Kojo Antwi Urges Ghanaians not to Kill Highlife Genre to Birth New Genres

By Naliaka Kitui

Get Free Music Updates and Mixes on Telegram

Legendary Ghanaian musician, Kojo Antwi also known as Mr Music Man has urged Ghanaians not to abandon the highlife music genre as they take on the creative urge to birth new genres. 

Speaking during an interview with the Myd-Morning Radio Show on Y102.5FM, Kumasi with Naa Dzama, he said that he strongly believes that the highlife music genre is capable of coexisting with other genres.

Kojo Antwi Reacts To Comparisons With Daddy Lamba

"I wouldn't say highlife music is dying because highlife was someone's creation, and we just adopted it as our own, so I believe we have to grow it as a nation. When you go to the US, they have so many different genres of music like country music, RnB, and many others, but it's all coming from them,” he stated.

"I hear a lot of highlife in the gospel music that is coming out now, and you also have the highlife feel in what the young ones are doing. It’s just the tone and the beat that is changing, but my little observation is that when it comes to our young guys speaking pidgin, they are trying to imitate the Nigerian Pidgin, but we have our own type of pidgin", he added.

According to Kojo Antwi, the main reason why most of the young and upcoming musicians are getting stuck is that they are getting confused by experienced musicians who are trying to birth many music genres. He advised them to instead stick to the Ghanaian type of pidgin instead of copying the Nigerian type.

Kojo Antwi honoured at Millennium Excellence Awards

He further noted that people need to see the changes in Ghanaian music as an evolution from highlife not kill it in the process of birthing new genres because components of highlife music can still exist in the new genres being introduced.

Kojo Antwi was recently honoured by Otumfuor Osei Tutu II with the Millennium Excellence Award-Gold Coast Honor in recognition of his lifelong commitment to national cohesion and stability.