Hiplife–a fusion of hip-hop and highlife–has come of age, spawning subgenres tilting to roots culture, international rap, and boldly humorous satire, not to mention azonto, a dance craze that has rocketed to global renown in just over a year. But for all that, the biggest-selling music in the country, by far, is gospel. On this whirlwind Hip Deep tour of Accra, we meet stars like Reggie Rockstone, M.anifiest, Efya, Soul Winners, and the genre-bending FOKN Bois. Jesse Weaver Shipley, anthropologist and author of the book Living the Hiplife: Celebrity and Entrepreneurship in Ghanaian Popular Music, helps untangle the complex world of award ceremonies, corporate endorsements, live music in church, and the emergence of women in Ghana’s male-dominated pop world.
The World is an independent newsroom. We’re not funded by billionaires; instead, we rely on readers and listeners like you. As a listener, you’re a crucial part of our team and our global community. Your support is vital to running our nonprofit newsroom, and we can’t do this work without you. Will you support The World with a gift today? Donations made between now and Dec. 31 will be matched 1:1. Thanks for investing in our work!