Ghanaian hip-hop and Afrobeat musician Desmond Kwesi Blackmore, known by his stage name DBlack believes it is high time Ghanaians appreciated local songs and put a stop to the overconsumption of Nigerian music.
The young entrepreneur expressed horror after discovering that the top 20 songs on Apple in Ghana were dominated by Nigerian songs.
Ghana music-loving fans prefer listening to Nigerian music to Ghanaian music.
This, Dblack believes needs to change if Ghanaians expect their artists to compete at the highest level with the top dogs from Nigeria and across the continent. He charged Ghanaians to appreciate the Ghanaian acts and ensure that they stream their songs in order to make them competitive.
In a series of tweets, DBlack made a strong case for Ghanaian music especially when many were asserting that the local artistes do not churn out great songs like their Nigerian counterparts…therefore, Ghanaians are left with no option than to vibe to Nigerian music if that gives them value for their money.
Ei Ghana! Our TOP 20 Songs on apple music are 18 Nigerian songs !!? Awurade !!! Like How do we touch the rest of the world if it doesn’t start from home ? Sigh
U guys here tweeting . Gh acts shud Make better music , blah blah , too known nkoaaa lol . Go take a look at other african charts . U think it’s just Ghana? It’s kenya , uganda , etc . The whole of africa besides Sa . And that’s cos naija has a 90% local content policy.
And that don’t affect Sa cos they have a 85% local policy . And support their music heavy from the people govt. Pushing their amapiano agenda heavy . Let’s change our mindsets chale . Talent Dey, Content dey. Stop with the Jesus syndrome . SMH.
DBalck believes there is no justification for the fact that Ghanaians prefer to stream Nigerian and South African music because local artists churn out bad songs. According to him, Ghanaian music is great but the insatiable taste many Ghanaians have for foreign music is the reason for its supposed decline.
But how can Ghana music Industry compare itself to the Nigeria Industry? Why does Nigeria music kinda dominate the continent?
Let’s check the fact
Nigeria’s entertainment industry is one of the world’s fastest-growing entertainment industries. In 2016, the industry was worth $3.6 billion, and it is expected to be worth $6.4 billion by 2021.
The timeline depicts the revenue of the Nigerian music industry from 2014 to 2018, with projections through 2023. Nigeria’s music revenue increased from 26 million US dollars in 2014 to 34 million US dollars in 2018, and it is expected to reach 44 million US dollars by 2023.
The reverse is scary. Dblack believes things could get better if Ghanaians start to support their own.