Rex Omar, Ghanaian music legend and pioneer has said that he introduced Reggae Gospel to Ghana with his first album, ‘Aseda’.
In an exclusive interview on Y 107.9 FM’s Weekend Rush show, Rex Omar, who has been in the music industry for over three decades, explained that when he decided to go to the studio to record, he wanted to do something different from the already known gospel music.
He chose Reggae Gospel, which was a complete departure from the gospel music that was known in Ghana at the time.
“You can get some of the tracks on YouTube, and when the music came out, those days it was vinyl and cassettes. I remember the perception and questions at the time was that what Gospel songs have been used to create music for wee smokers because at the time Reggae was regarded as meant for those who smoked weed,” he said.
He further recounted his music not having a categorization at the record shops, where they had packed the gospel music. According to him, they had every song from High Life, Gospel, and Reggae but his music, which came as gospel, was not categorized. “They didn’t understand why I had to sing gospel in the reggae vein, so that was the difficulty I experienced, and that’s why the music didn’t make it. This was around 1985,” he added.
After experiencing difficulties with his Reggae Gospel music, Rex Omar shared that he went back to the studio to work on his gospel music, but he again mainstreamed it into the circular. “Aware Pa, for example, was a complete Bible quotation with the lyrical content, but the Christians didn’t see it that way. So it was embraced by both circular and few Christians,” he explained.
Rex Omar encouraged young musicians to create music that reflects their true selves.
By: Jude Tackie
