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Hiplife Music: a Monograph HIPLIFE MUSIC: A MONOGRAPH A Thesis Presented to The Graduate Faculty of The University of Akron In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Arts Emmanuel Anim-Koranteng August, 2018 HIPLIFE MUSIC: A MONOGRAPH EMMANUEL ANIM-KORANTENG THESIS Approved: Accepted: _____________________________ __________________________ Advisor School Director Mr. James Slowiak Mr. Neil Sapienza ___________________________ _________________________ Committee Member Dean of the College Dr. Christopher Hariasz Dr. Linda Subich ____________________________ _________________________ Committee Member Dean of the Graduate School Mr. Adel. A. Migid Dr. Chand Midha ______________________________________ Date ii ABSTRACT This thesis examined the hiplife genre in Ghana and explored the various genres that led to the discovery of hiplife. The purpose of this research was to offer an analysis of the hiplife movement in Ghana as a contributor to youth empowerment applying new forms of entertainment strategies, artist management, and technology enhancement that could broaden the awareness of hiplife and create economic opportunities for artists. This thesis also discussed the event management company, The Afro Giants (tAG), which was created to groom, manage, record musicians, and produce shows around the world. Information for this thesis was gathered from personal contact with industry insiders from most of the entertainment houses, entertainment magazines, and record labels in Ghana. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS A special thanks to God for giving me life and my ancestors who passed the touch to me. I would like to express my special appreciation to my thesis committee members, Christopher Hariasz, Adel Migid and, especially, my thesis supervisor, James Slowiak, for his excellent guidance, care, patience, and for providing a good atmosphere for doing this research. I would also like to thank my parents, Mr. and Mrs. Anim-Koranteng, Enoch (Black Arrow), and my two sisters Comfort and Stella for their encouragement. To my friends who believed and trusted my ability and encouraged me to complete my thesis, I am very thankful. I would like to thank my readers, Chelsey, Barima, and Enoch. Finally, I would like to thank my little daughter, Asabea Anim-Koranteng, whose cry always wakes me up to work on my thesis at night. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Page LIST OF TABLES ................................................................................................................... vii CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................... 1 A Brief History of Ghana ...................................................................................... 4 Folk/Traditional Music ......................................................................................... 7 Adowa Dance ....................................................................................................... 8 Highlife Music ...................................................................................................... 9 Guitar Band .................................................................................................... 10 Dance Highlife ................................................................................................ 10 Electric Guitar ................................................................................................. 11 Hamburger Highlife ........................................................................................ 12 Gospel Music .................................................................................................. 12 Reggae /Dancehall Music ............................................................................... 13 II. HIPLIFE COMES TO GHANA ...................................................................................... 15 Reggie Rockstone: The Originator of the Hiplife Genre .................................... 18 The Origin of Hiplife ........................................................................................... 21 Kiddafest and Fun World Ghana ........................................................................ 24 v Marketing Hiplife Genre through Language ...................................................... 25 III. INSTITUTIONS CONTRIBUTNG TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF HIPLIFE ........................ 31 Problems Connected to the Hiplife Genre......................................................... 35 Personal Experience with Hiplife: THE AFRO GIANT ......................................... 38 IV. CURRENT STATE OF HIPLIFE .................................................................................... 41 Recommendations for Further Research .......................................................... 46 BIBLIOGRAPHY .................................................................................................................. 48 vi LIST OF TABLES Table Page 1.1 The Ten Regions, Regional Capitals and Dialects ……………………………..……………………6 vii CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION The entertainment scene in Ghana was in hibernation mode before the discovery of hiplife music in 1994. Highlife was the most popular music up to that time. The content of the highlife genre was highly accepted and enjoyed by the grown-ups in Ghana and across West Africa. The majority of young people born in the early 1990s wanted to listen and associate themselves with something funky which could match their exuberant lifestyle. Highlife could not fulfill this need. Hip-hop music became the spark. Young Ghanaians in the late 1980s and early 1990s were attracted to hip-hop music. They enjoyed the beats and rhythms, and these youths also imitated the lifestyles they saw in the hip-hop videos. However, most of them were unable to understand the English slang. The introduction of the hiplife genre by Reggie Rockstone in 1994 came as a surprise to Ghanaian culture. This new style of music was well received among the youth, but most of the elderly people and religious leaders in Ghana first described it as “Black Noise.” They feared losing their beloved highlife music. Often hiplife musicians would remix some of the highlife songs and put a rap verse on them just to attract some of the older generation to listen. This move proved to be a persuasive approach in trying to sell hiplife music to the elders. The usual norm of playing hip-hop music at parties, 1 night clubs, pubs, and bars changed quickly to hiplife music. Ghanaian youths now have associated themselves with hiplife, because they understood the language being used in the songs and related to the new music very well. Hiplife has become an important tool in shifting the power structure in Ghana and offering the youth some independence in shaping their personal lives (Osumare 84). Hiplife musicians are creating their own culture and writing their own history. In order to understand how they are writing the history of hiplife music, one must be familiar with the global cultural influence of hip-hop music. In Ghana today, hiplife musicians have assumed an unprecedented level of influence in the public sphere; corporate executives and politicians all vie for the endorsement of the most popular hiplife musicians (Osumare 84). The power that young Ghanaian hiplife artists have garnered results only partially from global hip-hop. The numerous economic benefits of introducing the hiplife movement has created a lot of business opportunities in the music industry in Ghana (Osumare 84). Hiplife has also boosted the tourism industry. A lot of tourists now visit Ghana to witness its festivals, carnivals, and musical shows; this has been a huge plus to Ghana’s gross domestic product growth (GDP). This monograph focused on hiplife music by providing a brief history of the West African country, Ghana, as well as a description of Ghanaian folk/traditional music, highlife music, and its various types; Ghanaian gospel music and its various styles; and Ghanaian reggae/dancehall music. 2 Ghanaian youth are inspired by hiplife music, and their fervor has transformed the culture's soundscape. Chapter II of this study takes a look at how hiplife came to Ghana and provides a thorough examination of Reggie Rockstone’s background in order to understand the development of hiplife in Ghana. This chapter includes a look at the origins of hiplife and some programs, like Kiddafest and Fun World, which have helped develop most of the hiplife musicians in the early stages of the movement. Ghana has more than fifty local languages which make vernacular lyrics a popular component of hiplife music. The Twi language is the most dominant language in Ghana and, as a result, most of the hiplife musicians are forced to compose the majority of their songs in the Twi language. This study looks at how hiplife music has been marketed through language so that every Ghanaian and African can understand and enjoy its products. The expansion of the hiplife genre’s fan base was a result of the involvement of some strong institutions in Ghana. Chapter III describes how these institutions helped to develop hiplife music and its musicians and create popular awareness of the genre. The author’s personal experience with the hiplife scene in Ghana has led to the formation of an event management company and record label, The Afro Giant, to help facilitate the growth of the hiplife entertainment industry, both in and outside Ghana. Chapter III concludes with the company’s mission, objectives, and plans for the future. Chapter IV explores the current
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