The Simigwa do man, Gyedu Blay Ambolley, has revealed that he never attended secondary school because all the schools which existed at the time were Missionary schools, and he didn’t want his mind to be polluted with the doctrines and teachings of the west.
Speaking on Joy FM, Ambolley who regards himself as the ‘rap tree’ and Reggie Rockstone, a ‘branch’ of him said since the schools at that time were Missionary schools.
They came with the sole purpose of imposing their doctrines on Africans and he didn’t want to be cajoled into believing certain things and accepting certain things as the truth," he said on Thursday, August 21, 2014.
The 'Sekonde' man is one of the living legends in the Ghanaian music industry with songs to his credit dating back all the way into the 70’s.
He’s travelled extensively around the world by air. He has benefited immensely from the royalty system existing in Europe and the Americas where he played several gigs- all of which were made possible by western education.
However, the Glo Ambassador said he decided not to attend secondary school for fear of having his brain corrupted, but rather took off with his music career right after basic education.
“All the schools at the time were called Missionary schools; Anglican, Presbyterian, Catholic and all those were missionary schools. So the curriculum, the books they brought the same time around. So they taught us what they wanted us to know, and that’s what I didn’t want to go through,” he said.
Gyedu- Blay Ambolley also added that he doesn’t regret his decision one bit and would have taken same now.
“Would you have taken the same decision, with the benefit of hindsight? I’m telling you my brother I would and I will.”
Arguably the rap originator, on the converse, defended why he allowed his son to go to the second cycle school. Ambolley said his son didn’t have any interest in music. He, therefore, had to let him follow and develop his dream.
“In making a choice, you know that I’m with music and he never took anything about music. He said he wanted to do something technical, so I made him go to a technical school,” he indicated.
Legendary Gyedu-Blay Ambolley is currently taking on the Guinness book of world records and is hoping it corrects an anomaly about who the originator of rap is in the world.
According to him, the rap group that has been credited with that feat, The Sugar Hill Gang released their song, 'rapper’s delight' in 1979 whereas his “first ever commercially recorded” rap song was released in 1973."
Listen to the rework on 'Simigwa do' by Gyedu-Blay Ambolley;
