Tag: Gyedu-Blay Ambolley News

Ghanaian jazz and highlife musician, Gyedu-Blay Ambolley says he does not see fellow

musicians Daddy Lumba and Kojo Antwi as high life musicians.

According to the music legend, most of the songs churned out by the two legendary musicians

cannot be classified as highlife music.

He, therefore, described Daddy Lumba as a musician who sings over disco beats and Kojo Antwi, a reggae musician.

Gyedu Blay made the revelation during a discussion on highlife music and the way forward

on Atinka TV’s Entertainment City Show.

The station compiled a video of highlife musicians from the genesis of highlife till date,

which also included Daddy Lumba and Kojo Antwi.

READ:https://www.ghafla.com/gh/musiga-grand-ball-set-for-march-29/

But, Ambolley has a different opinion about Lumba and Kojo Antwi’s inclusion on the list.

“In reality, Daddy Lumba is not a highlife musician, but sings in Twi to disco beats and terms it highlife while Kojo Antwi is also just a reggae musician who also sings in Twi and terms it highlife,” Ambolley said.

“Highlife beats, rhythm and back-up musicians make the genre and, therefore, if we are going to import some beats and sing some songs in Twi and term it a highlife song, then we are spoiling our genre of music,” he added.

Ambolley’s revelation comes not long after both Lumba and Kojo Antwi have trended on social media in a quest to finding out which of them is a better musician.

Over the years, Ghanaians have boxed almost all of the country’s legendary musicians into the category of highlife musicians.

Ambolley’s latest revelation, however, perhaps calls for a need to re-look at who a real highlife musician is.

Legendary highlife musician, Gyedu Blay Ambolley says he is the founder of rap music in the world.

History has it that hiplife artiste Reggie Rockstone introduced rap music in Ghana.

Ambolley, however, accepts that he didn’t start rap music in Ghana. But he contends that he started rap in the world and even has documents to support his claim.

Speaking to Joy FM’s Lexis Bill, he stated categorically that when it comes to rap, he remains the tree while current rappers like Sarkodie, M.anifest, Guru, et al. are just branches of him.

“Talk about rap, I am that I am; I am the tree. The rest are all branches…” he said boldly.

He argued that, Guinness Book of World Records got it wrong as far as who the originator of rap is concerned by inking American Hip-Hop group, Sugar Hill Gang as the originators of rap music.

“My first recorded rap music in the world was released in 1973 but Sugar Hill Gang released theirs around 1978/79. So, my work was the first rap music as far music is concerned worldwide. Therefore, Guinness Book of Records should correct that citation error”, Ambolley boldly said.

He added that rap music is African and not American. “It began here in Africa. When our chiefs are sitting in state, there is a linguist that rains appellations on the chiefs and these are all rap”.

 Legendary Ghanaian highlife musician Gyedu-Blay Ambolley has queried dancehall act Shatta Wale over his excessive acclamation of being the Dancehall King.

According to him; Shatta Wale’s assertion that he is the Dancehall King is a fallacy. This he claims is because he (Shatta Wale) cannot be better than those who created Dancehall.

“You sitting down here calling yourself Dancehall King, we know that the Dancehall was created in Jamaica. So are you a better king than those that created it, you who is an imitator?,” Queried Ambolley on 3 FM.

“Because we are lot being real to ourselves. We don’t have anything that is of our origin coming from our side of this world. We are doing too much of a copy than becoming creative. That is the problem we have,” He added.

Short Bio On Gyedu-Blay Ambolley

Gyedu-Blay Ambolley is a Ghanaian highlife musician, songwriter, producer, and composer. He’s the first musician from Ghana to formally incorporate rap forms into local highlife rhythms, Ambolley created the musical genre ‘Simigwa’.

He is a multi-talented, International, Ghanaian Musician, celebrated his “Silver Jubilee” in music in 1998.

In June 2015 Ambolley received a citation in the USA from the City Council of Philadelphia, read by Council woman ; Honorable Jannie Blackwell and Hon. Stanley J. Staughter in recognition of the musician’s contributions to Ghanaian music in the USA.
Gyedu-Blay Ambolley aka “Simigwa Do Man”  was rather unknown outside of West Africa until Soundway Records included his seminal Simigwa-Do, which Ambolley released in 1973, on their first anthology, Ghana Soundz.

He’s known for songs such as; Abrantie, Akoko Ba, Afrika Yie among others.