for a late show. I just want to do it all, and music is the platform that's afforded me to do that right now. I'm going to continue to do music right now, and whatever happens after Berklee will be a surprise for all of us.
