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Music of Ghana

There are many styles of traditional and modern music of Ghana, due to Ghana's worldwide geographic position on the African continent.[1][2][3]

The best known modern genre originating in Ghana is Highlife.[4] For many years, Highlife was the preferred music genre until the introduction of Hiplife and many others.[5][6]

The northern musical traditions belong to the wider musical traditions. It features a mix of melodic composition on stringed instruments such as the kologo lute and the gonjey fiddle, wind instruments such as flutes and horns, and voice; with polyrhythms clapped or played on the talking drum, gourd drums or brekete bass drums. The tradition of gyil music (balafon) is also common, especially in northwestern Ghana around Wa and Lawra. Music in the northern styles is mostly set to a minor pentatonic or chromatic scale and melisma plays an important part in melodic and vocal styles. There is a long history of either griot or praise-singing traditions.

Sahelian

The music of the coast is associated with social functions, and relies on complex patterns played with drums and bells as well as harmonized song. Drums and dance are often linked, and the tradition of royal talking drums fontomfrom (distinct from the northern talking drum) means music is widely used for communication of both tangible and esoteric topics. The most well known of southern Ghanaian drum traditions is the kete and adowa drum and bell ensembles. Music can also be linked to traditional religions. An exception to this rule is the Akan tradition of singing with the Seperewa harp-lute which had its origins in the stringed harps of the north and west.

polyrhythmic

The traditional musicology of Ghana may be divided geographically between the open and vast savanna country of northern Ghana inhabited by Ghanaians of Gur and Mande speaking groups; and the fertile, forested southern coastal areas, inhabited by Ghanaians speaking Kwa languages such as Akan.[7]

Gold Coast period[edit]

During the Gold Coast era, the area was a hotbed of musical syncretism. Rhythms especially from gombe and ashiko, guitar-styles such as mainline and osibisaba, European brass bands and sea shanties, were all combined into a melting pot that became high-life.

Hip hop[edit]

Ghanaian hip hop is a subculture and art movement which developed in Ghana during the late 1990s. The hiphop genre came into existence in Ghana through Reggie Rockstone, who is known as the hiplife father[10] and other notable musicians such as Jayso and Ball J. It first came to Ghana as Hiplife where Reggie Rockstone introduced a fusion of hiphop beats with African sounds to create a whole new genre known as Gh hiphop.

Afro Beats[edit]

In the late 2000’s, a new generation of artists introduced the Afro beats genre into the Ghana music scene which is mostly referred to as Afro-pop. The likes of 4x4 and Fuse ODG among others popularized it and it has become part of the Ghanaian music Culture.

Gh hiphop

Ghanaian hip hop

Azonto

List of record labels in Ghana

Rhythm in Sub-Saharan Africa

Sub-Saharan African music traditions

Accessed November 25, 2010.

BBC Radio 3 Audio (60 minutes): Koo Nimo and King Ayisoba.

Accessed November 25, 2010.

BBC Radio 3 Audio (60 minutes): Serena Owusua Dankwa and Batman Samini.