Jim Iyke in a disappointing album launch

What was promoted as an upcoming and exciting album launch of Nigerian film star Jim Iyke turned into a disappoint show when the program finally got underway. The noticeable flaws, sadly, is not limited to the organizers of the launch alone, but many others including, sometimes, very respectable and highly recognized institutions.

The event which was put together by Accra TV station, TV Africa took place at the Silver Bird cinema at the Accra hall.
Jim Iyke is one of Nigeria’s favourite and loved actors and many Ghanaian lovers of Nollywood movies are familiar with him. As versatile as he is, he has perfectly played various roles and exhibits good acting skills. If not a real bully, then he will be his usual bad boy, which he does with a natural flair. His command over the queen’s language and a fine diction puts the Naija actor relatively a bit ahead of his colleges. He enjoys great fame not only in his oil rich homeland but across the world.

But what he has never been known for is music. When the notices went up about the album launch, I wondered whether the news was true. That’s because I’ve never seen him lift a microphone before.

But here he is, Jim Iyke all ready to launch the ‘Who Am I’ album. He told his audience that it took close to three years to get it properly cooked. The album boasts of the finest producers in Brooklyn where a couple of tracks were recorded. It chronicles the life experiences of the actor from his early years through years of frustrations to his current stardom. He also touches on areas which needs proper direction and vision- including politics, relationships and perceptions. ‘Who Am I’ is also a way of appreciating and rewarding his fans.

Artistes who featured on the album include the fêted Nigerian artist- 2Face, Joe of Mentor Fame and a Ghanaian Hip Hop group Dem Boyz. 2Face’s inclusion on the album will be the best bet as Jim can take advantage of his great fan base and experience. Who Am I, the leading single sounds great with a slow tempo rhythm. It’s more of an R&B track laced with sweet melodies. It is a track with traces of commercial viability. Another track, Born to Do It, is composed of solid hip hop beats and great lyrics. Just like Ikeena (another track), it is a perfect party track and a club banger. No doubt a danceable song and expected to catch up fast with the youth.
The album launch however started on a bad note as guests had to wait for over two hours after the advertised time. MC, Yaw Sakyi as has become usual with GH functions apologized for the delay but couldn’t resist playing the blame game. Jim gave a template statement after which he answered few questions from the press. Sounding very convinced, he gave the assurance he was getting into music to excel just as he did with movies.

‘‘I am very glad to be here today as an artist and not a movie star. I have been doing a lot in music even though people don’t know it. I have been a ghost writer for sometime and I will surely be a great artist’’.
Soon it was time to perform and the Silver Bird cinema went dead as everyone wanted to see what the movie star could do on the mike. Disappointingly, the mikes went off as the song started to play and after several trials, nothing could be done.

Jim, though disappointed, had no choice to mime and that appears to have brought out the power in him. Assisted by his hype men, Jim added more bite to his act.

He didn’t look that great a star, compared to his movie stature. But can Jim become a power house in music as he has done in the movie industry?

EL JACKS THE SHINE AT ‘BLESS THE MIC’ WITH SKILLIONS!!!!!!

EL might not be that famous and receiving all attention and hype but he is certainly better than lot of these lame rappers who happen to be find themselves in the frontier of hip music in Ghana. The artist cum producer with his Skillions crew turned out to be the toast of the crowd last Thursday night at the famous OSU joint, Baze Lounge. ‘Bless The Mic’ has come to stay and recognised as an avenue where creative arts and its lovers converge in a common interest every other week.

In a country where people pay no attention not even to talk about appreciating and loving the arts, sessions like the ‘BTM’ will need extra commitment and hard work to maintain its current vibrant status. As the norm, the crowd had started trooping in but will hang out in the parking lot for hearty conversations over drinks, others occasionally stepped in and out the session arena to be sure they don’t miss out on any part of the acts.

Just after 11 pm, the ‘supremo’ who people hadn’t seen much off stepped to the parking lot to signal the commencement of the night’s session. P-Wizzy was largely in charge and wouldn’t hasten to chant the BTM slogan which left the crowd with no option than to respond.
Rhyme Sonny got the spoken word segment started with a brief but rhyming poem. He signed off with this Twi verse about a lady which sounded more like his personal experience. Percy Mutombo came through with a poem chronicling the experience of a guy who had defied all odds to go for greener pastures in Europe. His delivery was just breathtaking leaving almost the entire crowd on their feet with applauds. Mutombo vindicated himself as one of the greatest spoken word artists around advising all of the dangers travelling abroad.

There was a full house with many personalities of the arts in attendance. Reggie Rockstone was in the audience, enjoying the night inside the bar as he occasionally dropped points to Kwaku Tutu and Eddie Blay. His Royal Blackness, DJ Black wouldn’t let his video recorder rest as he made sure every second of the night was well captured.

