Rex Omar
Veteran highlife musician Rex Omar has opened up about how little he earned from his early hits, revealing that a man in Kumasi once told him he built a house from copying and selling his music. The Rex Omar royalties account came during his remarks at the Black Star Fashion Week at the Royal Senchi Hotel in Akosombo on Saturday, November 7, 2026.
Quick Facts
- Who: Rex Omar, veteran highlife musician and Director of the Black Star Experience
- Where: Black Star Fashion Week, Royal Senchi Hotel, Akosombo
- When: Saturday, November 7, 2026
- Claim: He says he sold about 20,000 copies of his first hit album and later about 30,000, but earned little
- Key quote: “Somebody has built a house out of my sweat”
Watch: Rex Omar Speaks at Black Star Fashion Week
GhanaWeb shared a clip of Rex Omar’s remarks at the Royal Senchi event on its X page.
Rex Omar recounts how someone built a house with his music while he earned little, speaking at Black Star Fashion Week at Royal Senchi, Akosombo.
— GhanaWeb (@TheGhanaWeb) November 8, 2026
From Gospel Albums to a Highlife Breakthrough
Rex Omar told the audience that his music career did not begin with highlife. He started out in gospel music and recorded two albums, but neither of them caught on with listeners.
After the gospel projects failed to gain traction, he decided to move into highlife, the genre that would later make him a household name.
He said he had hoped his church would support him financially at that point. When that support did not come, he was left disappointed and had to look elsewhere for funding.
“Disappointed as I was, I went out looking for money, and I got somebody from the world at the church, will say it,” he said, describing how he eventually found a backer outside the church.
That funding allowed him to go into the studio and record “Habiba”, the song that went on to become a major hit and one of the best-known highlife records of his career.
Thousands of Copies Sold, Little Money Earned
According to Rex Omar, the success of his music on the market did not translate into income for him. He said his first hit album sold about 20,000 copies, and a later release sold about 30,000 copies.
Despite those numbers, he said he earned very little from the sales.
He explained that he still does not know where the money generated from his work ended up, but he is convinced that other people profited from what he created.
The Man in Adum Who Built a House
The most striking part of his story was an encounter he had in Adum, Kumasi. Rex Omar said he met a man who told him that he had bought one of his songs, copied it onto cassettes and made enough money from it to put up a house.
Recalling what the man told him, Rex Omar quoted him as saying: “…if it wasn’t for you, I wouldn’t have built my house.”
For the musician, the meeting summed up how artistes of his generation lost out while others cashed in on their work. “…somebody has built a house out of my sweat,” he said.
GhanaWeb did not name the man in Adum or the person who funded the recording of “Habiba”, and there is no indication that any legal claim was ever made over the copies.
Why the Rex Omar Royalties Story Still Matters
According to GhanaWeb, Rex Omar’s experience is part of what has driven his long-running push for better royalty payments and fair pay for creatives in Ghana.
The issue of royalties has been in the spotlight in recent weeks. In October, Rex Omar responded to musician Mr Drew’s claim of unpaid royalties, saying he had never heard of him before and urging artistes to register with GHAMRO so they can be paid.
Other industry figures have also raised concerns about how Ghanaian musicians manage their work. Gospel musician Diana Hopeson recently claimed that some Ghanaian artistes have sold their catalogues to Chinese investors, while Bisa Kdei has advised musicians to be business-minded.
Black Star Fashion Week at Royal Senchi
Rex Omar spoke in his role as Director of the Black Star Experience, the initiative behind the Black Star Fashion Week. GhanaWeb’s post on the event described it as the Presidential Blackstar Fashion Week at the Royal Senchi Hotel.
The fashion week opened in Accra earlier in the week. According to MyJoyOnline, Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts Minister Abla Dzifa Gomashie praised leading Ghanaian designers at the event, while Rex Omar announced that the Black Star Experience would launch an award scheme to recognise pioneers of Ghana’s fashion industry.
“Their stories must be told, their contributions celebrated and their legacies preserved for future generations,” Rex Omar said at the time, as reported by MyJoyOnline.
The Akosombo leg of the event also saw hiplife pioneer Reggie Rockstone receive an honour on behalf of his late father, fashion designer Ricci Osei, GhanaWeb reported. Reggie said his father’s ashes were scattered in the lake behind the venue.
A Lesson for Today’s Artistes
Rex Omar’s account is a reminder of the era of cassettes, when piracy and weak systems for collecting royalties left many musicians with hits but little money.
His story adds weight to calls for young artistes to register their works, understand their rights and take the business side of music seriously.
Also Read on Halmblog
- ‘I Have Never Heard His Name Before’ – Rex Omar Responds to Mr Drew’s Unpaid Royalties Claim, Tells Artistes to Register With GHAMRO
- ‘Some Ghanaian Artistes Have Sold Their Catalogues to Chinese Investors’ – Diana Hopeson
- “I Make Money From My Songs Online; Royalties in Ghana Are Nothing to Write Home About” – Kwaisey Pee
Leave a Comment