CM: What is Hiplife?
RR: Hiplife is what I say it is because
at the end of the day, I coined the
two words ‘Hip-Life’. Hiplife is really
simple, the language represents us –
the Highlife side of us and the Hip is
the Hip Hop; so in terms of branding
it makes sense. It’s kind of like a
hybrid. It was to inspire a generation.
So if you listen to ‘Keep Your Eyes
on the Road’ you will notice an irony
there where I rapped in English
however the sampled music is
Highlife by Alhaji K. Frimpong. So
Hiplife is really about fusing the
indigenous side of us and Hip Hop.
CM: Are we still doing Hiplife?
RR: Yeah, we got a lot of kids doing
Hiplife or whatever they want to call
it. Let me give you a real fact here –
one of the first Hiplife hit song is a
rendition of a Fela Kuti song called
Shakara which I titled ‘#y3 Mo D3
Anaa’. So what most of these young
music artistes are doing is Hiplife.
CM: Undoubtedly you’re the
godfather of Hiplife. Would you say
the likes of Sarkodie, M.anifest,
Medikal and so on are doing Hiplife
or Hip Hop?
RR: They seem to be doing something
else other than Hiplife but they’re
all doing Hiplife at the end of the
day. They all come from Hiplife root.
Just being able to rap in your own
language was made hip by Hiplife.
They were all inspired by Hiplife.
Sarkodie says it in his songs often by
paying homage to me or Obrafour or
Lord Kenya. So it can kind of hurt me
when these young artistes sit on TV
and say they were inspired by 2Pac
and the rest. I’m not saying that’s
not possible but it’s most likely they
were inspired by Reggie Rockstone or
55 | Colossium . March 2020
DEFINITE
LY, IF NOT
I WILL
NOT BE
ON THE
COVER OF
COLOSSI
UM MAG
AZINE HA
HAHAHA.
I’M AC
KNOWL
EDGED
FOR WHAT
I DID. I
LEFT THE
WEST
AND CAME
HOME TO
DO SOME
THING
FOR GHA
NA AND
AFRI
CA. IT’S
SOME
THING
THE GEN
ERATION
AFTER ME
WILL BE
PROUD OF.
Obrafour or Kenya when you check
their age.
CM: A lot of critics say you didn’t
start Hiplife.
RR: Anytime they say that, it’s a
fallacy. If you ask them when they
first heard the two words ‘Hiplife’,
they go silent. It is true Mahony
P was rapping but he didn’t call it
MahonyPlife. Someone puts meat
in between two breads and calls it a
burger whiles another person calls
it sandwich. The first time the two
words were ever heard was in a
song called ‘Tsoboi’. If you say I didn’t
bring rap to Ghana, you’re right. Did
I create a movement called Hiplife
in Ghana, yes I did. You talk about
KK Kabobo doing rap – c’mon that’s
like preaching to the choir. People
mention uncle Ambolley, yes he was
rapping but he never called it Hiplife.
When they talk about rap in Ghana,
I was the one at the fore front. I put
in a lot of work and to be honest
I find it disrespectful if you think
about it; interestingly whiles they’re
busy having these conversations I’m
still doing music with the likes of
Sarkodie – I’m still spitting bars.
CM: Do you do that to make
statements?
RR: Not really, I just do it because
I love it. I can’t sing so I rap. I don’t
even make music for money these
days.
CM: Today, is Hiplife what you
envisioned it to be?
RR: Remember that we didn’t plan
it so it’s not like there’s a text book
we’re referring to – so, no. But as far
as it’s evolving and manifesting in
different forms, that’s the way of the
universe – I love it all, at the end of
the day. It’s all about doing good