Ghanaian music: Separating fact from fiction in the Hiplife narrative

By Kwame Dadzie

Initially, I hesitated to write about Stonebwoy’s recent comments on an article about hiplife published on grammy.com. I thought a social media post would suffice for a commentary, but I’ve since reconsidered. Let me use this platform to bring some clarity to the matter.

What prompted me to pen this piece was Stonebwoy’s interview with MC Portfolio. Watching him attempt to justify his dissatisfaction with the article, in which he expressed frustration over not being mentioned, was disheartening. On X, he had posted: “Whoever wrote this article is interestingly missing THE NAME @stonebwoy. @RecordingAcad Do Due Diligence before you publish half-baked articles aiming to capture the true image of the State of the Ghanaian Sound.”

While I acknowledge that the article titled “10 Artists Essential to Ghanaian Hiplife: Reggie Rockstone, Sarkodie, Mzbel & more” by Nana Kojo Mula isn’t flawless—some factual inaccuracies have been pointed out, such as the claim that Shatta Wale and Samini emerged in the early 90s, later corrected to the “late 2000s”—Stonebwoy’s criticism misses the mark.

A significant error in the article was the description of Shatta Wale and Samini as “pioneering hiplife artists.” Hiplife began in 1993 and became fully established in 1996 when Reggie Rockstone coined the term in his song ‘Tsooboi’. At that time, neither Shatta Wale (then Bandana) nor Samini (then Batman) were part of the movement. It’s also puzzling how Beeztrap was included, as he hasn’t made a significant impact on the hiplife scene to warrant inclusion in such a historical document.

I understand that many hiplife artists might feel slighted for not being mentioned. However, it’s important to recognize that historical accounts often cannot capture everything. Just as the Bible’s accounts of Jesus’ life vary because they were written from different perspectives, so too do articles like this one reflect the writer’s experiences, research, and inspirations. While it would have been nice to see more artists included, we shouldn’t crucify the writer for his chosen scope. Many of these artists have been featured in other music articles and books, and they will likely appear in future accounts.

This is precisely why we need more writers like Nana Kojo Mula telling our stories. Instead of tearing him down for not mentioning a favorite artist, we should encourage him to continue, correcting factual mistakes where necessary but supporting the broader cultural effort.

Now, to address the core issue: Stonebwoy is undoubtedly one of Ghana’s finest musicians, and he has worked hard to reach his current level. His music is widely loved, and I would certainly speak out if a documentary or article on Ghanaian music in general overlooked him. However, when it comes to hiplife history, Stonebwoy doesn’t prominently feature. He’s not a hiplife artist—never has been. While he may have been influenced by hiplife and collaborated with hiplife artists, he can’t be counted among those who significantly shaped the genre.

Reggae, ragga, and dancehall artists like Root Eye, General Marcus, Yoggi Doggi, Azigiza Junior, Scooby Sellah, Sonnie Balli, Ronnie Coaches, Shatta Wale (then Bandana), and Samini (then Batman) will always be mentioned before Stonebwoy in conversations about early hiplife because they emerged when hiplife was in its infancy and were deeply influenced by it. They were fixtures on many hiplife tracks, especially between the late 90s and early 2000s, when a ragga verse became a standard element of the genre.

When Stonebwoy emerged, Ghanaian dancehall was experiencing a revival, and hiplife was evolving, paving the way for the resurgence of dancehall and the emergence of what we now call afrobeats. Yes, Stonebwoy collaborated with some hiplife artists, but he doesn’t hold a significant place in hiplife’s history.

In his interview with Portfolio, Stonebwoy questioned why Black Sherif and King Paluta were included in the article while his name was omitted. “I wanna ask, what are their roles in hiplife?” he asked. But to suggest that he deserves a place in a hiplife story over Black Sherif and King Paluta is unfair to these young torchbearers of the hiplife/hip-hop culture.

The writer is an entertainment journalist at The Multimedia Group.