Profanity in Ghana music worrying – Akosua Agyapong

Veteran highlife artiste, Akosua Agyapong, has advised young artistes to desist from using profane lyrics in their music.

“We have bad music in the country, very bad music, the bad music is in both gospel and other genres, some [artistes] are not doing well, when you’re doing music and you’re singing profane songs, then you want the younger children growing up to learn and continue and that is what hurts me”, the Frema hit maker told DJ Premier on Entertainment Capital on Accra100.5FM on Saturday, 23 June 2018.

She, however, said she was happy more young artistes were opting for highlife but cautioned them about their lyrics.

“I have realised that the young ones were doing too much foreign music, but this time, they’re playing the highlife, some are doing good music that when you listen, you’ll know this is sensible music, but some of them, I don’t know, when they get to the studio, maybe the engineer has already done the rhythm, then he’ll tell the artiste to sing…so, the artiste sings anything just like that…,” she told Bismark Boachie (DJ Premier).

She continued: “My song ‘Kokooko’ is 27 years, so ask yourself, if all these music people are still playing that song, when you go to the night clubs they play Kokooko, this is a song which still lives after 27 years, it’s not dead.

Most of the musicians in Ghana do music while they are alive but their music is dead. Timeless music is what I’m talking about, to sing meaningful songs, songs that children can listen to…

“There are loads of things which are not going on well in the society, which is worrying. I sing most of my songs at churches because it’s for advice. I’ll plead with my brothers and sisters who are in the music industry that they have beautiful rhythms but the lyrics are problematic. So, write a song which when being played to your listening in the future, will not get you ashamed”.