Afrobeats is a prevalent genre of music in Western Africa particularly Ghana and Nigeria. According to BBC, it began in the 1960’s in the southern region of Nigeria. When listening to an afrobeat track, there will be catchy and easily recognizable lyrics, hypnotizing and danceable tunes, and hints of jazz and highlife – another West African genre of music.
When you think of music in Ghana, you may relate it to highlife which BBC documents as having begun in Sierra Leone, Nigeria, and Ghana. It was heard as early as the 1880s and alluded to the high-class parties thrown by affluent persons while the lower class of people emulated the same sounds they heard by playing it on guitars.
Grippingly, some individuals have accused Ghanaian singers of not having an original sound thus not being able to formulate a distinct vibe. Newbies on the music scene such as King Promise, Kuami Eugene, KiDi, E.L, and R2Bees are all going strong and producing hits that can be heard at any large gathering or nightclub. Nonetheless, popular songs can be hits or misses and the aforementioned artists tend to feature similar styles across all of their tracks.
Is Ghanaian music progressing or is there much work to be done? Shatta Wale and Stonebwoy have taken a unique route – they are members of the dancehall movement which is originally a Jamaican music genre. The Jamaican influence is definitely robust here as citizens can be heard conversing or communicating in patois.
The question attempting to define the sound of Ghana comes into play because Nigeria is now “the reigning” country that produces afrobeat tracks. Davido, WizKid, Tiwa Savage, Olamide, and Phyno all have popular hits being circulated online and on television and this list isn’t all-inclusive.
So, what are your thoughts? What can Ghana do to produce a purer sound that can resonate with music consumers? Do you think that Ghanaian artists should keep using the formula they’re exhausting now for their music? Let us know in the comment section.
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