P-Wizzy was back to introduce the man of the night, this he did in a grand style calling out the ‘DON’. EL looking very relaxed and psyched up for the performance picked up the mic. His Skillions family needed no invitation to join their soldier. EL performed back to back cuts on his upcoming album, a combination of pidgin and rock-solid hip hop flavours.

With the presence and support of comrade, Jay-So, EL drove his fans to scream and ask for more. ‘Gossip’, a cut he performed with Lil Shaker seemed to have worked up on the crowd. ‘Charley’ was just an icing on the cake as he got the crowd to go all out with him till he ended. His body language as well as movement revealed EL was enjoying the moment. His great microphone technique and stage craft added made for perfect delivery. For an artiste who has largely remained in the underground, this performance was a stamp of authority for all emcees that have been cat napping on the way.

IS REGGIE THE TRUE ‘GRAND PAPA’ OF HIPLIFE?-THE TRUTH BE TOLD!!!!!!!!!

Music is rumoured to be the food of the human soul and loved by all persons across the globe being it young or old. GH is no exception to this phenomenon and home to several music legends and greats of diverse genres. Music has gradually moved from its primitive era where all music offered were recognition, fame and respect to a current status as a multi-million dollar industry. With the entire fan and excitement, music globally is putting just more then food on the table for several souls.

Hiplife is contemporary era music genre, a fusion of Ghanaian premier music genre Highlife and America’s Hip Hop music. Hiplife has eventually come to stay without any doubt. It’s caught up well with the youth whom serve as the preachers of the ‘musical gospel’. Hip Life as a brand began as songs with rap lyrics in any GH dialect over Hip Hop beats. This changed with time as the then little known genre got deepened with the introduction of African variants in beats. This added on a sense of originality as well as winning more admirers among the older generation.

Though regarded as the biggest and most sorted after musical genre in the land of gold, Hiplife has failed to provide its most cherished followers with a definite origin. A complicated controversy builds up anytime the genre’s origin comes into treatise. Reggie Rocstone has over time been referred to as the originator of Hiplife, hence the name Grand Papa depicting his status as a founder. This is always met with strong opposition from musical connoisseurs, who continually dismiss the notion and thinks Reggie is no God father.

After my research on the subject, it is obvious there are various opinions on this issue based on which camp the critic is rooting for. But a revelation which stands as a fact is that songs with lyrics in GH dialects over Hip Hop beats goes beyond the 90’s. Dynamic Lady Talata was tasked with finding a manager and recording deal for a La based group whom rapped in their native Ga language over Hip beats somewhere around 1985. This is a true vindication that Hiplife’s kind existed even when no one had heard the name Reggie Rockstone.

Panji Anoff is one other personality that comes up anytime the issue of Hiplife’s genesis comes into the spotlight. Several followers of the arts are of the opinion Panji deserve the title of the Godfather rather than Rockstone. Panji, an Afrocentric producer touched base in GH in 1991 and started works with Kwaku T and friends, then of Ghana International School. This resulted in the astounding group of Talking Drum. With his creativity and dedication to the trade, Panji in the early part of 1993 had put out a track ‘Aden’, a Twi track no different from any contemporary Hiplife song.

It was after ‘Aden’ had been released that Reggie surfaced in the GH supposed to be attending the then vibrant Pan African festival, Panafest. Reggie, a former martial arts expect was rumoured to have been working on a musical project in the land of the Queen. He later relocated to GH to continue his musical project, switching from English based songs to ones in a GH lingua, Twi. A single titled “Tsoo Boi’ was recorded and released by the then young adrenaline filled young emcee. A new phase in GH music emerged as Reggie went all height with commercials and promotions. Vibe FM, the newly and hip oriented media house at then were of great service with free and unlimited airplay.

Michael Cook, owner of the then hottest Vibe Fm accidentally is brought into this complexity most often. His role to the genre was only in the field of promotions as he gave out his outfit as an avenue for the growth of Hiplife, a name coined by Reggie for the genre. So it will forever remain a dubious fallacy for ignoramus in the arts to attribute him with the God Father role. Not even his contributions to UK’s music scene are enough to win for him such a role in his homeland.

On the basis of chronology, one wonders if Reggie can continue to hold himself as the originator of the current music craze. What happens to the likes of Paracetamol, Dansoman Connection and NFL, groups which were very active and gave the genre its much determined respect? It won’t be wrong to regard Reggie as Promoter of Hiplife rather than refer to him as an originator. Can Reggie then be listed on the roll call of pioneers who failed to eat off the trade they did established?

By Chris Koney