'Twi Pop would trend if it came from abroad' - Dr Cryme

Ghanaian rapper Dr Cryme has lamented the music industry's lack of appetite for homegrown innovation, claiming that his "Twi Pop" genre has been denied the recognition it deserves simply because it came from a Ghanaian artiste.

Speaking in an interview on Angel FM in Kumasi, the musician expressed frustration at what he sees as a deeply ingrained tendency among Ghanaian audiences to favour foreign ideas over local ones.

"If a foreigner had created Twi Pop, we would have jumped on it," he said.

Dr Cryme explained that part of the genre's battle was that, because it sounded different from the already established Hiplife sound, many listeners were slow to embrace it.

He argued, however, that naming and branding a sound is what gives it identity, noting that many music styles existed long before they were defined, and only gained direction once they were properly labelled.

I ventured into transport business when I wasn't actively releasing music – D Cryme

He credited Reggie Rockstone for giving the Hiplife genre its name and direction, a move that eventually earned it both local and international recognition.

"We cannot say Ghana music should be one style. Other countries have many genres that we even copy from," he said.

Despite the slow uptake at home, Dr Cryme remains convinced the genre has a future and called on Ghanaians to support their own.

"We would never know. Twi Pop might make waves in the years to come.

"Anyone who tries to be innovative should be supported. If we support outsiders more than our own, then we are not being fair," he stated.

The rapper described Twi Pop as a deliberate and purposeful creation, a fusion of local language and global sound. "The 'Pop' represents the foreign style, and the 'Twi' represents our local dialect," he explained, adding that the goal was to make Ghanaian-language music more globally competitive.

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