Grammy Recording Academy member, Richardine Bartee, has made positive remarks regarding the performance of Ghanaian indigenous music genres in Western music spaces.
The Grammy Recording Academy recently announced the addition of three new categories to the 2024 Grammy Awards, including the Best African Music Performance. Within this prestigious category, are two Ghanaian indigenous genres, Highlife and Ghanaian Drill.
Richardine Bartee in a phone-in interview on Y97.9FM’s Drye Of Your Lyfe with host PM, highlighted that every genre of music listed on the category undergoes keen reviews by a designated board who are the only eligible people to submit these genres. “GRAMMYS is something that is peer-voted; people that are working on that music and advocating for that music are the same people submitting these genres for them to be listed.”
The GRAMMY Mentor noted that Ghana and all other African generated music genres listed as part of the recently released category, are testimonies of the hard work and determination of the musicians and industry players seeking to push Africa to the world. “This is just the beginning; there has been so much work over the years that has been done to get us to this point; at a point we were oblivious of whether African music will be considered but today here we are.”
Earlier this year, the inclusion of Highlife and Ghanaian Drill in the Best African Music Performance category marked the recognition of the rich, creative and musical heritage of Ghana. This also affirms that the academy is taking notice of the growing popularity of African music around the world – significantly, the enormous talent rising from the Ghanaian music sphere.
