Nkonkonsa Celebrity Gossip From Africa
Popular Ghanaian DJ, DJ Ashmen, also known as Michael Mensah Ashley, has urged musicians in Ghana to concentrate on showcasing their distinct music genres like Highlife and Hiplife instead of turning to foreign styles to attract international recognition.
According to reports from graphic.com.gh, DJ Ashmen pointed out that Jamaica has effectively established a vibrant music culture through Reggae and Dancehall, and Ghana should strive to do the same with its indigenous music styles.
“Forget global attention with ‘adopted’ music sounds that you are doing. We have a unique music identity, Highlife and Hiplife, and we must be intentional about getting it out there.
“I don’t know where the strong belief that doing foreign genres will give us global appeal is coming from. As a small country, Jamaica has been able to build a strong music identity with Reggae and Dancehall, and we are happy to associate with it.
“So the question now is, why are we trying so hard to sound American, Jamaican, and even Nigerian? Is it that we don’t value what we have?” he queried.
During a stakeholder meeting in July, Gyankroma Akufo-Addo, the Executive Secretary of the Creative Arts Agency (CAA), emphasized the importance of Ghana creating a distinct sound to stand out in the international market.
Backing up this proposal, DJ Ashmen expressed that the lack of a distinct music sound has negatively impacted the international attractiveness of the industry, and urged Ghanaian musicians to uphold and showcase their traditional music genres.
“We are here thinking our own Highlife is ‘colo’ because it’s local and old, but we are happy to say we are doing Afrobeats. What is Afrobeats? Ghana has even lost the right to claim Afrobeats because we weren’t proud of our Highlife, which is undoubtedly the root of Afrobeats.
“And we continue to shout about global appeal and attention when the solution is staring us right in our faces. Like I’ve always said, the music industry lacks identity, and it’s very bad for the future of the industry and the so-called international appeal we are all fighting for,” he stated.
NKONKONSA.com
