Veteran Highlife Musician, Rex Owusu Marfo, known in the music circles as Rex Omar, has sent a strong message to critics of budding highlife musicians by stating that people should not expect these musicians to produce highlife music like that of highlife legends.
In an interview with Y102.5’s NYDJ, he rather urged that these musicians must be encouraged so that they do not detach from the highlife music.
“Culture is dynamic so what we need to do is to encourage them so they do not detach from highlife. Because trust me I noticed that some of the millennials are detaching from highlife. The lifestyle of people who carried highlife does not motivate the millennials. We need to encourage them, coach them to get into the highlife so that as they grow up musically, they will do the right thing. We know it is difficult for young artistes in Ghana”.
Explaining his point further, he mentions of Ghanaian highlife artiste, Kuami Eugene and how he has been a victim of criticisms. “The only reason why people are saying Kuami Eugene is not doing highlife is that, of course, what he is doing lacks a lot of the highlife element. But that, in essence, is highlife music. And again I am not expecting a 21st century millennial to play highlife like our days. That is not possible”.
“So you cannot just sit somewhere, you have not supported the guy, he comes out to make a hit and you are now coming to talk about highlife. When he was hustling, what did you do? When they come to the limelight, we have to gradually encourage them and guide them gradually so that they will go back to imbibe the rules of highlife”, he added.
By: Alberta Dorcas N D Armah