Azonto is not a music genre, period! Learn everything about it & more…

Music simply is the arrangement of sounds either made by human voice(s) or instrument(s), or a combination of the two in a regular repeated pattern that is pleasing to the ears.

A genre on the hand — and in music sense — is a category/group of identifiable musical works having similar qualities –

And the ‘similar qualities‘ referred to here are usually the music instruments used in producing the distinct melodies, tunes, and beats of music in a certain way within a particular geographical location (area, society, community, or a country).

Now, a genre of music basically is a category of artistic or creative piece of musical works which (the category) has certain characteristics or style or form or features that all the created examples of songs which fall under it (the category ) can easily be identified with.

Practically speaking, a genre of music is a group/category of songs which all have certain identifiable characteristics or features or qualities rhythmically, musically, tunefully and melodically (I’ll need another piece to explain these terminologies) that must be able to withstand the test of time as it gradually develops and not done overnight as it is the case here in Ghana, Nigeria and elsewhere.

Let me state categorically and emphatically, that the language or tempo/timing of music is never used to define or categorize a genre of music!!!

It seems it is only in Ghana and perhaps elsewhere that the tempo of music — be it slow, mid, or fast — can be used to classify a particular music as a new music genre! Funny, huh?!

So, what form or characteristics has this so-called Azonto Music? Is it the up-tempo nature of it as I normally hear the so-called music aficionados refer to or what?

And if it is about the tempo, what description then would they give to the myriads of authentic up-tempo Highlife music like ‘Sokoo (I stand for correction though)’ and ‘Adwoa Yankey‘ by Amakye Dede and C.K Man respectively done some years back when even the so-called originators of Azonto were yet to crawl?

In fact, it’s even suicidal to want to change a time-tested music genre (Highlife) to now want to suit or fit into a so-called new music genre!!!

I dare say that the up-tempo or bouncy or hotness or fast paced nature of the hot induced dance songs churned out by the youth these days is only a true reflection of our ‘re-discovery’ of ourselves of what we have always loved as black Africans: hot pepper, hot local gin/alcoholic beverages, hot ginger, hot foods… and erm…erm…erm hot $ekx!!!

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