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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 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Castro (musician)
Theophilus Tagoe (born 1 May 1982, disappeared 6 July 2014), popularly known as Castro or Castro Under Fire, was a Ghanaian hiplife recording artist and musician. Early life and career He was born in Sekondi-Takoradi, Takoradi in the Western Region, Ghana, Western Region of Ghana in 1982 to Lydia Tagoe (a trader) and a Mr. Cofie (an accountant). He had his primary and Junior high education at the All Saints Anglican Primary School in Sekondi-Takoradi, Takoradi. He started singing as early as age 10 and entered the musical scene with his 2003 hit song "Sradenam". He had features on the hip-life group 4x4 hit track, "Sikletele," which officially introduced him to the local music scene before he launched his debut album in 2003."Sradinam" soon became one of many Ghanaians' favorite hits. Castro's dream was to retire and become a producer. His dream was to help bring to the limelight talented unknown young artist. He believes that this will develop the young talented artist and g ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ghana
Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in Ghana–Ivory Coast border, the west, Burkina Faso in Burkina Faso–Ghana border, the north, and Togo in Ghana–Togo border, the east.Jackson, John G. (2001) ''Introduction to African Civilizations'', Citadel Press, p. 201, . Ghana covers an area of , spanning diverse biomes that range from coastal savannas to tropical rainforests. With nearly 31 million inhabitants (according to 2021 census), Ghana is the List of African countries by population, second-most populous country in West Africa, after Nigeria. The capital and List of cities in Ghana, largest city is Accra; other major cities are Kumasi, Tamale, Ghana, Tamale, and Sekondi-Takoradi. The first permanent state in present-day Ghana was the Bono state of the 11th century. Numerous kingdoms and empires emerged over the centuri ... [...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 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 documentaryLiving the Hiplife (dir. Jesse Weaver Shipley). Reggie Rockstone is the son of fashion designer Ricky "Ricci" Ossei (Saint Ossei). Reggie Rockstone attended Achimota School. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hammer Of The Last Two
Hammer of The Last Two (born Edward Nana Poku Osei; March 27, 1977) is a record producer in the Ghanaian music industry. He is the founder and CEO of The Last Two Music Group and is also known for grooming some of the best Ghanaian Hip Hop or Hiplife artists, including Obrafour, Tinny, Kwaw Kese, Sarkodie, Ayigbe Edem, and others. As a producer, he is credited as one of the pioneers and key figures in the popularization of Hiplife or Hip Hop made in Ghana. Summary The Last Two Hammer began his career in music accidentally, when a friend of his (Yaw Opare Anoff, aka Way Deep), a gifted keyboardist at the time encouraged him to take up the career because he realized Hammer had the ability to dissect and analyze music in the most unusual ways as a professional does. He also had the habit of finding faults with world-class professional music which he thought could be better. This friend and Hammer then formed a production unit called The Last Two, meaning the only two left to pu ... [...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 Gha ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jay Q
Jeff Tennyson Quaye (born 24 December 1977 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 studie ... [...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 United States, 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 ... [...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 broken English, popularly known in Ghana as "pidgin". 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, 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 fo ... [...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 move ... [...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 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 Hip-life/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 where he completed his Junior Secondary School level. He then gained admission into Presbyterian Boys Secondary School (PRESEC), where he discovered music. After high school, he pursued a degree in economics and political science at the University o ... [...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 la ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Highlife
Highlife is a music genre that started in present-day Ghana in the 19th century, during its history as a colony of the British Empire and through its trade routes in coastal areas. It describes multiple local fusions of African metre and western jazz melodies. It uses the melodic and main rhythmic structures of traditional Akan music, Kpanlogo Music of the Ga people, but is typically played with Western instruments. Highlife is characterized by jazzy horns and multiple guitars which lead the band and its use of the two-finger plucking guitar style that is typical of African music. Recently it has acquired an uptempo, synth-driven sound. Highlife gained popularity in the genre "Native Blues" prior to World War II before production was shut down. After the war its popularity came back within the Igbo people of Nigeria, taking their own traditional guitar riffs and the influence of the Ghanaian highlife performing ideas, mixed and perfected it to form Igbo highlife which beca ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
