Kwame Dadzie, a music analyst and arts journalist, has challenged rapper Strongman’s assertion that he originated adowa rap, a claim made in Strongman’s song ‘The Legacy.’ The debate highlights recurring discussions about the genesis of various Ghanaian music genres and the importance of historical accuracy in artistic claims.
Context of Adowa and Early Hiplife
Adowa is a traditional Akan music and dance form characterized by specific rhythms, often in 6/8 or 12/8 time signatures. It traditionally features instruments like the atumpan, apentemma, petia, dawuro, frikyiwa, and kwadum.
The advent of hiplife in the early 1990s saw Ghanaian artists begin to fuse hip hop elements with traditional Ghanaian rhythms. This era marked the beginning of incorporating traditional beats into rap music.
Pioneers of Adowa Rap
Dadzie’s analysis points to earlier artists who pioneered rapping over adowa beats. Reggie Rockstone’s 1997 album, which established him as a key figure in hiplife, included an adowa version of his hit song ‘Maka a Maka.’
Prior to Reggie Rockstone, the group Akyeame released ‘Brebre Obaa Hemaa’ in the same year. This song, like many that followed, blended the 6/8 adowa rhythm with typical hip hop drum patterns.
Several other artists continued this trend. Nkasei’s ‘Adua N’abu’ and ‘Eko Ma Mo,’ Okomfo Kwadee’s ‘Okomfo Kom (AIDS),’ and Nana Quarme’s ‘Eno Abena,’ which featured Obrafour, all incorporated adowa rhythms.
Obour also released songs like ‘Nana Bour’ and ‘Obour’ that featured adowa-influenced beats. These works predate Strongman’s emergence in the music scene.
Analyzing Strongman’s Claim
Dadzie argues that Strongman’s claim is factually inaccurate, noting that when artists like Akyeame and Reggie Rockstone were experimenting with adowa rap, Strongman was approximately four years old.
Regarding Strongman’s song ‘Obituary,’ which he uses to support his claim, Dadzie contends that the adowa beat used was not a pure or accurate representation of the traditional form. He suggests that not all traditional adowa drum elements were present or played correctly, with only the bell pattern’s ostinato being accurate.
In contrast, Dadzie highlights that Obour and Reggie Rockstone’s adowa rap songs effectively utilized appropriate local musical instruments.
Genre Fusion and Artistic License
An argument that only those who rap on a ‘full and pure’ adowa beat qualify for the origination discussion is dismissed as illogical. Dadzie likens this to demanding that only traditional highlife performances count as highlife, or that hiplife must solely use palmwine highlife.
He emphasizes that the fusion of adowa rhythms with hip hop by artists and producers represents natural variations and evolutions within music genres.
Strongman’s Talent and the Importance of Accuracy
Dadzie acknowledges Strongman’s skill as a rapper, evidenced by his multiple Best Rap Performance awards at the TGMA. However, he maintains that the claim made in ‘The Legacy’ is a factual error that should not be perpetuated.
The analysis underscores the responsibility of artists and media to maintain historical accuracy, preventing misinformation from becoming accepted fact, especially in the realm of cultural heritage and artistic origins.
Future Watch
As Ghanaian music continues to evolve, the discourse around genre origins and innovations is likely to persist. Future discussions may involve deeper ethnomusicological analysis and a greater emphasis on documenting the contributions of early pioneers in fusing traditional sounds with contemporary genres.
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