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Hiplife
Hiplife is a Ghanaian musical style that fuses Ghanaian culture and hip hop. Recorded predominantly in the Ghanaian Akan language, hiplife is rapidly gaining popularity in the 2010s throughout West Africa and abroad, especially in the United Kingdom, United States, Canada and Germany. History Reginald Osei, known in music circles as Reggie Rockstone, is touted by some as the originator of hiplife; others disagree. Nonetheless, the origins of Ghanaian hip hop go back to the 1980s, with performers such as K.K. Kabobo and Gyedu Blay Ambolley. As early as 1973, Ambolley released his first record, "Simigwado" – a semi-rap in Fante-style highlife – to a small audience, which showed him performing highlife variations with fast-spoken, poetic lyrics. Ambolley would go on to be hailed the father of rap, not only in Ghana but in the world. Over time, Ghanaians became influenced by American hip hop, reggae, dance hall. There was an emerging underground hip hop collective in the capi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Reggie Rockstone
Reggie Rockstone (Reginald Yaw Asante Ossei, "the Godfather of Hiplife") is a Ghanaian rapper. He was born in the United Kingdom but lived his early years in Kumasi and Accra. He has been living in Ghana continuously since he pioneered the Hip-Life movement in 1994. He is married to Dr. Zilla Limann, Daughter of Hilla Limann, the only president of the third Republic of Ghana. They have three kids together and have been married since 2001. He pioneered the Hiplife art and has played an important role in the development of this uniquely African genre in Ghana. He raps in Akan precisely Asante Twi and English. In 2004, Rockstone won the Kora Award for the best African video and he performed in front of a 50,000-person crowd in Ghana, together with Shaggy. In 2006, he recorded a track with the Jamaican Dancehall singer Beenie Man called "Chukku Chakka" (in reference to Rockstone's 1999 hit "Eye Mo De Anaa", which sampled Fela Kuti). Rockstone is featured in the 2007 documentary ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ghana
Ghana, officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It is situated along the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, and shares borders with Côte d’Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, and Togo to the east. Ghana covers an area of , spanning diverse ecologies, from coastal savannas to tropical rainforests. With nearly 35 million inhabitants, Ghana is the second-most populous country in West Africa. The capital and largest city is Accra; other significant cities include Tema, Kumasi, Sunyani, Ho, Cape Coast, Techiman, Tamale, and Sekondi-Takoradi. The earliest kingdoms to emerge in Ghana were Bonoman in the south and the Kingdom of Dagbon in the north, with Bonoman existing in the area during the 11th century. The Asante Empire and other Akan kingdoms in the south emerged over the centuries. Beginning in the 15th century, the Portuguese Empire, followed by other European powers, contested the area for trading r ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Makaa Maka
''Makaa Maka!!'' (I said it because I said it) is the debut studio album by Ghanaian rapper Reggie Rockstone, released on 1 September 1997 through his independent label, Kassa Records. It features guest appearances from Cy Lover, Sammi B, Chocolate, Kwa-Cee, Zapp Mallet, Fredi Funkstone, Nananom, and Talking Drums. It is one of the first rapped hiplife albums to be composed and sung entirety in a Ghanaian language ( Twi). The album comes after his debut EP ''Tsoo Boi'', which came out in 1996. ''Makaa Maka!!'' fuses Western-influenced hip hop with traditional Ghanaian hiplife sounds, with some of the songs in the album cross-referencing older highlife songs. Notable tracks of the album included "Sweetie, Sweetie", "Tsoo Boi", "Nightlife in Accra", and "Agoo". The album is co-produced by Rab Bakari and Zapp Mallet. ''Makaa Maka!!'' is one of the best selling albums in Ghana, having sold over 50,000 copies. The album reshaped Ghanaian popular music, resulting in Reggie Rockston ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Zapp Mallet
