It's not surprising that Ghanaian youth finally stopped dancing to the highlife music that dominated that country's pop charts for decades -- what's surprising is that it took so long. It's also not surprising that what gradually emerged in its place eventually turned out to be a heady brew of hip-hop, highlife, reggae, and dancehall, all of which have achieved global penetration in the era of instant intercontinental communication. The music of Ghanaian youth is now called "hiplife," and this compilation is an energetic and exciting overview of the style -- or, to put it more accurately, the bubbling, kaleidoscopic array of styles that fall under the hiplife umbrella. The biggest stars represented on this collection are Reggie Rockstone (a rapper who is generally regarded as the founding father of hiplife), TicTac (another rapper who is a regional favorite among hiplife cognoscenti), and Ofori Amponsah (a star of almost
Michael Jackson-like popularity in Ghana). None of these songs will sound completely foreign to non-African ears, but none will sound quite like anything else you've heard, either:
King Ayisoba's "Modern Ghanaians" is a bouncy and brilliant blend of traditional and electronic instruments with lyrics that are sung, chanted, and rapped in two languages; Sheriff Ghale's "Illusions" sounds like reggae at first, but the longer you listen the more it sounds like something very different and almost heartbreakingly pretty; Tinny sings and raps in the notoriously difficult Ga language, and his "Aletse Ogboo" is one of the album's highlight tracks, an elastic reggaeton beat supporting an exuberant rap verse with layered harmonies on the chorus. Very highly recommended. ~ Rick Anderson