BY: J. KWEKU DOH
Gyedu Blay Ambolley invented rap! The response you might get
to such a statement might be, you must be joking, or in some parts of the
world, who is Gyedu whatever. As incredible as it might sound, Gyedu Blay
Ambolley claims to be the inventor of rap. His argument is premised on the fact
that, The Guinness Book of Records recognizes The SugarHill Gang, an American
rap group as the pioneers of rap music.
Rap as we know it today can be traced back to spoken word
which was predominant among African-Americans and can be traced back to African
music especially West African culture. Soul singer James Brown, Rudy Ray More,
the Last Poets, and Gil-Scott Heron are regarded as the godfathers of rap
music. The works of these individuals dates as far back as the 1960’s. To say
an individual invented something, will mean, that thing was not in existence,
and the individual brought it to be. Will Gyedu Blay Ambolley be downplaying
the roles of these godfathers of rap by his claims as the inventor of rap?
The Guinness Book of Records, to the best of my knowledge
recognizes the Sugar Hill Gang as scoring the first top 40 Billboard hit with a
rap song. This song Rapper’s delight was released in 1979. The group is
therefore regarded as responsible for the commercialization of rap music and
not as originators of rap. Is Ambolley putting up the wrong argument in the
first place?
Gyedu Blay Ambolley released his first album Simigua in
1973. The album has elements of rap and hence can be regarded as a commercial
music album with elements of rap in it. The success of the said album cannot be
measured since. Till now, there are no structures in the Ghanaian music scene
to calculate the commercial success of an album based on sales and downloads. One
will even wonder if a copy of the album will still be available for sale at
record shops. Do we have existing record shops in Ghana? As compared to the 1979 historic release by The
Sugarhill Gang, “Rapper’s Delight” is still available for sale in shops worldwide
and digitally online. The song still enjoys airplay worldwide, and is regarded
as a landmark song and a change maker in the rap scene worldwide. Disputing the
record held by Rapper’s Delight will mean to provide facts including, year of
original recordings, record sales, radio airplay among others. Will Ambolley be
able to provide such facts if the need arises?
 | |
| The Sugar Hill Gang |
The efforts made by Mr. Ambolley in shaping rap cannot be
underestimated. Could it be that, Gyedu Blay Ambolley is the unsung hero with
undue praise going to The Sugarhill Gang. Ambolley as it stands right now is
recognized by the American House of Congress as an important figure in rap
music. He was given an award a few years back by the Congress for his
contribution to rap. This could be a starting point for Ambolley if he is ready
to dispute the record held by The Sugarhill Gang. Considering that, the
honorable house already recognize his input into building the culture of rap,
Ambolley will stand a better chance if he has the facts to back his claims.
So what should be the way forward for Ambolley. In the first
place, he needs to recognize that he is putting up a wrong argument. Saying
that, you are the inventor of rap will mean for instance, to tie Science to an
individual as its inventor, which is not possible. So it will do the honorable
and respected HighLife and outstanding Saxophonist a great good if he
restructures his argument. In doing this, he will be able to stand for a record
which is truly his if he has the right facts to back it. Going on radio to
declare himself the originator of rap will not earn him the title he deserves.
I believe, there are right channels through which Mr. Ambolley can have his claims
addressed. Who knows, he might end being the rightful owner of the distinguished
Guinness World Record for commercializing rap music. As a fan of rap, it will
be of great delight to me, if the individual recognized as the person
responsible for commercializing rap music is none other than, a man I have
grown to respect so much, my countryman for that matter, Mr. Gyedu Blay
Ambolley.
As an industry, this should serve as a warning to all
musicians and industry players. As a country, we seem to take everything for
granted. Mr. Ambolley could be recognized as the holder of the Guinness World
Record instead of The SugarHill Gang if the right things were done as at the
time he released his album. There probably might not be records on the exact
date and all other needed facts to back his claims since even in 21st
century, artists still do not keep such records here in Ghana. A word to the
wise……..
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Julius Kweku Doh
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