Emmanuel Mallet popularly known as Zapp Mallet is a veteran Ghanaian recording engineer and a record producer. He is recognized as one of the pioneers of the hiplife genre that started in the early 1990s in Ghana. He is also recognized as the only recording engineer to have won the Ghana Music Awards on three consecutive occasions; 1999, 2000, 2001. Early life and education Zapp was born in Accra, Ghana. He had his secondary education at the Accra Academy from 1975 to 1982. He continued to the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi where he studied publishing skills for his bachelor's degree. Some of Zapp's earliest experiences in music were during his secondary school days when he played drums for the Accra Academy school band. At university level, he was able to add playing of the guitar and bass guitar to his art. He subsequently featured for various Christian groups with his art in Accra and Kumasi.http://www.pinnaclegh.co"Zapp Mallet in Focus" Modern Ghana ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jay Q
Jeff Tennyson Quaye (born on December 24 in Osu), professionally known by his stage name Jay Q, is a Ghanaian musician, record producer, record executive, sound engineer, songwriter and keyboardist. He is the founder and current CEO of Q-Lex Entertainment and Jay-Qlex Recording Studio. He has produced albums for and overseen the careers of many musicians, including Buk Bak, VIP, Castro, Mzbel, Obrafour, Daddy Lumba, Nana Acheampong, Ofori Amponsah, Akosua Agyapong, Obuoba J. A. Adofo, Wulomei, and others. As a producer, Jay Q is credited as a key figure in the popularization of Hiplife, Highlife and Gospel. He introduced Jama (kpanlogo) into Hiplife, which became laudable and was accepted in Ghana, Africa and the rest of the world. In 2003, Jay Q won an award for Best Sound Engineer in Ghana. Early life Jay Q was born and raised in Accra, Ghana, by Jeff Tennyson Quaye (snr) and Miss Comfort Adjin-Tettey. His church, Emmanuel Assemblies Of God, sponsored his keyboard studies at ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Raglife
Raglife is a Ghanaian musical genre that is a combination of hiplife, Ghanaian hip hop and highlife, with reggae. The music uses traditional reggae elements like drum beats and melodies along with rap. The genre is thought to have been created by Abrewa Nana, the first popular female rap artist in Ghana. A few Ghanaian raglife artists include 4nky Boy, Waxy Buky, Stonebwoy, and Samini. Raglife can be described as dancehall music and often differs from Highlife music due to this distinction. It uses quick drum beats and traditional reggae instruments and melodies to keep the crowd moving. Many songs are performed in English. Ghanaian raglife has not grown as popular as Hiplife in the last decade. This could be due to the Ghanaian people's general lack of interest in reggae beats and its slight deviation from popular Hiplife music. In 2013 the Bass Awards were launched in Accra, Ghana Accra (; or ''Gaga''; ; Ewe: Gɛ; ) is the capital and largest city of Ghana, located ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ball J
Albert Serebo Ayeh-Hanson (born 8 November 1984), known by his stage name Ball J or Ball J Beat, is a Ghanaian rapper, Sound Engineer, sound engineer, Record Producer, record producer and entrepreneur from Accra. He spent most of his formative years in the U.S. State of California. Ball J is the CEO and founder of Nu Afrika Records. He is currently signed to Platinum Management, an American record label and the brand ambassador to Roca Bella Brands. Ball J was a pioneering member of the Skillions Records when it began on the campus of Presbyterian Boys' Senior High School–Legon (Presbyterian Boys' Senior High School, PRESEC). He worked together with Jayso, the label's founder and formed a music genre, genre which they called GH Rap (hip hop music, hip hop made in Ghana). Besides being a rapping, rapper, Ball J is also one of the best hip hop music, hip hop, hiplife and azonto sound engineers in Africa with Weiyɛ Ball J Beat () as his signature. He was nominated for Best Prod ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ghanaian Hip Hop
Gh hip hop, Gh rap or Ghana hip hop is a hip hop genre, subculture and art movement that developed in Ghana during the late 1990s. The hip-hop genre came into existence in Ghana through Reggie Rockstone, who is known as the hip-life father, and other notable musicians such as Jayso and Ball J. It first came to Ghana as Hiplife, where Reggie Rockstone introduced a fusion of hip-hop beats with African sounds to create a whole new genre. Hiplife is different from Western hip hop because it involves local dialects such as Twi, Ga, Ewe, Hausa and Ghanaian Pidgin English. Some hip-hop musicians in the early era were Reggie Rockstone, Kae Sun, Sway DeSafo, Samini, Okyeame Kwame, Bradez, Buk Bak, D-Black, Sarkodie, Tic Tac, Obrafour, 4x4, Kwaw Kese, Ayigbe Edem and upcoming artists such as Lil Shaker, Bra Kevin, Rayoe, Yaa Pono, Loone, Asem, and EL. Some songs from this era of hip hop were Asabone, Eye Mo De Anaa, and you no get money. Hip hop evolution Fast forward twenty-four yea ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Elom Adablah
