The Music Post

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I knew coming here that Ghana was famous for music, so checking things out first hand was one of the main non-work goals for this summer. And the other day my buddy Prince had his friend burn me an 80-sing mix of Ghanaian music, so I can finally put names to the songs I've been hearing all summer and fill all of you in a bit.

First off, I'll say that Ghanaian music lives up to the hype, especially Highlife, their signature sound. It's West African in beat, but it's got some Caribbean dance-hall influence, and the singers can do some good old American soul singing too, which makes it hard to describe. And now it's got a little brother, Hiplife, which is highlife for rappers, with an even bigger nod to the US than the Highlife sound, which is actually not a good thing, as you'll see...

Young Ghanaians absolutely love Hiplife and American hip-hop, and in particular Lil' Wayne. Their obsession with the tiny rapper with the scratchy voice from New Orleans is beyond even the fawning he gets from hipster American music critics. I have yet to go into an internet cafe and not eventually see a little kid watching one of his videos on YouTube, and the other night at a rice stand when they put on his videos, my buddy Prince went nuts and started rapping word-for-word the "Make it Rain (remix)", an honor he hasn't given to any other songs when I've been around. I'm now convinced if Lil' Wayne ran in Ghana's Presidential Election this December he could take it. When I told my friend that, he laughed, but then kind of nodded in agreement, like "yeah, we're a little too into him maybe."

But back to Ghanaian music. While I like most of what I hear, after listening to the Hiplife rappers I'm up in the air. When they use faster, bouncy rhythms more typical to Highlife the result is great, you can feel the rapper or singer sinking into the beat., familiar with how to use is to support his voice But when they turn up the bass and try to imitate a US rap sound, watch out because there's a train wreck coming. The Ghanaian rapper either slows his flow into an awkward talking voice and recycles cliched lines he's stealing from the US rap videos he just saw at the rice stand, or he breaks out the vo-coder and does a T-Pain imitation. Either way, not good.

But back to the good. If I were to recommend one guy, it would be Ofari Amponsah--aka Mr. O'Foreal--who strikes that balance between traditional and new perfectly, and whose album has been accompanying me in taxis all over this country, and was the music of choice for a street-side acrobatics troupe I saw perform on Friday night. There is also this funny, if not very good, song about Barack Obama, sung by a guy named Blakk Rasta. I don't speak Twii, so all I can tell about what he's saying is that the chorus is a sing-along centered around chants of "Mama, Mama, Obama," or something like that. Speaking of not knowing what they are saying, my favorite song here would be "Africa Money" by Sydney. I liked this one even before someone translated it for me, and now I like it even better, since it turns out what sounds like a happy club song with lyrics about love or money or a car is really all about how African leaders are always stealing money from their countries. So I can dance to it and get self-righteous? C'mon, no way I wasn't going to like Ghanaian music after that.

So check out Ofari Amponsah if you have a minute and can find him on the internet, or just wait until I get back in the US on Friday and we can see if the sound translates across the Atlantic.

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Comments

[laurie]

beach is waiting.
Hey Lil bro, i am counting on your help and support for a music in September sounds like your tastes are now a bit broader. Nice music review, i can't wait to hear the sounds.

[kate]

i love youtube and ofori
rafe, my music buddy! i like this one, too. thanks for sharing these sounds. i have some new ones for you, too! welcome home buddy. hope you're happy to be back.