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Music has always been with us as Ghanaians but there are some songs that actually changed the way we lived and has shaped us into what we are today.
From our language, to the way we dress and how we dance, there are many songs that contributed to that. Had it not been because of these songs, there were some words we never might have used but fortunately or unfortunately, it has become part of us.
What we wish to achieve with this, is take a look at some of the songs that changed how Ghanaians lived over the years and how music has contributed to our way of life and the effect it has on us. Lets take a look…
1. Osibisa – Woyaya (Album Osibisa – Highlife)
Before Osibisa became Osibisa the type of music genre in Ghana was known as Palm Wine Music and usually involved the use of a locally manufactured guitar. Usually this type of song was performed in compound houses and the park for patrons and passerby’s and didn’t really involve any type of class, it was merely for entertainment. There are many musicians who can be linked to the inception of highlife in Ghana with the likes of E.T. Mensah, Kofi Ghanaba, Bobby Benson, King Bruce etc. being contributing legends to this type of genre but Osibisa’s Woyaya which was on their Osibisa Album is what is well identified with this type of genre.
So how did this changed the way of life of Ghanaians? Well as mentioned earlier, before highlife gained it roots, what Ghanaians were used to was the palmwine music which used simple instruments but when highlife came in, it brought about the formation of new bands using many instruments which were expensive and such bands didn’t perform on the streets and common grounds any more. They performed for the elite in society hence the reason why Ghanaians termed that type of music, “High Class Life” which means you have to be rich in society to attend their concerts, which was later shortened to “High Life”. These type of music changed the lives of Ghanaians in many ways. It is because of these song that a new way of dressing was inculcated into our culture. You have to dress British in other to attend such concerts by Bands who played highlife which brought the “Tunaabu trousers”, but before then, all Ghanaians did was to just throw a clothe over their shoulder and be gone to listen to their favorite song from a Palm Wine Musician.
2. George Darko – Akoo Te Brofo (Burger Highlife)
There were many songs that contributed to this paradigm shift so we wouldn’t be able to link to just one particular song. But we still give credit to George Darko because it was his song “Akoo te brofo” that took the African scene by storm and so he’s mainly identified with this genre of music because that was the first impact of Burger Highlife
With time, the likes of Charles Amoah, Pat Thomas, Rex Gyamfi, Daddy Lumba and Nana Acheampong, to mention a few, also took a shot at burger highlife and gradually this genre also gained it’s roots in the country. It is this type of music that generated the name “Burger” which referred to any Ghanaian that just arrived from Germany.
Burger highlife also brought about a new way of dancing which was the break dance with which Adjetey Sowah won the world dance championship with.
3. Reggie Rockstone – Tsoo Boi (Hip Life)
The main song Ghanaians were used to was High life and Burger High Life back then, but there were a section who were more into hip hop which was a new genre in the 90’s that was taking America by storm. In no time, many Ghanaian youth had started rapping and dancing to songs from the states and were dressing like them. But most of these raps were done in English and though the beats were pretty good, majority did not really understand what the lyrics said except some few section.
Though many artists back then tried to do a Twi rap, it was Reggie Rockstone who made it catch fire with his “Tsoo Boi” song which had some really good punchlines and it caught on very quickly. He also proved that you can actually rhyme with the Twi language and he decided to call it Hiplife. Well from here, we believe most of you know the rest of the story. Since then, this type of music has really changed the way of life of Ghanaians, at one point it even brought about the “Otto Pfeister” kind of dressing, ear piercing and a whole of new lifestyle.
4. R2Bees – Azonto
The first single that was released by R2Bees was entitled, “Azonto Girl” by then Ghanaians didn’t even know what the word even meant but their song explained it to mean a “s**t”. With time the word became part of Ghanaian’s language and as time went on, a new genre of music popped up which was given the name “Azonto” and gradually it gained grounds. It even went as far as creating a dance to fit the type of genre.
5. Guru – Pooley
Before this song, we all knew the common name for a p********e in Ghana was “a****o”, but this song came to change that and since then most Ghanaians refer to a call girl as “Pooley”.
The song didn’t really cause any big change in the country but then it affected a bit of our language.
6. Joey B – Tonga
Well everybody knew that the common name for the v****a was not Tonga till this song made it clear and till now it seems this what almost everybody calls it.
7. Shatta Wale – Dancehall King
Dancehall or Ragga as it was affectionately called back then has always been with us and Shatta Wale is definitely not the inventor of this genre but with time it seemed the genre was dying off and with his new track “Dancehall King”, a new spirit was pumped into the genre and it seems to have gained roots in the country now with many musicians towing that line.
With the controversy surrounding it even made it more popular.
Credit; Kwaku Darko, omgvoice.com
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