#YDiscoDiaries: We only taught the younger generation to chase money-Akablay

Veteran Ghanaian highlife musician and guitarist, Akablay, has asserted that the older generation of musicians like himself, only taught the youth to make money instead of passing on their own knowledge.
He commented on the current trend level of the indigenous Ghanaian music and culture, and how the young artistes are carrying the music industry during a live studio interview with host, Kojo Manuel on the Disco Diaries segment of YFM’s Dryve of Your Lyfe that his generation.
This came up after Kojo Manuel asked him what he thinks of the current music industry in Ghana. He noted that all through their days of reigning, they were all about making money and that is exactly what they passed on to the younger generation. This, in his opinion, was not the right thing to do.
He said, “the older generation didn’t teach others. We only wanted the money for ourselves but when the system doesn’t work, that is what happens.
We need to get systems that work for everybody so we don’t chase the money only. It has to benefit anyone. We’re only teaching them how to make money and it is bad. They’re not learning the craft”.
The musician observed that since his generation was not focused on sharing their knowledge with the youth and taught them to make money instead, it has now become about survival of the fittest in the music industry as they are all trying to devise ways of putting together new music and this is bad as we are losing our indigenous style of music.
Akablay advised that legends like himself make time to put their knowledge out on the internet so that the youth can easily have access to it and pass it on to generations after them.
By: Maureen Dedei Quaye