While some argue that highlife is fading, veteran musician Gyedu-Blay Ambolley believes there are younger artistes keeping the genre alive.
According to Ambolley, Kofi Kinaata is one musician he trusts to continue the highlife legacy.
“With the direction he wants to go, he is stepping out, out of the yo-yos. He is sticking to his highlife identity and even adding something to it. So it makes me know that he is musically inclined to be able to do that. We have to pass on the baton, and he is the only one I know who can do it,” Ambolley said on Joy Prime’s PrimeTime.
Speaking to host George Quaye, he explained that his endorsement of Kofi Kinaata is based on careful observation of the singer’s craft and consistent output.
Meanwhile, at the 20th Vodafone Ghana Music Awards held at the Grand Arena in Accra, highlife musician Kuami Eugene, who won Highlife Artiste of the Year, was crowned the “Future King of Highlife” by veteran musician Amakye Dede. Amakye Dede later revealed that the honour was arranged by the organisers, not his own decision.
Kofi Kinaata, who began his career as a rapper, has increasingly focused on highlife, producing records that resonate with fans across generations and remaining committed to Ghana’s indigenous musical heritage.
Source: Kwame Dadzie
