Hip-hop's Ghanaian step brother

Ghana and Bloomington might be located on what seem like polar opposite ends of the globe, but thankfully, when it comes to music, the world became flatter this summer.

Popular culture in Ghana is a great blend of West African traditions with the modern influences of America and the rest of the Western world. This effectively merges two seemingly separate worlds of taste, creating an interesting cultural scene, especially in terms of music.

Hiplife music in Ghana best exemplifies this juxtaposition. Hiplife blends Ghana’s genre of highlife with the American genre of hip-hop to form a genre that illustrates the great diversity of popular culture in Ghana.

It combines traditional beats and local languages like Twi and Ga with Western motifs and Ghanaian Pidgin English.

Hiplife has invaded every facet of Ghanaians’ lives. Regardless of age, geographical location or profession, it seems every Ghanaian listens to it. Hiplife plays in tro-tros (large vans that serve as public transportation in Ghana) at clubs and everywhere else one happens to venture within the confines of the country.

American hip-hop songs like Young Money’s “Bedrock” and Iyaz’s “Solo” were also extremely popular tracks in Ghana this summer.  

A Ghanaian student, Gideon Okraku, said he particularly enjoys music by artists like The Game, T.I., Lil Wayne and Kanye West. He and his friends find the beats particularly interesting to listen to and think most Ghanaians enjoy hip-hop not only because it’s great to dance to, but also because the central themes found in most hip-hop are relatable to Ghanaians.

Hiplife and hip-hop aren’t the only popular musical genres in Ghana. Artists like Kenny Chesney and Taylor Swift also have huge fan followings in Ghana.

This summer Ryan Shupe & the Rubberband’s song “Dream Big” became a huge hit in Ghana. At first, country music might seem like a strange fit for an African nation, but the concepts of nostalgia for home and trouble brewing in the community are universal issues.

“I fell in love with country music about thirteen years ago,” said Raymond Harrison, a Ghanaian sophomore at the Legon campus of the University of Ghana. “Atlantis Radio, an FM radio station based in Accra [the capital of Ghana], played it every afternoon. I did not know what it was called then, but just listening to the stories they told and their smooth sounds were enough to get me addicted.”

He said there used to just be a few radio shows featuring country music, but lately a lot more FM stations started picking it up. This interest led to the inception of a club in Accra named Afrikiko, which plans to cater to fans of country music.

Most Ghanaian clubs are a lot like their American counterparts, only with more musical diversity. They start their set with some Bob Marley, sometimes a little Keith Urban and then finish off the night with some Beyonce. This blending of local and foreign genres creates an atmosphere where everyone feels free to dance the night away and forget where they are located in the world.

Whether you are Ghanaian or a Hoosier, good music is good music no matter where it comes from.