Hiplife artiste Barima Sidney insists that Grandpapa Reggie Rockstone is not the originator of the Ghanaian musical style that fuses Ghanaian culture and hip-hop, Hiplife.
Sidney in August 2015 first made this revelation, which had support from several industry players like Zapp Mallet, Root Eye and others who were around at the time the genre started.
This statement did not go down well with the member of VVIP who told them to stop behaving like ladies over their words that he did not originate ‘Hip-Life’.
The Rap Ninja in a conversation with MzGee on Joy News said he still stands by his comments that Rockstone is Godfather of Hiplife but not originator as he has made people believe.
He blamed journalists for tagging him as the creator of hiplife but not Reggie walking around spreading the information.
From day one, Reggie has been considered as Godfather of Hiplife till recently that some journalists tagging him the originator, creator. This thing used to be there.
Reggie is the godfather because he used to be there. Among us the youth, he was the first to release a fully packed rap album and he named it Hiplife. We all accept it that he is the Godfather of hiplife but not creator or originator.
Its not Reggie saying that he is originator but it is the journalist” Sidney told MzGee.
He added that before Reggie were Azigiza Jnr, Mahony Pee and others in the rap game but he had money to first release a hiplife album.
“You (Reggie) came, met a lot of people here who had built this whole thing. You had the opportunity to have money and record a full album. We give you the Godfather and salute you but people like Azigiza and Mahony Pee were there doing rap before you.
Some of us couldn’t afford else we would’ve recorded before you.”