Hold The Professional Responsible

Every now and then we hear and read about agitated personalities, bemoaning the obscenity and profanity in our music industry.

We get Members of Parliament deliberating the issue in parliament, ministers castigating musicians culpable of such acts, editorials chastising such songs with reference to last week?s editorial of Graphic Showbiz, which was excellent and readers also write articles and rejoinders to condemn such artistes.

But it seems as though the more we lambaste the artistes for the profanity in their lyrics, the more they release such songs. So what it is that we have not done to quell such artistes from composing such songs?

Well, I guess we need to change our tactics, stop attacking the artistes directly and attack it from a different angle and I?m talking about the angle of recording engineers, producers, distributing companies, DJs and presenters as well as the buyers of songs.

If an artiste writes lyrics for a song which is fraught with vulgar lyrics, it goes through the hands and scrutiny of the manager/producer, the recording engineer who provides beat for the song and through the DJs who give the necessary airplay.

Now, the onus lies on all the above named professionals to advise the artiste to come out with songs good enough for human reception, but they will not. Why? Because, we the listeners relish profane songs and purchase them in thousands thereby making such songs number one hits.

Do you remember ?Aben Wo Ha? by Daddy Lumba? This song was condemned by all and it was eventually banned, but then the same song won three or four awards in the maiden edition of Ghana Music Awards. Daddy Lumba is branded controversial because he rarely does a song devoid of suggestive lyrics, but he always hit platinum and multi-platinum, because DJs clamour for his CDs so as to be the first to play on air and listeners scramble for his cassettes and CDs.

He is not the only reference though, ?Araba? by Naa Agyeman debuted at number one on the charts for weeks, ?Aseeho? by Borax enjoyed the number one spot for weeks, ?Bofre? by Michael Dwamena was also a hit and the list goes on and on.

It is also interesting to note that Batman?s current song ?Linda?, has been criticized for its obscene lyrics but then you all know where it lies on the music charts.

It is about time we attacked the right source. After all, if no DJ or presenter plays the song and if we the listeners do not purchase them, such songs will always slump.

Organisers of the Music Awards have done their part by not nominating any indecent song and I am looking up to the Censorship board of MUSIGA (If only there is one) to act on such songs. It therefore behooves all of us to annihilate indecency in our music industry.

Every now and then we hear and read about agitated personalities, bemoaning the obscenity and profanity in our music industry.

We get Members of Parliament deliberating the issue in parliament, ministers castigating musicians culpable of such acts, editorials chastising such songs with reference to last week?s editorial of Graphic Showbiz, which was excellent and readers also write articles and rejoinders to condemn such artistes.

But it seems as though the more we lambaste the artistes for the profanity in their lyrics, the more they release such songs. So what it is that we have not done to quell such artistes from composing such songs?

Well, I guess we need to change our tactics, stop attacking the artistes directly and attack it from a different angle and I?m talking about the angle of recording engineers, producers, distributing companies, DJs and presenters as well as the buyers of songs.

If an artiste writes lyrics for a song which is fraught with vulgar lyrics, it goes through the hands and scrutiny of the manager/producer, the recording engineer who provides beat for the song and through the DJs who give the necessary airplay.

Now, the onus lies on all the above named professionals to advise the artiste to come out with songs good enough for human reception, but they will not. Why? Because, we the listeners relish profane songs and purchase them in thousands thereby making such songs number one hits.

Do you remember ?Aben Wo Ha? by Daddy Lumba? This song was condemned by all and it was eventually banned, but then the same song won three or four awards in the maiden edition of Ghana Music Awards. Daddy Lumba is branded controversial because he rarely does a song devoid of suggestive lyrics, but he always hit platinum and multi-platinum, because DJs clamour for his CDs so as to be the first to play on air and listeners scramble for his cassettes and CDs.

He is not the only reference though, ?Araba? by Naa Agyeman debuted at number one on the charts for weeks, ?Aseeho? by Borax enjoyed the number one spot for weeks, ?Bofre? by Michael Dwamena was also a hit and the list goes on and on.

It is also interesting to note that Batman?s current song ?Linda?, has been criticized for its obscene lyrics but then you all know where it lies on the music charts.

It is about time we attacked the right source. After all, if no DJ or presenter plays the song and if we the listeners do not purchase them, such songs will always slump.

Organisers of the Music Awards have done their part by not nominating any indecent song and I am looking up to the Censorship board of MUSIGA (If only there is one) to act on such songs. It therefore behooves all of us to annihilate indecency in our music industry.