Organizers of the annual BASS Awards, which is specially designed to show gratitude to Reggae and Dancehall musicians, have debunked assertions that the Dancehall genre is new in Ghana.
“Dancehall as a genre of music has been with us ever since. With people like Kente, all those bands started in the late 70s and late 80s till now. I cannot call that a new genre of music. Probably we can say maybe the fusion of Reggae and Dancehall into our mainstream Ghanaian popular music is what they are talking about but I think the genre has been with us for a long time,” Gabriel Boateng, head of Communications at Rackus Production, organizers of the BASS Awards told NEWS-ONE.
According to Mr. Boateng, organizers of the BASS Awards would support, encourage and promote the Dancehall genre in Ghana unlike other music award organizers who have, over the years, lumped Reggae and Dancehall musicians under one category with the excuse that Dancehall is new in Ghana.
“BASS Awards actually awards African Reggae-Dancehall artistes and that is what our tag line is. In rewarding Reggae and Dancehall, it means we have chosen the two separate genres like we have mentioned. So under BASS Awards, we have Reggae Song of the Year and Dancehall Song of the Year as well as the Best Reggae Artiste of the Year and the Best Dancehall Artiste of the Year. They are two different categories,” he stated.
He added that most people confuse both genres because sometimes you have one artiste doing Reggae and Dancehall but the two are entirely different.“Dancehall as a genre of music has been with us ever since. With people like Kente, all those bands started in the late 70s and late 80s till now. I cannot call that a new genre of music. Probably we can say maybe the fusion of Reggae and Dancehall into our mainstream Ghanaian popular music is what they are talking about but I think the genre has been with us for a long time,” Gabriel Boateng, head of Communications at Rackus Production, organizers of the BASS Awards told NEWS-ONE.
According to Mr. Boateng, organizers of the BASS Awards would support, encourage and promote the Dancehall genre in Ghana unlike other music award organizers who have, over the years, lumped Reggae and Dancehall musicians under one category with the excuse that Dancehall is new in Ghana.
“BASS Awards actually awards African Reggae-Dancehall artistes and that is what our tag line is. In rewarding Reggae and Dancehall, it means we have chosen the two separate genres like we have mentioned. So under BASS Awards, we have Reggae Song of the Year and Dancehall Song of the Year as well as the Best Reggae Artiste of the Year and the Best Dancehall Artiste of the Year. They are two different categories,” he stated.
“In Jamaica even where we have these genres of music originating from, Reggae and Dancehall are two separate things. They know who is doing Reggae and who is doing Dancehall. You can have a Dancehall artiste doing a crossover and singing Reggae and you can have a Reggae artiste doing a crossover and singing Dancehall but there are two different art forms that are put out during recording and all that,” he said.
Dancehall music in Ghana has, over the years, proven to be a genre which has a massive following comprising of both young and old. An array of fairly good artistes like Kaakie, Jupiter, Stonebwouy, Samini, Sonni Bali, Shatta Wale, Yoggy Doggy ,General Marcus among others have held the front for this genre making sure that they raise the flags of Ghana high in that area.
The BASS Awards is jointly organised by Rackus Productions, Bullhaus Entertainment and Solid Multimedia. This year’s event is under the theme ‘Turn it Up’, obviously in reference to taking the Awards to the next level after its successful launch last year.
By Nii Ogbamey Tetteh
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