Reggie Rockstone made this statement on Akoma FM 360 entertainment after being asked if Hiplife is dead, as one Ghanaian rap artiste M.anifest admitted in a new BBC documentary, Hiplife Rewind.
“I can’t say that Hiplife is dead, and I said that in the documentary I can’t sit here in Ghana and say that someone I gave birth to and his name is dead, even though I know his (M.anifest) sentiment.
“The Hiplife brand has become unpleasant to be associated with for many reasons. One of them is that radio stations demand Payola before playing our music. This is what they did to us when we were just starting to create the foundations of a genre where we did not have to pay for the music that would be played”. said Reggie.
Payola, is slang for paying or bribing a DJ, radio presenter or TV network to promote a musical work. This is usually illegal in the industry in many countries.
The musician, who is a businessman, said he believes in respecting DJs or any network that plays music freely rather than being forced to pay before playing music on air.
Meanwhile, Rap star M.anifest also claimed that Hiplife is dead in a new documentary by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) titled Hiplife Rewind.
Speaking in the documentary, the rap star declared that Hiplife is dead. According to the Ghanaian rapper, Hiplife is dead because young people are not interested anymore.
According to him, Hiplife tastemakers contributed to the death of Hiplife also because they were at a very conservative point to identify and participate in the evolution of music in West Africa.