Why are more (Hip Life) rappers singing now instead of rapping? Why can’t they concentrate on rapping and leave the singing to the backing vocalist to sing?
Is hip life dead? It sure sounds like it. Why are they (hip life artistes) turning to their own vocal abilities when they have no formal vocal training and can’t sing?
If you turn on the radio and TV. What used to be thrilling thought provoking music seems to have gone under the drains.
How many of you remember this line from Fat Joe’s ‘Fuck 50’ dissing track in response to 50 Cent?
// No, no, no shawty
// That's right, you sing more than you rappin
// Now 50 that ain't right
This altitude of 50 Cent singing more than rapping has engulfed the hip life genre and that brings back the debate as to whether hip life is really dying or dead.
Hip life is defined as a Ghanaian musical style which fuses highlife and hip hop, recorded in Ghanaian languages (Twi, Ewe, Ga etc...). This is how Reggie Rockstone, Godfather defined hip life "Rapping in your local dialect (Twi, Fante, Ga, Ewe etc) over hip hop beats"
So by this definition hip life is dead right? Since the hip life artistes are now singing instead of rapping.
The origins goes back to the 1980s, when performers such as K.K. Kabobo and Gyedu Blay Ambolley found a small audience performing highlife variations with fast spoken, poetic lyrics which we call ‘RAP’.
I observe with grave concern as hip life artistes who invaded the game with their rap powers, have now sat back and doing more singing than the rap which they are noted with. What is it about the rap that they want to make away with?
The only topics they sing/talk about is too violent and our women often depicted in offensive ways, how many girls they have slept with and blah blah blah. Nobody raps about love anymore.
Quata’s Independence’s album on the market confirms his sense of direction now. Tracks like ‘Pretty Face’ and ‘Baby’ on the album says a lot about Quata’s new found love which is singing.
His ‘Onie’ track from his album was a bomb. He is one artiste who welcome himself into the hip life genre with some wicked, war raps that he is really identifies with so why the change now?
His act on Tinny’s Aletse track dissing to Buk Bak and Jay Q and KK Fosu’s Oga track dissing Samini says a lot about this rap abilities and versatility.
His latest album further raises more concerns as to whether Quata has parted company with the hardcore rap that he is identified with.
Tinny also known as Aletse Kankpe, Fire Starter, Buffalo soldier has failed his fans a great deal considering the standard he set for himself with his first album ‘Mokola Kwakwe’.
Tracks like the title track, Mokola Kwakwe, Angelina, Ofee Dull, Obi Do Ba, Wane Kyiki explains how good Tinny is in the Ga rap. Many young guys and girls adopted and embraced the kind of style he raps.
To say Tinny is one of the best Ga lyricists will be understatement, he is the best presently but I see Shilo as his biggest threat now without any doubt whatsoever that is if he continues to sing.
He might be the hottest artiste so far as collaboration is concerned now but he’s sinking as a solo artiste because of this singing altitude he has also adopted. Why sing when you can’t sing? Just stick to what you are good at.
His style of rapping is just marvelous but to continue to be the best, you must just do more, you need consistence, when you continue to repeat your lyrics, people then begin to ask questions.
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By: Ebenezer Anangfio Jnr.
e: ebenezer@ghanacelebrities.com
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