One of the key contributors to the formation of Hiplife music, Abraham Ohene-Djan has once again refuted claim that Reggie Rockstone and Panji Anoff originated the genre.
The two artists have been credited for starting the genre with Reggie being labeled as the ‘Grandpapa’ of Hiplife.
However, Abraham Ohene-Djan, a renowned filmmaker behind some of the Hiplife music videos shot in the 90s, explained that the two personalities did not invent the popular genre.
The music video director said plainly that Zapp Mallet should rather be credited as the originator.
“I will say something; it may be controversial; I don’t think it was Reggie [Rockstone] and I don’t think it was Panji [Anoff]…,” the producer-cum-director, who shot Reggie Rockstone’s ‘Twoo Boe’ in 1994, stated.
He argued that it is the beat by a producer that defines a genre and not the delivery or style of an artist.
“I think the person that we really need to look at is Zapp Mallet; seriously, because in terms of who defined the hiplife sound…it was Zapp who first put out what we refer to as contemporary, urban, or African or Ghanaian music. Yes Reggie was the one who was on the beat…Pandji was doing his thing…”
“It is the engineer that creates the genre…a subject or a style of rapper or singing doesn’t define the genre…”, he said.
Abraham Ohene-Djan stated he has some records to prove who he believes started the Hiplife genre and he will soon put them out.
