Hip - Hop Encounter

A groundbreaking collaboration among hip-hop artistes from France, Germany and Ghana which has been going on at Kokorobite Institute near Accra for the past few days is certain to bring a whole new element to the current sounds we are used to hearing.

So far, the French group Fu Infanterie, a collective consisting of two smaller groups (Octobre Rouge and Section Fu) have combined forces with hiplife’s kologo master, King Ayisoba.

Known for his performances and work with Terry Bonchaka and Kontihene, Ayisoba brings a distinctly Northern vibe to the otherwise cutting edge Parisian sounds of Fu Infanterie’s ace producer Voodoo.

The collaborations between the Ghanaian and European artistes will be presented during a grand concert at the Alliance Française on Saturday and will feature individual performances of each artiste, as well as the brand new joints put together during the weeklong discussions and musical experimentations.

According to DJ Terror, who is the DJ for Germany’s Bantu, “Exchange is always good. If you are truly a creative artiste, you have to open the door to new ideas.” And, new ideas are exactly what these artistes are finding in Kokrobite.

“Here in Ghana I see how music plays a bigger role in this culture,” Terror says, “When you walk down the street in Accra you hear music everywhere, but in Germany people would call the police and complain about the noise.”

Terror’s German colleagues, Adé Bantu and Don Abi, have been contributing to the stew that had been simmering since their arrival For France’s Voodoo, the chance to leave France and come down to see and experience the place where hip-hop comes from has been a worthy experience.“The roots of Black music are in Africa. Rap, jazz, funk, etc. all come from Africa” , he says.

Logan, one of the lyricists in Octobre Rouge, adds, “Many French artistes use elements of African style in their music, but no one in France has ever done anything with hiplife in Ghana. France doesn’t know Ghana, but we hope we can change that.”

And, for Ghanaian artistes, the idea of exposing audiences abroad to their songs is exciting enough, but with the way these musicians have been blending their styles, everyone involved will come out sounding different.