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Azonto is not a music genre: the things Ghanaians need to know about what a music genre is...

[WRITTEN BY: George Awiadem Maclean  EMAIL: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.]

Ghanaians have indeed musically battered and butchered the exact meaning of Azonto (and the so-called Hiplife, Twi pop, GH rap etc.) --- with great and sheer naivety, of course --- for so long a time that it (Azonto) has virtually become a missing item on our 'chopping' list.

I have heard and still keep hearing the so-called music aficionados (DJs, presenters, musicians, music producers, 'entertainment critics/analysts', pundits and the like) goof and confuse themselves whilst they rather act like they know it all, or are the music "Messiahs" by stating, but with no tangible reasons whatsoever, that Azonto is a music genre.

Some even think Azonto is a combination of both worlds: music and dance of Ghanaian origin!

And quite unfortunately, too, the very few ones who have come close to affirming the fact that Azonto is not a music genre have almost always stopped short of explaining why it isn't so.

And how about our old musician folk who ought to know better as pioneers of the game but rather keep muddying the waters by claiming Azonto is killing Highlife as if indeed, another music genre has been born???

Seriously, our not being able to simply make out whether or not, Azonto is a music genre is very simple: most of us (Ghanaians, Nigerians and the like) have very little or no idea about what a genre of music is!

And this 'canker' of ours doesn't only lie with Azonto but the so-called Hiplife, Twi Pop, GH Rap, Afro-Pop, etc., and I would soon be dealing expansively with the crap and nonsense about all of them in our subsequent feature articles.

I bet you wouldn't want to miss the this and why it is even suicidal to attempt a definition for Hiplife, would you??!

Now it looks as though any hunger-stricken Ghanaian 'artiste' who wakes up from his deep slumber can just do any wacky thing he thinks is 'something new' (and they rightly think so because there's none to correct them), and when it becomes an instant hit by whatever 'divine intervention', then suddenly, whatever name he gives to it becomes a music genre! Amazing, isn't it?!

And oh, how about this one called "Akayida" which Guru and the like babyishly think must be forced and be metamorphosed into becoming another music genre?! Oh Ghana 'abrε ampa'!!!

Glory be to GOD that the "boys/girls abrε" (boys/girls are tired) phrase hasn't been tagged as a music genre yet! Amen!!!

First of all, let's note that music and genre are two distinct words with one describing the other.

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Music simply is the arrangement of sounds either made by human voice(s) or instrument(s), or a combination of the two in a regular repeated pattern that is pleasing to the ears.

A genre on the hand, and in music sense, is a category/group of identifiable musical works having similar qualities -

And the 'similar qualities' referred to here are usually the music instruments used in producing the distinct melodies, tunes, and beats of music in a certain way in a particular place (area, society, community, or a country).

Now, a genre of music is basically a category of artistic or creative piece of musical works which (the category) has certain characteristics or style or form or features that all the created examples of songs which fall under it (the category ) can easily be identified with.

Practically speaking, a genre of music is a group/category of songs which all have certain identifiable characteristics or features or qualities rhythmically, musically, tunefully and melodically (I'll need another piece to explain these terminologies) that must be able to withstand the test of time as it gradually develops and not done overnight as it is the case here in Ghana, Nigeria and elsewhere.

Let me state categorically and emphatically, that the language or tempo/timing of music is never used to define or categorize a genre of music!!!

It seems it is only in Ghana and perhaps elsewhere that the tempo of music --- be it slow, mid, or fast --- can be used to classify a particular music as a new music genre! Funny, huh?!

So, what form or characteristics has this so-called Azonto Music? Is it the up-tempo nature of it as I normally hear the so-called music aficionados refer to or what?

And if it is about the tempo, what description then would they give to the myriads of authentic up-tempo Highlife music like 'Sokoo (I stand for correction though)' and 'Adwoa Yankey' by Amakye Dede and C.K Man respectively done some years back when even the so-called originators of Azonto were yet to crawl?

Unless one is ignorant, it's even suicidal to want to change a time-tested music genre (Highlife) to now want to suit or fit into a so-called new music genre!!!

I dare say that the up-tempo or bouncy or hotness or fast paced nature of the hot induced dance songs churned out by the youth these days is only a true reflection of our 're-discovery' of ourselves of what we have always loved as black Africans: hot pepper, hot gins/alcoholic beverages, hot ginger, hot foods... and erm...erm...erm hot sex!!!

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Photo: Chris Brown with some azonto moves there

Need I say more???! Lolz!

As a matter of fact, most of the songs we describe as Azonto --- and I mean the most authentic and original ones --- are nothing more than Highlife! (Stay tuned for what Highlife actually means).

In simple terms, the word Azonto can only be referred to as an improvised combination of the various Ghanaian dance mimicking rhythmically, the gestures of our daily activities and nothing more!

By the way, a dance is simply the style of rhythmic movements of the body forming patterns to the sound of music or no music at all.

I must, however, admit that it is increasingly becoming difficult in recent times for even the connoisseurs of the game to define certain music genres because of how 'intertwined' or 'crisscrossed' or 'mixed' the different genres across the world have become!

Guys, it's about time we stopped making mockery of ourselves. Oops! I just got timed out!!!

SOURCE: www.bigtimerz.com