Ghanaian Comedian MJthecomedian Credits Veterans for Inspiring His Stand-Up Career

Timothy Musah Junior Abaadu, popularly known as Mjthecomedian, has mentioned several influential figures whose works inspired him to pursue a career in stand-up comedy. Speaking to aKorfa on Joy FM's Cosmopolitan Mix, he shared how his time at K Boateng Academy of Performing Arts, along with encouragement from his peers, led him to comedy.

Mjthecomedian cited prominent comedians such as DKB, Foster Romanus, David Oscar, and Basket Mouth as major sources of inspiration. "I was much focused on the stand-up comedy before I ventured into content creation. So I was looking at the likes of DKB, Foster Romanus and David Oscar, and Basket Mouth," he said.

He also admired comic actors like Mr. Ibu, Agya Koo, Mr. Beautiful, Santo, and Judas. Reflecting on his early days, he confessed that he initially performed others' jokes at events due to a lack of his own material. "At that time, the internet was not as it is today so if you had the opportunity to go and hack someone's joke you would present it as if it was yours and everyone would be hailing you. But growing up, I realized I needed to sit up, learn, research, and write my own jokes. That is why I am here today," he told aKorfa.

In a memorable experience, he performed jokes by DKB and Foster at their show, noting that their reactions were supportive rather than confrontational. "They helped shape me, groom me, they taught me how to write jokes and how to go about it," he stated.

Mjthecomedian also praised veterans like Fritz Baffour and KSM, acknowledging the challenges they faced in establishing English-language stand-up comedy in Ghana. He noted that the local audience initially favored Nigerian comedians, making it difficult for Ghanaian comics to gain recognition. "The Nigerians comics were consumed at that time because the Ghanaian market focused more on them and the people who would organize the shows preferred bringing them from outside [the country] to come perform so they had no choice but to consume the foreign comics," he said.

Despite these challenges, he believes the current success of Ghanaian stand-up comedians is built on the foundation laid by the older generation. Apart from his comedy specials and skits, MJthecomedian also organizes the Dashiki Festival, with the 8th edition held on July 6, 2024, drawing thousands of patrons to the Accra International Trade Fair Centre for a vibrant event starting with aerobics sessions.