Elom Adablah (born 28 June 1989), better known by his stage name E.L, is a Ghanaian Afrobeats musician, rapper, singer and Record producer, producer. E.L's singles include "Obuu Mo", "Kaalu", "One Ghana", "Auntie Martha", "Shelele", "Mi Naa Bo Po", "Koko" and "KaaBuAme", "See me Sometime", "Abaa" and "Pay Like a Boss". His debut album was ''Something Else'' (2012). E.L released a mixtape he calls ''The BAR (Best African Rapper)'' and in 2017, he released the fourth one called BAR IV. He won Artiste of the Year and Hiplife/Hip-Hop Artiste of the Year at the 2015/2016 Vodafone Ghana Music Awards. Early life E.L grew up in Dansoman, a suburb of Accra. He first attended St. Martin De Porres School in Dansoman and later transferred to Jack and Jill School in Roman Ridge where he completed his Junior Secondary School education. He then gained admission into Presbyterian Boys' Senior High School, Presbyterian Boys Secondary School (PRESEC) Legon, where he discovered music. After sec ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jay Ghartey
Jay Ghartey, also known as Kweku Gyasi Ghartey, is a Ghanaian–American music producer, singer, and songwriter based in New York City, describing his style as African Rhythm and Blues. He released his debut album ''Shining Gold'' in 2011. He is most famous for the singles "My Lady" and "Papa". He is also the co-founder and co-owner of "GH Brothers", an independent record label and production company with his brother DJ and music producer Joe Ghartey. Early life Jay Ghartey (pronounced Gar-té) was born in the United States to a Ghanaian father and a Canadian mother. His Ghanaian grandfather Joseph Ghartey was a poet and playwright who managed Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) for many years, and his grandmother Sabina Hope was an established singer and musician. Winneba and Cape Coast are his ancestral areas and his father hails from the Fante tribe. His brother Joe Ghartey is a DJ. His brothers Tufu and Moses were also in music and rap. At the age of nine, Ghartey moved to ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Highlife
Highlife is a Ghanaian music genre that originated along the coastal cities of present-day Ghana in the 19th century, during its Gold Coast (region), history as a colony of the British and through its trade routes in coastal areas. It encompasses multiple local fusions of African metre and western jazz melodies. It uses the melodic and main rhythmic structures of traditional African music, but is typically played with Western instruments. Highlife is characterized by jazzy Horn section, horns and guitars which lead the band and its use of the two-finger plucking Guitar picking, guitar style that is typical of African music. Recently it has acquired an uptempo, synth-driven sound. Highlife gained popularity and the genre spread throughout West African regions. Pioneers like Rex Lawson, Cardinal Rex Lawson, E. T. Mensah, E.T. Mensah, Victor Uwaifo, all perfected this sound by infusing traditional Africa drums and western "Native Blues". After the Second World War, its popularity ca ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Richie Mensah
Richie Mensah (born 17 May 1986), better known by his stage name Richie, is a Ghanaian singer-songwriter and record producer. After producing records for several artists, Richie set up Lynx Entertainment record label and released his debut album ''All of Me'' on the label in 2008. He has since then gone on to win several awards both as a singer and record producer and is fast establishing himself as one of the biggest names in the Ghanaian music industry. Early life Richie was born in Accra, Ghana, and started performing at the age of six with his brother and sister at local variety shows. He decided to embark on a career in music while studying science at Achimota Senior High School, Accra. Richie graduated from Achimota Senior High School in 2003 and started producing records while studying computer software engineering at NIIT, Accra. Music career Establishing Lynx Entertainment Richie set up Lynx Entertainment in 2006 and became the first artist signed to the record lab ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
