Ata Kak is the stage name of Yaw Atta-Owusu, a Ghanaian singer and rapper born in 1960 in Kumasi. He recorded his debut cassette album Obaa Sima in Toronto in the early 1990s - a self-produced blend of highlife, electro-funk and Twi-language rap that sold only three copies on release in 1994. The tape was rediscovered by Awesome Tapes From Africa founder Brian Shimkovitz at a roadside stall in Cape Coast in 2002, and the 2015 reissue brought Ata Kak to global audiences; he has since toured three continents and played major festivals including Glastonbury and Sónar. In November 2025 he released Batakari, his first collection of new music in 31 years.
Ata Kak released Batakari (Awesome Tapes From Africa), his first album of new material in 31 years, recorded at Bishop Beatz Recording Studio in Kumasi.
An anniversary remaster of Obaa Sima was released simultaneously, restored from a cleaner source cassette and issued on limited-edition coloured vinyl.
Ata Kak performed at Le Guess Who? festival in Utrecht and at venues in Leeds and London as part of a European tour tied to the new releases.
"Yasi Town" was released as the first Ata Kak single in over 30 years, ahead of the Batakari EP.
Ata Kak is booked to perform at Jazz Cafe in London in August 2026.
