Ama - Your Very Own A List Celebrity

Listening to Kiss Ur Hand by R2bees, Wandecoal & Mohitis pondering what ‘Pinky and the Brain’ ponder…

Note: Ghana Naija crossover of the year?

Yes. It is my opinion that anyone who doesn’t hear this song and think it is a HIT, is a retarded invertebrate who deserves aural castration and character defamation of epic proportions… On a less psychotic note…

The ‘Gold Coast’ is (much like its bigger more corrupt cousin – Nigeria – to the non ‘Africa savvy’) rich with musical greatness. With artists like Samini, Sakodie, Asem and Jay Ghartey, Ghana is making not only national but international waves with its crossover take on the modern music industry. That being said, there is a fear that the Ghanaian industry, in an effort to keep up with his ‘colonial masters’ keeps offering ‘master’ his musical pigmentation in exchange for ‘off cuts’ from the ‘master’s’ rotten meat.

What on earth does she mean?

Well, the above only describes a deeper issue which radiates into every area of Ghanaian life. But I am not about to talk historical politics, I don’t think I care enough… (a statement which I should really qualify…but I wont). Let’s just say that for the moment, when using the phrase ‘master’s rotten meat’ I was referring to the generic rot coming out of the ‘US Urban Popular music’ scene.

‘…Please allow me to kiss your hand, be your man. You know I understand…’

So chivalrous and sweet! It is hard to believe these are the words to a song that came out of men from two of the most American Crap-Hop influenced populations that inhabit the west side of the African continent. It is not followed by ‘And then I want to rock your body’ or ‘the way you wind I go give you champagne’ or indeed any other misogynistic western emulated way of referring to the female kind….

Its true, chivalry in music is dead…no one skirts around this issue…or coaxes you into submission with offerings of sweet nothings, or gentlemanly deeds…no wooing, sentiment no nothing anymore. Just straight to the carnal point ‘I like your tits and arse, don’t care about the face, that’s not the currency I deal in. Lets have sex. Then I will leave you minutes after to pursue my next HIV victim to be’. Too harsh? Nah. I am not old fashioned, I am just bored. Bored and feeling slightly ‘upper-class Englishman ignorant’. The kind of ignorance that doesn’t apologise, or seek to extract itself from its excrement. But enough cheap laughs - back to the topic at hand!

Some would argue that the music of old was just as sex riddled and objectifying as today’s mish-mash of trollop. However I would beg to differ. You never picked up a Teddy P, or Marvin album only to be bombarded by sex! These guys were what I like to call ‘Whole Artists’. They were HUMAN BEINGS! As in, they experienced an array of emotions, had a VARIETY of experiences and subsequently brought those together to form their body of work. You listen to their albums and you will hear tales of love, war, social injustice, peace, anger, hurt, laughter, mischief, spirituality, healing and yes, lust. They were red blooded passionate men whose chosen expression was music. They were not ‘dollar dollar bill yo’ driven, mother-hating, society assassinating, industry puppets like the ‘artists’ we are currently being told to champion.

Why has this happened? Why has society killed the chivalrous man even when it comes to hypothetical musical scenarios? So we can’t even pretend to be chivalrous or decent? Have we been ripped so far away from that aspect of our moral fabric that we have no recollection of its existence, so much so that it can’t even form a part of our imaginary ideal world fairytale creations?

Or maybe women have changed (this argument will be popular amongst the men)…

Maybe women have changed their view on chivalry, maybe their response to it has altered dramatically? I personally think that is the ‘chump’s response (a ‘chump’ in my view being the emotionally and spiritually lazy, dishonourable, nonsense loving, nothing better to do with themselves kinda person we all know and tolerate). So must you only do what you know to be good if there is someone cheering and massaging your overinflated ego from the sidelines? ‘No!’ is the answer you are looking for. Besides, perhaps the (foolish/ill educated) women who refuse the benefits of being treated like ladies, have been conditioned as such by our male-led/oriented society. Another subject that I don’t care to scratch the surface of…(and no, I wont qualify why. If you care so much, write in and complain, but you wont, because you don’t care enough!).

All I know is that if some hood-rat with no worldly prospects approached me in a genial manner, opened doors, pulled out chairs, and kissed my hand, I would be more inclined to give him a chance/buy his music than I would the inept buffoon who left me trailing behind, paying for my own cinema ticket whilst expecting to ‘smack dat’…