Legendary Highlife musician, Gyedu-Blay Ambolley
Legendary Highlife musician, Gyedu-Blay Ambolley, has criticised the current generation of Ghanaian musicians venturing into the genre.
He claims that they have abandoned the essential components of Highlife and are diluting it with foreign culture.
Speaking in an interview with Onua FM, Ambolley criticised the fact that the current generation of musicians have moved away from the true sound of Highlife.
“If you listen to the songs of Shatta Wale, Black Sherif, and others, their beats are all Western beats. There is no Highlife in there,” he stated.
Ambolley further emphasised that, Highlife music was defined by powerful storytelling, deep instrumentals, and meaningful life experiences, but today’s musicians lack the depth and maturity needed to create this type of music.
He also bemoaned how artistes today are just focused on singing about relationships and their girlfriends.
“The musicians of today just make music about their girlfriends because they haven’t grown. They haven’t faced life in a deep way to be motivated to make meaningful, resonating music,” he said.
According to him, the industry’s move away from the fundamentals of Highlife has left the genre struggling for identity.
AK/EB
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