Oct 19, 2012 the hiplife in ghana book, authored by professor halifu osumare, a black american associate professor of african american studies and the director of the african american and african studies at the university of california, davis in usa, was launched and presented at the institute of african studies, university of ghana on thursday october 18th 2012. West africa indigenization of hiphop, new york, ny. Celebrity and entrepreneurship in ghanaian popular music is an ethnography of hiplife, a popular ghanaian music genre that combines hiphop with highlife music and proverbial lyrics. Reggie rockstone is putting the hiplife story out there and together with his vvip group members, theyve released a new music video which summaries the hiplife journey for uscalled book of hiplife.
For many years, highlife was the preferred music genre. Living the hiplife jesse weaver shipley 9780822353669. Halifu osumare author of the africanist aesthetic in. It is an ethnography of hiplife, a popular ghanaian music genre that builds on panafricanist networks to combine. Ghana s musical map was once dominated by highlife a genre so. A very polite, selfeffacing and effervescent rapper. West african indigenization of hiphop, was pulbished in september 2012 by palgrave macmillan, and launched in ghana and london in october 2012. In 1997 and 1998, i went back to ghana and, literally, there were hundreds, thousands of kids going to rap. During hiplife concerts and festivals, there is an importance of space which allows people to completely engage in a fullbody experience, affected by the concerts sights and sounds. Opening this book to virtually any page yields a judiciously selected text that reveals something about ghana. Jesse weaver shipley examines the production, consumption, and circulation of hiplife music, culture, and fashion in relation to broader cultural and. Living the hiplife is a wellbalanced ethnographic account of the current popular music scene in ghana. We made afrobeats attractive for africans sarkodie jan 31, 2020.
The hiplife in ghana west african indigenization of hiphop. The chapters tell tales of aspiration, commodity culture, and celebrity to show how life in urban accra is intimately linked to the increasingly transnational lives of african youth. In ghana, what are the colonial structures that al. The new book is the second sequel to the original highlife time. Focusing on the ghanaian musical genre of hiplife an amalgam of. Hiplife in ghana, is a featurelength documentary about v. Shipley has followed the rise of the hiplife movement in ghana for the past decade. The musicians are at once artists, entrepreneurs, and hustlers.
In ghana, what are the colonial structures that allow for an african characterized development of highlife. Whether discussing the asante kingdom and the gold coasts importance to european commerce and transatlantic slaving, ghanas brief period under british colonial rule, or the emergence of its modern democracy, the volumes eighty. Author halifu osumare traces the process by which local. Mar 28, 2014 the first chapter places hiplife in the context of an earlier era of popular music production in ghana. M1, of dead prez jesse weaver shipley has written a highly compelling account of hiplife in ghana. Celebrity and entrepreneurship in ghanaian popular music ebook written by jesse weaver shipley. Hiplife in ghana and the book the hiplife in ghana. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read living the hiplife. Sep 04, 2012 the hiplife in ghana explores one international site, ghana, west africa, where hiphop music and culture has morphed over two decades into a whole new form of world music called hiplife. A blend of hip hop, dancehall and reggae, hiplife has become a favourite of djs and clubbers alike. The hiplife in ghana explores one international site, ghana, west africa, where hiphop music and culture has morphed over two decades into a whole new form of world music called hiplife. Celebrity and entrepreneurship in ghanaian popular music shipley, jesse. During this event, professor osumare will have to face critics from several different fields and defend her most recent work, the hiplife in ghana. Ghana s popular musical forms is said to have evolved around the beginning of the 20th century.
It investigates hiplife tune now not only as an imitation and edition of hiphop, yet as a reinvention of ghana s centuryold highlife well known track culture. Hiplife and this festival permitted ghanaians to fit in within african american society while still having ties to ghana. Shipleys new book accomplishes more than its title implies, spanning. Hiplife is a ghanian genre of music which combines the indigenous genre highlife and the imported hip hop. By taking to instagram live last night, in a highlypublicised music matchup, jq and appietus, preeminent ghanaian producers and pop culture architects were honouring an unspoken invitation by their mates elsewhere while serving up a hiplife masterclass. The first chapter places hiplife in the context of an earlier era of popular music production in ghana. If you like, you can change the digest interval below. Living the hiplife is an ethnographic account of hiplife in ghana and its diaspora, based on extensive research among artists and audiences in accra, ghanas. Though the show was set to start at 8 oclock, the first act had yet to take the stage an hour later, and a steady stream of patrons accustomed to dilatory start times continued casually to. From highlife to hiplife a guide to ghanaian music accra is one of africas leading musical cities and the spiritual home of a style thats been taking over. The ghana reader is a treasure trove of information. Jan, 2020 you have subscribed to alerts for nana prah you will receive an email alert if one or more of the authors youre following has a new release. From highlife to hiplife a guide to ghanaian music time out. This text presents an overview of the various popular music styles in ghana, including some of the key actors who played significant roles in their development.
