Menu

Stonebwoy, the eclipse of Ghana music

StonebwoyStonebwoy Stonebwoy Stonebwoy Stonebwoy

Mon, 9 Sep 2024 Source: Nyanfeiku Andor

Music of its kind ways and understanding varies making it a powerful tool of harmony, expression, and forms of emotions.

Discussing Ghana music as a subject boils down to the instrumentalists, writers, vocalists, and more.

Ghana's music evolves and develops due to the geographical area it finds itself, and the fusion of tunes and genres it carries across.

As it is, "We live in the world of contradictions but these contradictions however keep the world going" the first president of the Republic of Ghana Kwame Nkrumah once expressed.

Business-wise, controversies sell thus referencing the generation of hiplife deducting Stonebwoy.

From the Ambolley time of qwagist to Reggie Rockstone's 'Agooo' and now 'Manodzi' which features legendary African icon Angélique Kidjo truly makes Ghana music a status to reckon with.

The Native Funk Lords (NFL) to the time Nana King introduced Ex-Doe with 'Maba' hit rivaling the beef with Chicago that changed Ghana music to the core.

It depicted Tupac Amaru Shakur and Biggy Small Christopher Wallace's West Coast and East Coast 'feud' in which they sold out millions of copies making them rich young men through records.

Music is business thus Charles Nii Armah Mansah a.k.a Shatta Wale in collaboration with Beyonce on the 'King Already' tune advocated for the lucrative side of making music.

The music of yesterday's Daddy Lumba, Bibie Brew, Ebo Taylor, and George Darko isn't the same music of the current highlifers of today's Kwabena Kwabena, Akwaboa, Bisa KDei, etc.

Legendary Fela Anukulapo Kuti once stayed in Kumasi to learn the traditional highlife music and tuned it into Afro Beatz with his Saxo and the world accepted it.

Congolais legends like Papa Wembe, and Koffi Olamide all passed through to take a cue of what music was in the sub-Saharan tiny country called Ghana those days.

Hiplife, the fusion of rap and highlife instrumental band music was introduced by the evolution of music and nobody except the music itself.

Music changes through the feel of the beat being played and vocally registering to suit the rhythm-how you tempo it.

Reggae came out of blues same way Jazz came from blues, hip hop, ragga, rock, and the many genres to come as time goes but all these genres came from blues which is black music.

Controversy over who introduced hiplife has always been a debate thus leave it as it is for the moment

Many are to be mentioned yet their names are not eclipsed. Lord Kanya, Tic-Tak, Terry BON Chaka, Mensah, S'y Lover, Samini, MC Junimoe, Yoggy Doggy, Sony Bali of past memory, and many more others.

Ghana music of today can not be discussed without the mention of Stonebwoy, Sarkodie, Blacko, Medikal, et al.

Stonebwoy has been the banner headline, an ambassador when it comes to Ghana music of today and so proper recognition and respect should be accorded to his name and the Bhim nation brand.

Columnist: Nyanfeiku Andor