Music of Friday, 6 March 2015

Source: Hitz FM

‘Selfie’ is a hiplife song not hiphop song - Hammer

Music producer and CEO of The Last Two Music Group, Edward Nana Poku Osei known as Hammer in showbiz has stated that VVIP’s ‘Selfie’ song is more of a hiplife song than a hiphop.

His comment is coming in the wake of the controversy generated by the song which was nominated in the Hiplife Song of the Year category of this year’s Ghana Music Awards.

Meanwhile VVIP and some pundits have argued that the song should have rather been nominated in the Hiphop Song of the Year category.

Explaining his stance, the record producer said in an interview with Ibrahim Ben-Bako on Hitz Entertainment News, ‘Selfie’ has hiphop elements but it’s a dance song and the hiplife genre is normally made up of dance songs. People don’t dance to real hiphop songs, they either bounce or nod to it, he said.

“The dancing part of ‘Selfie’ overwhelms the hiphop part, so I’ll actually see it as a dance song which makes it automatically fit the hiplife category. If I had my way it will make it to the Afro dance category,’ Hammer added.

He noted that, if you want a hiplife song that is closest to hiphop then that will be Joy B’s ‘Tonga’.

Comparing the two songs, Hammer said, “The emptiness of ‘Tonga’, the instruments are limited, it has a lead straight to the point, the rap dominates but you can dance to it too. So if you want a hiplife song that is closest to hiphop that will be ‘Tonga’. ‘Selfie’ went into the dance area too much to call it a hiphop song, I’ll say their hiphop element is good but the dance area overwhelms the hiphop side”.

Explaining further, he said, “I think it fits the hiplife category because even when you listen to Lazy [Zeal’s] rap, its hiplife”.

Hammer concluded that the debate also depends on how Reggie Rockstone describes hiplife but he still sees “Selfie” as a hiplife song.