First it was baggy jeans and shirts,then the piercing of ears,and then armbands and headbands,they also took up the braiding of hair and we've had some of them spotting tattoos,all of which we've come to accept even if we abhor them. But the latest style or trend or call it gimmick which is quite unusual, but now catching on with every doggone musician,is the dreadlocks. The dreadlock stench is heavily felt within the hiplife arena,where almost every hiplife artiste spots the hair style.

It is disenchanting and bewildering to watch them either on TV or on stage wearing dreadlocks. Hiplife,as we all know emanated from the western genre of hiphop,and so the emulation of the dressing of the hiphop artistes by our hiplife 'stars' can only be described as normal,but what about the dreadlocks? If you'll attribute the advent of hiplife to Reggie Rockstone,then you might as well attribute the dreadlocks craze to him,because he is the first hiplifer to spot that hair-do. Reggie, Obour,Okomfo Kwadee, Batman, Sidney, Kwaw Kesse, TH4 Kwagees, Tic Tac, Kokoveli, Okyeame, Wutah, Quame, Tinny, Okyeame Kojo Kum, FBS, 2TOFF, Screwface, Young Dees, Chicago, Laizy Daizy, Nkasei(kasafare panther),and many others carry the dreadlocks. Highlife is no exception as the likes of Nana Acheampong,Nat Brew,Ekow Micah,Afro Moses,Kofi Nti all spot 'locks'.

One conception gathered from some of them is that,the white folks perceive those with dreadlocks as true African men,and they therefore treat them exceptionally. Such crap! The dreadlocks doesn't enhance their looks(some of them) and neither does it boost their album sales(all of them). Infact,while some look good and presentable in the hairstyle,say Reggie,Sidney,Batman,Tinny and Kwadee,others look scary in them,like TH4Kwagees,Kokoveli,Obour,Nkasei,Kojo Kum,Tic Tac and Kwaw Kesse. The sight of Atsu Koliko and Scooby Sela of TH4Kwagees fame alone is very frightening. I don't blame these guys because none of them has a stylist or someone who advices them on what to wear and what not to wear. Well,they think it's irrelevant,but it sure is. You can't wear anything to a TV Show,on stage or to wherever. That is why if I was the manager of Mzbel,I would've sacked her stylist(if she even has one),for appearing on GTV's 'Time with David'some weeks ago in that revealing apparel,,which made her more unpopular. The influence our musicians have on the youth is huge,that is why they(youth) tend to copy,most atimes blindly,to whatever the artistes do and wear.That explains the indiscriminate piercing of ears by many young guys,outlandish drawings on the body they call tattoos,and the wearing of dreadlocks.

Our musicians must know that,it is not the wearing of 'locks' that'll make them sell. Good lyrics,good beat,good arrangement and good marketing will definitely sell any artiste.

ARNOLD ASAMOAH-BAIDOO

arniebaidoo@yahoo.co.uk