Son of Ghanaian Member of Parliament Kennedy Agyapong, Ken Agyapong Jnr, recently recounted a pivotal decision that transformed his life during an appearance on the Konnected Minds Podcast. While pursuing his studies in the United States, he opted to divert his tuition and his siblings’ fees towards a business venture.
Instead of using the funds for their intended purpose, Ken Jnr seized an opportunity to organize an entertainment event featuring renowned rapper Fabolous.
“Myself, two of my roommates, and three of my friends started a company called High Class Entertainment. So, what we used to do was bring different artistes to campus and off campus as well,” he stated.
He mentioned they had the choice of selecting between Drake or Fabolous, who were charging $5,000 and $25,000, respectively for an appearance.
“We didn’t have the money, but usually my dad would transfer my tuition and some of my siblings’ tuition to my account. So, you know what, Let me use the money when it comes in. I am like, I am going to use the money, we are going to book Fabolous, and when the ticket sales come, I will pay everybody’s tuition and we will call it a day,” he narrated.
His plan, however, did not go as intended as the event was delayed, causing his parents to find out about his delay in paying the tuition and subsequently discovering the reason behind the delay.
“It was easier said than done. Everything was going well, but two weeks before the event, the venue, which was like a high school campus, reached out, saying no, we can’t have the show there. They didn’t think Fabolous would fit the establishment, and it’s a school premises and all that. Now it’s like Things Fall Apart, the book,” he added.
He said the family started receiving calls from his sister’s school about the delay in the settlement of her tuition, which led his father to call him to find out what was happening.
“My dad called and was like, ‘What’s happening?’ but I was like, ‘Hello, hello, I can’t hear you,’ then I cut the line. But before you could say jack, he was in America,” he stated.
Despite the event’s success and eventually settling his tuition, Ken Jnr revealed that his father insisted on discontinuing the payment of his tuition fees, warning him of potential disinheritance if he chose to drop out of school. As a result, Ken Jnr took on the responsibility of financing the remainder of his university education.
“I ended up paying them back, but then my parents were like, ‘No, you are a bad boy. I’m cutting you off; you are on your own now.’ My dad said, ‘You either drop out of school or take out a loan,’ and he said that if I dropped out of school, I couldn’t live in his house,” he said.
Ken Jnr disclosed that he financed the remainder of his education, from sophomore year through his master’s degree, using a loan that he is still in the process of repaying.
Despite his father’s wealth, Ken Jnr emphasized that life has not been handed to him on a silver platter. He highlighted that his entrepreneurial ventures have been instrumental in shaping his life and contributing to his success in managing his own businesses.
