Highlife musicians need more recognition - Gyedu Blay Ambolley

Veteran Jazz Musician, Gyedu Blay Ambolley has lamented over poor recognition given to the Ghanaian music especially “highlife” on the International music platforms.

The “Simgwa” act used the Black Entertainment Television (BET) Awards as an example to elaborate on his allegations.

The legend said he wondered how Vodafone Artiste of the year, Stonebwoy, got nominated for this year's BET awards.

Mr. Ambolley added that Stonebwoy raps in the “patois” style and “it is just like copying the dancehall thing from Jamaica, the beat is still the same format so if he is going to be nominated out of adapting and copying well.

“I don’t know what is wrong because if you take highlife, highlife is the tree of dancehall, hip life and all the rest are just branches of that tree but don’t forget at a point in time all the branches fall but the tree still stands.”

He added “every country has its own identity musically and they stay true to their music. The kids that have come, they are adapting, they are coping [and] they are not learning so how am I going to turn it around for it to become mine…”

Mr. Gyedu Blay Ambolley, Known as the father of rap in Ghana quoted,“If it’s “patois” they go the same way and the kids cheer them on because most of these DJs are young guys who didn’t come to meet that highlife element. What they met is the “Dancehall” and others so they think that’s what it is”.