Veteran music producer, Appiah Dankwah, widely known as Appietus, has shed light on why Ghanaian music has struggled in reaching global recognition.
According to him, the struggle lies in Ghana’s penchant for constantly experimenting with new genres and refusing to stick to one.
In a no holds barred interview with King Kweku Mensah on the Showbiz University podcast, Appiatus expressed his concerns, stating, “that thing is difficult. Ghanaians, they like to change. I think it’s been a problem. We like to change even when it’s not necessary. We just always want to see if this one will also do well. We leave the rest behind.”
Drawing comparisons to music scenes in other countries, he highlighted the enduring presence of specific genres in America, Nigeria, and Jamaica.
“In America, hip-hop is still there. Rock music is still there. Country music is still there. If you go to Nigeria, they still have juju music. They have added a full beat, and they’ve stuck to it,” Appiatus explained.
He made a point that Ghana’s rich music heritage, particularly in High-life, gives the country an advantage over Nigeria.
However, he lamented the fact that Ghana has drifted away from its roots, leaving behind High-life, Azonto, and other unique genres
“We left Highlife, we left Azonto, all those Alkayeeda. Now we are playing Afro Beat. Afrobeat even started from here,” he said on the Podcast.
Appietus, who has produced some of Ghana’s biggest hits, proudly pointed out that Afrobeat originated in Ghana, mentioning his song “O Waee” as an example predating Nigerian artistes’ adoption of the genre.
“I did ‘O Waee’ way before Nigerians thought of doing anything that is an Afro Beat song. They picked the vibe from there and they made it their own. So, I don’t blame them,” he shared.
However, he acknowledged Nigeria’s successful appropriation of Afrobeat and expressed uncertainty about how Ghana can reclaim its ownership.
“They’ve taken it. It will be difficult to take it from them. Very difficult. I don’t know how we’re going to do it,” he confessed.
While acknowledging that Ghanaian artistes are excelling in Afrobeat, Appietus noted that the tendency to constantly shift focus hampers the industry’s progress.
He cited the example of artistes now following the South African Amapiano trend, urging them not to lose their unique identity in the pursuit of international recognition.
“Most of the artistes are doing Afro Beat and they are doing it well. But we just want to keep changing. Now they are following Amapiano, which is South African music. You can never claim that,” he added
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