Vvip hustle vvip selfie vvip omg dblack kotomoshi vvip dogo yaro. By default you will receive a daily digest containing any books that were published by authors in your subscription list. The hiplife in ghana book, authored by professor halifu osumare, a black american associate professor of african american studies and the director of the african american and african studies at the university of california, davis in usa, was launched and presented at the institute of african studies, university of ghana on thursday october 18th 2012. Hiplife is a popular music genre in ghana that mixes hiphop beatmaking and rap. Generally, hiplife can be defined as a ghanaian musical style which fuses highlife and some elements of hiphop. Reviewed by angela animakorang southern illinois university carbondale ghanas music industry can be described as a thriving one, much like its film industry. Halifu osumare the hiplife in ghana explores one international site ghana, west africa where hiphop music and culture have morphed over two decades into the hiplife genre of world music. In the 1990s, young ghanaian musicians were drawn to hiphops dual ethos of black masculine empowerment and capitalist success. It is often characterized by simple twi lyrics with several other ghanaian languages used later over hiphop beats, with highlife samples andor palmwine rhythms. Celebrity and entrepreneurship in ghanaian popular music.
Hiplife is a popular music genre in ghana that mixes hiphop beatmaking and rap with highlife music, proverbial speech, and akan storytelling. The hiplife in ghana explores one international site, ghana, west afr. Oct 03, 2015 from highlife to hiplife a guide to ghanaian music accra is one of africas leading musical cities and the spiritual home of a style thats been taking over the world in recent years. There are many styles of traditional and modern music of ghana, due to ghana s cosmopolitan geographic position on the african continent. Vvip drops new video book of hiplife directed by reggie. Stream ghana old skool hiplife mix 2015 by deejaykkgh by djkk kofi agyeman prempeh from desktop or your mobile device. Living the hiplife by jesse weaver shipley follows reggie rockstone at the foundation of the hiplife movement in ghana shipley also wrote the book, living the hiplife. Hiplife is a popular music genre in ghana that mixes hiphop beatmaking. Hiplife group vvip has released a new music video directed by one of its members, reggie rockstone. The video, book of hiplife, follows the roaring success chalked up by their first single. Present halifu osumares new book the hiplife in ghana. Not only does hiplife celebrate entrepreneurship among african youth.
The hiplife in ghana west african indigenization of hip. Friction is the founder and former leader of the legendary ghanaian hiplife music group vip now vvip. Documenting the hiplife story of ghana featuring music selections from ghanaexpo. Kwaku nti, journal of global south studies a wonderful introduction to ghana and its people, stretching all the way back to prehistoric times. It investigates hiplife music not merely as an imitation and adaptation of hiphop, but as a revision of ghana s own centuryold popular music called highlife. An ethnographer, sociolinguist, filmmaker of living the hiplife, and haverford college anthropologist, shipley offers up a heady mix of political, business, and music history, of entrepreneurship and.
The hiplife in ghana west african indigenization of hiphop h. This work is part of a series of publications that provide an updated perspective on ghanaian highlife music since the seminal work of john collins in the 1990s highlife time accra, ghana. Aug 07, 2014 ghanas beloved music group vip revamped as vvip with reggie rockstone as a new member is paying a touching tribute to those who paved the way in the ghanaian hiplife music genre with this video to their song book of hiplife. It investigates hiplife music not merely as an imitation and adaptation of hiphop, but as a reinvention of ghanas centuryold highlife popular music tradition. John collins highlife time 3 will be launched 1 july in accra, ghana.
Living the hiplife is a necessary analysis of african word, sound, and power. It investigates hiplife music not merely as an imitation and adaptation of hiphop, but as a reinvention of ghana s centuryold highlife popular music tradition. Listen to an example of hip life below and explain how it describes the current day connection of hiplife to the highlife music of mensah. Highlife music flourished in coastal west africa between the 1920s and 1960s as artists creatively recombined european, african, and black diasporic styles and instruments.
Living the hiplife hiplife is a popular music genre in ghana that mixes hiphop beatmaking and rap with highlife music, proverbial speech, and akan storytelling. Halifu osumare is the author of the africanist aesthetic in global hiphop 3. Jun 21, 2018 john collins highlife time 3 will be launched 1 july in accra, ghana. Ghana old skool hiplife mix 2015 by deejaykkgh by djkk kofi. Duke university press announces the publication of a new book living the hiplife. Therefore this book is more than a look at the recent past and the present. Historically and ethnographically rich, it demonstrates how this musical form has affected ideas of ghanaian identity. Book on ghanaian highlife to be released music in africa. This group has become one of ghanas most well known hiplife music groups, and subject of documentaries such as homegrown. The best known modern genre originating in ghana is highlife. Shipley tackles issues including, but not limited to, how ghana youth use hiplife music as tools to help them create their identity and gain recognition in the society. Covering 500 years of ghanas history, the ghana reader provides a multitude of historical, political, and cultural perspectives on this iconic african nation. The hiplife in ghana explores one international site ghana, west africa where. The hiplife in ghana explores one international site ghana, west africa where hiphop music and culture have morphed over two decades into the hiplife genre of world music.
Ghana s beloved music group vip revamped as vvip with reggie rockstone as a new member is paying a touching tribute to those who paved the way in the ghanaian hiplife music genre with this video to their song book of hiplife watch below. Over the past decade, hiphop music has merged with highlife, the traditional music of west africa, and this fusion has led to the birth of a new musical genre called hiplife. The hiplife in ghana halifu osumare bok 97817021649. Jesse weaver shipley has written a highly compelling account of hiplife in ghana. The hiplife in ghana explores one international site ghana, west africa where hiphop music and culture have morphed over two decades.
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