Reggie Rockstone sets new record

The God father of hiplife music, Reggie Rockstone is set to make another history in the hiplife industry with the release of his new album on March 6, 2008 in Accra.The hiplife maestro said for the first time in the history of the music genre, fans who promote the works of artistes in the industry and keep them in business would have the opportunity to name an album through an opinion poll to be placed in the newspapers and on the internet before its release. In an exclusive interview with DAILY GUIDE in Bolgatanga, Reggie Rockstone said he has decided to allow his loyal fans, both in Ghana and outside to name the 20-track album in appreciation of their respect and love for him and his works since the release of his first album “Maka a Maka” in 1996. He was on his way back to Accra from Gwollu in the Upper West region, where he and his wife Zilla Limann and other members of the Limann family had visited the resting place of the late Dr. Hilla Limann as part of activities to mark the 10th anniversary of his death. Reggie Rockstone disclosed to DAILY GUIDE that he had been quiet in recent times because he needed some time to take care of his late father’s Business Empire and also be with his family. According to him, the hiplife industry is moving to higher heights in order to attract the attention of major stakeholders in the international music arena and it would take a few creative and hardworking artistes to survive in the face of the challenge that comes with his movement. “Human beings are dynamic and so we want to see things like fashion and music transform to conform to our change and taste. Now people are hungry for something new to quench their desires. No wonder the public accepted King Ayisoba and his ‘I want to see you my father’,” Reggie indicated. He described the rhythms and tunes from Northern Ghana as unique, saying Atongo Zimba whose lyrics in most cases were not understood by his foreign fans, continued to pull crowd all over the world because of his style and rhythm which take their roots from the North. He urged musicians from the North not to belittle what they have by imitating Western styles which most musicians in the country were now adopting, and rather develop the local beats and tunes to satisfy modern taste. Rockstone disagreed with the assertion that hiplife was fading out, saying it is rather becoming better due to the change it was going through. “Highlife artistes are featuring hiplife artistes to make the old highlife tracks move according to modern music trends. Ghanaian international musician Afro Moses is adding some hiplife flavour to his indigenous style to meet the taste of most music lovers. King Ayisoba, upon all his unique style, needed the support of some hiplife artistes to make his song more unique and appealing to the public. So hiplife is not fading out; it is only undergoing change,” the hiplife maestro explained. He disclosed that he was featuring King Ayisoba in one of the tracks on his new album, which would be a mixture of new songs and some remixes and is expected to gain large patronage both home and abroad.