Okyeame Kwame, the renowned Ghanaian musician, has provided insights into why Hiplife, as a genre, struggles to resonate with younger artists in Ghana.
He attributes this phenomenon to the perceived failure of older Hiplife artists to make the genre appealing or a source of pride.
During an interview on Hitz FM on December 13, Okyeame Kwame pointed out that the current generation of artists is exploring different genres to effectively convey their narratives.
Additionally, he raised questions about whether these emerging artists take pride in the musical legacy established by their predecessors.
“People choose their heroes and follow their pattern because they are proud of what they have done. Are these young people proud of what we have done? Every generation has its own story to tell, and these young people are telling their story by calling what they are doing what they want to call it,” he stated.
Okyeame Kwame went on to voice her disappointment at the passing of once-popular genres like Twi-pop, Azonto, and so forth.
According to him, the lack of a specific platform for marketing these kinds of music is the reason for their decline.
“Where are all the Hiplife-esque genres that were created after Hiplife? The Al-Qaeda, Twipop, HipDia and HipCont? Where are they? All of them have left, because there is no platform for them.
“That is why two of the genres that young artistes choose today are hip-hop and Afrobeats because you can find them on the major streaming platforms. Otherwise, you would have to put your music at alternative music or world music, which is a maze of music,” he said.