New Grammy for African Music is an opportunity for artist authenticity beyond Afrobeats – Drizilik on YFM Ghana

New Grammy for African Music is an opportunity for artist authenticity beyond Afrobeats – Drizilik on YFM Ghana

Drizilik appeared on YFM’s Y-Lounge with hosts Akosua Hanson and DJ Kess yesterday in Accra. He shared tracks from his Ashobi album, Sierra Leone’s Afro sounds, and his ideas on the brand new Grammy Awards class for African music.

We acquired the one & solely @drizilik passing by tonight to speak it up with @AkosuaHanson x @DjKessGh . Don’t miss! pic.twitter.com/tiu2YgIH7z

— Y107.9 FM (@Y1079FM) June 13, 2023

Akosua Hanson: 

So I heard right this moment that the Grammys have included the African Music Award, a class for African music typically. What are your ideas on that? And what does it do for you as an artist? With this dope music, what do you assume? 

Drizilik: 

Yeah, it’s an opportunity for African artists to remain genuine. Because if you learn deep inside, it’s making area for several types of African music to develop, like a platform for them to thrive. I just like the elements the place they specified the completely different genres of African music and from the completely different areas. Most individuals assume despite the fact that African music is taking up, most individuals assume all African music is Afrobeat. Afrobeats, yeah. And that’s not true. So yeah, I like the elements the place they made an area for Ghanaian Drill, and South African hip-hop. I hearken to plenty of South African hip-hop. And all this Fuji music from Nigeria and different locations. It’s an opportunity for issues to get higher for African music typically and never simply Afrobeats. 

Akosua Hanson: OK. OK, superior. I like that. So listeners, when you simply tuned in, we’ve acquired Drizilik right here from Sierra Leone. We’re listening to actually dope music.

The American Recording Academy (The Grammy Awards) has introduced a Best African Music Performance award,  “a track and singles category that recognizes recordings that utilize unique local expressions from across the African continent.” 

The class will spotlight regional melodic, harmonic, and rhythmic musical traditions, together with however not restricted to Afrobeat, Afro-fusion, Afro Pop, Afrobeats, Alte, Amapiano, Bongo Flava, Genge, Kizomba, Chimurenga, High Life, Fuji, Kwassa, Ndombolo, Mapouka, Ghanaian Drill, Afro-House, South African Hip-Hop, and Ethio Jazz genres.

Before this announcement, African musicians’ major pathway to Grammy recognition was within the World or Global Music, a class dominated by Beninois songstress Angelique Kidjoe who has received the Grammy 5 instances. 

The new class is welcome information to African music followers who’ve usually felt that African in style music belonged in a separate class from Global Music.