Hiplife originator Reggie Rockstone has stated that ‘azonto music’ is just a branch of the hiplife he originated.
Speaking to Andy Dosty on Hitz FM’s ‘Daybreak Hitz’ about why hiplife has lost its prominence in the Ghanaian music industry, Reggie said music evolves; a reason musicians keep experimenting with rhythms.
“It is called evolution – things change. It is a natural progression. Of course, it [hiplife] would have done us a lot of good if we had held on to it,” he noted.
According to him, azonto, the music type that emerged when the azonto dance broke about 10 years ago, was a spin-off of hiplife.
“Azonto also came, do you remember? Cos azonto is a branch of the hiplife tree. We have to look into it because perception is everything and branding is very powerful,” the Hiplife Grandpapa added.
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His statement comes a few weeks after Gasmilla told Kwame Dadzie on Ghana Weekend TV that azonto was a unique sound and not an evolved form of hiplife.
“We can’t say that [azonto is hiplife],” he told Ghana Weekend TV in the said interview.
“Jay Q and Hammer are hiplife. Their sound is unique. Up till now, when you play it, there is nothing like their sound. What I created is different from their music.”
He added that we could have also made ‘jama’ a genre but, we didn’t.
“Me I am here still saying that we should make azonto a genre of music and when we do I won’t be the only one to benefit,” he said.
About ten years ago, a dance type called ‘azonto’ gained currency in Ghana and gained international acclaim.
While some people thought it was just a music genre and that the music that emerged at the time the dance came up was an evolved form of hiplife, he believes there was also ‘azonto’ music which has very distinct features.
Watch Gasmilla’s interview with Kwame Dadzie below:
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By: ghanaweekend.com
