In the present drought of Ghanaian highlife music, Naf Kassi’s new single, Odopa, is a very refreshing release.
Odopa is one of the few recent music releases that brings back the tunes of a once-popular music genre, which's emergence is associated with that of a local African aristocracy during the colonial period.
“This song is the definition for authentic Ghanaian music,” says Jam Master, a highlife music lover in Ghana.
Odopa deals with the theme of love, a most popular theme in highlife music. It is a song that celebrates a romantic love: a lover sings of his appreciation for the true love he and his partner share, and makes a promise not to spoil the love.
Highlife music releases declined with the appearance of private broadcast media in Ghana in the 1990s and a strong influence from Western popular music.
These factors led to the emergence of a fusion of hip-hop, rap and local Ghanaian music, which has been christened hip-life. But, there has been a few brilliant highlife releases recently, and Odopa is certainly one of them.
Listen to Odopa by Naf Kassi and tell us your thoughts about the song: