Reggie Rockstone happy and proud

The originator of hiplife music in Ghana, Reggie Rockstone, otherwise known as the Hiplife Grandpapa, has commented on how the music genre is fairing on the Ghanaian music scene.

In a short interview with Beatwaves at the La Pleasure Beach in Accra where he witnessed exciting performances from Tinny, Okyeame Kwame, Bradez, Sarkodie among others, as part of activities marking this year’s edition of the Coca Cola Beach Party on Sunday, Reggie said he was happy and proud about how far his style of music had gone.

A lot of Ghanaian youth have embraced the genre and more are still embracing it.

“There are a number of new hiplife artistes and I’m proud of it.  It is amazing for me to see somebody like my brother Okyeame Kwame who was right there when hiplife started long ago; he was at the forefront. So for me seeing him again, re-inventing himself, it gives me some good feeling. So it is when I see Tinny, the Sakordies, Mobile Boys and the many others. I am proud.

I am a proud Grandpapa,” he indicated.

Asked if he anticipated anything new from the new government for the music industry, Reggie said, “Government is government; they do what they want. I want them to take the hip movement serious since over the years it has provided jobs for a number of Ghanaian youth.”

Recently the grandpapa’s music genre was vehemently criticised by new entrant R2bees, on Rhythmz, an entertainment show on GTV. They bluffed that hiplife was dead and that they were doing hiphop and the Nigerian kind of singing.

They claimed Ghanaian clubs were now playing Nigerian songs, hence their reason to tow that line.

Some entertainment critics also feel Reggie could have made his music genre more attractive by organising an annual hiplife festival, creating a hiplife brand for himself as well as creating a hiplife website, a hiplife TV series, hiplife books among others, to promote the genre big time.

Source: Daily Guide