Whole Story

Rocky Dawuni is the newest musician in our "Artists Discovery Series," which celebrates exceptional emerging artists who share a passion for the causes and social initiatives that Whole Foods Market supports as well. You can find Rocky's latest album, Hymns for the Rebel Soul, exclusively available in our stores for the holidays. It's a great honor to celebrate the release of my new album "Hymns For the Rebel Soul" within Whole Foods Market and also to share my music and love with everybody within the extended family that has supported Whole Foods' efforts over the years. Enjoy this world premiere video for Walk the Talk. As the holidays approach the spirit of celebration and sharing can be felt everywhere. Christmas for me since growing up in Ghana has always revolved around the family, a time when everybody takes a break from work to focus on spending quality time with each other. African homes mostly pride themselves on their holiday cooking as each home plans elaborate meals and in the spirit of sharing various homes send over plates of their cooking to each other. The most popular dish shared is rice and stew with chicken or goat while some homes cook the traditional favourites like fufu, which is prepared from pounded cassava and green plantains and served with soup. Being a vegetarian in Ghana also requires a level of creativity, so my holiday meal is usually fufu and palm nut soup with wagashi, which is a local Ghanaian version of fried cheese. Palm Nut Soup is prepared from the pulp of reddish ripe palm nuts, cooked with vegetables and spices. Although physical gifts are shared during the holidays, the most important gift is the opportunity for us all to be together. This year for me has been amazing. Apart from a new album, I've played concerts and toured in Indonesia, Germany, Austria and the U.S., meeting folks from diverse cultures, ethnicities and faiths while constantly expanding my global circle of friends and family. My wish for this Christmas is for a real manifestation of a spirit of peaceful co-existence and tolerance all around the world and a true celebration of our diversities. Life is our greatest gift! Let's celebrate! More about Rocky and Hymns for the Rebel Soul: The 11-song album is an uplifting exploration of social and global consciousness. The music was crafted to reflect the common spiritual, political and social aspirations felt by people around the world. A native Ghanaian, Dawuni's unique fusion of reggae, soul and traditional African sounds and combustible live performances, combined with his social commentary and advocacy for a multitude of global causes, has brought him global recognition and resulted in collaborations with organizations including UNICEF, Product (RED) and the Carter Center. Dawuni is creator and headliner of his annual music festival "Rocky Dawuni Independence Splash" held every March in his native Ghana. The annual event attracts upwards of 30,000 people every year and has become the rallying point for his extensive humanitarian and advocacy work on clean water, HIV AIDS, poverty eradication and girl child education issues. A percentage of Hymns for the Rebel Soul's proceeds will go to Africa Live!, a non-profit organization founded by Dawuni, whose mission is to preserve, restore, and reinvigorate the Ghanaian live music scene. You can watch more videos on Rocky's webpage or YouTube.