The music industry has been overtaken by 'Californianism' - Okyeame Kwame

Renowned Hiplife artiste Okyeame Kwame, also known as Rap Dacta, has expressed concerns about the pervasive influence of American culture, which he refers to as 'Californianism', on Ghanaian media.

During his appearance on Channel One TV's The Chat, he mentioned a shift from Ghanaian cultural identity to American culture among young creatives in the country.

“The media has been engulfed by Californianism... Californianism is the Americanization of global cultures. American cultures have spread worldwide due to their beautiful movies, music, and music videos. They have used hip-hop music and pop culture to dominate the world's pop culture. Because of this, it's easier to integrate your art into the American system for visibility than into the African system,” Okyeame Kwame explained.

He highlighted the challenge of finding platforms that recognize music under traditional Ghanaian genres like Hiplife or Highlife, compared to more globally accepted genres like Hip-hop and Reggae.

“For instance, when you release an album, you can distribute it on iTunes, Spotify, or Apple Music... but you won't find a category for Hiplife or Highlife. However, you will find categories for Hip-hop and Reggae, but not for the Ghanaian sound.

“I'm not assigning blame, but as an artist like myself who wants visibility, you can create a hip-hop channel and use existing channels for distribution and visibility,” he added.

Okyeame Kwame emphasized his commitment to preserving the authenticity of Ghanaian music, stating, "I am intentional about maintaining the roots of my sound."

Watch the clip below;

“Americanization of Music Industry Forces Artists to Adopt Foreign Style for Visibility, Not to Abandon Their Roots,” - @Okyeamekwame

Do you agree, or you have another opinion? Let us know in the comments #TheChat w/ @pk_koomsonn pic.twitter.com/0h4a3rumLS

— ChannelOne TV (@Channel1TVGHA) July 7, 2024

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