Entertainment
Wisdom is not a preserve of old age and grey hair – KOD fires back at Ambolley
The feud between broadcaster Kofi Okyere Darko (KOD) and highlife musician Gyedu-Blay Ambolley gets murkier as they keep slinging invective at each other.
Kofi Okyere Darko in a recent post on Facebook has written a epistle titled ‘My Final Words to Ambolley’ chronicling his contribution to the highlife genre, his support to Ambolley’s career and the music industry at large.
“Lee won’t sit on the VGMA Board (in & out for over 20 years) & allow Hilife to die when he’s played, produced & managed some of the best hilife songs & artistes for almost 30 years.
Celebrated Hilife musicians like Amandzeba, Bessa Simons, Okraku Mante, Andy Dosty, Diana Hopeson, Kiki Banson & many great music talents & proponents won’t sit/allow VGMA to be a curse to Hilife when they sit on the Board.
It will take only an ungrateful artiste to ever suggest VGMA is a curse to Hilife,” he wrote.
Describing Ambolley as a “charlatan”, KOD also recounted how he helped Ambolley to secure a Glo ambassadorial deal.
“Lee, the small boy supported him for almost 30 years of his career & made sure he was not left out when he facilitated the legends Glo signed up when they came to GH (he shouldn’t forget his insincerity with how he handled himself in that space). I always knew this day would come somehow… That’s how I know him; a charlatan,” KOD further stated.
He then intimated that old age is not synonymous with wisdom.
“Wisdom is not a preserve of old age & grey hair. There are older men in communities/families but children often rise to lead,” Nineteen57 boss added.
Ambolley’s jab at KOD
This comes after Ambolley said on Showtym with Andy Dosty on Adom TV that KOD was shallow-minded for berating him regarding his comment on the Vodafone Ghana Awards as being a curse to highlife.
“I see Okyere Darko as a child. He is shallow minded, the reason why he said those things,” he said on Adom TV.
He also mentioned in the interview that he had toured the world with his music and that KOD, also a fashion designer could not do same with his clothing.
“I am going on an European tour in May next year. My music, Gyedu Blay Ambollley’s music and in June, I will be back on tour. So when he sits and talks, can he take his clothes on tour as a designer like the way I’m going on tour with my music?
“Can he take his DJing on tour like the way I am going on tour with my music? If these people talk, you know they are shallow minds,” Ambolley noted.Gyedu-Blay Ambolley – highlife musician. Photo credit: Ambolley/Facebook
How it all started
Ambolley in an interview with Graphic said that the Vodafone Ghana Awards (VGMA) has vitiated the highlife music genre.
He said giving the topmost awards to artistes in other music genres in the VGMA has affected the fortunes of highlife.
He also raised concerns the quality of artistes nominated in the Best Highlife Artiste of the Year category of the awards.
“It is unfortunate that people think when you sing in Twi or Fante over a Dancehall or Reggae beats it automatically makes it Highlife music. That is not true but it has become the norm over the years because these are the kinds of music VGMA rewards.”
“Today, if anyone wants to have an idea of what Ghana represents in terms of music, I bet the person will not count any Highlife artiste since all the perceived big acts currently are not doing Highlife.”
“We have buried our own and pursuing Dancehall music and the likes and interestingly, the VGMA has been promoting the agenda by rewarding such artistes with the topmost prizes,” he said.
KOD’s initial reaction
In his reaction, KOD described Ambolley’s assertion as “nonsense.”
He intimated that the Vodafone Ghana Awards has contributed greatly to the Ghanaian music industry.
“Which awards scheme has projected our music industry like VGMA since independence? How many have projected our musicians beyond GH. How many have consistently done more than 10 years?” he wrote on his Facebook timeline.
He said Ambolley should rather lay the blame on radio stations.
“When was the last time he released an album? He should be blaming some of the radio stations who don’t even play our music.
When was the last time or how often do you hear highlife on radio? VGMA cause am?,” added.
Read full post of KOD’s final words to Ambolley below:
“Lee won’t sit on the VGMA Board (in & out for over 20 years) & allow Hilife to die when he’s played, produced & managed some of the best hilife songs & artistes for almost 30 years.
Celebrated Hilife musicians like Amandzeba, Bessa Simons, Okraku Mante, Andy Dosty, Diana Hopeson, Kiki Banson & many great music talents & proponents won’t sit/allow VGMA to be a curse to Hilife when they sit on the Board.
It will take only an ungrateful artiste to ever suggest VGMA is a curse to Hilife.
I typically wouldn’t have commented when Ambolley said “the VGMA is a curse to Hilife music” but I realised he’s done loads of lose talks in the last couple years, especially against his own colleagues and to people who should look up to him. Choosing to make that comment in public, I decided to respond as a prominent person who’s been part of the VGMA & the Board for over 20 years.
Ambolley’s made vitriolic attacks on StoneBwoy, Daddy Lumba & many of his colleagues these last few years. What’s wrong with him?
Every creative has the responsibility to evolve over time, else they go stale.
At a legendary status, one earns his place in their chosen field of endeavour, & should not make mediocre statements against his colleagues filled with malice & reckless baloney. That’s not the place of an icon.
I know it’s hard to learn to be left handed in one’s old age but I guess Ambolley could learn from the late great Paapa Yankson, Joe Mensah, CK Mann, AB Crentsil & the celebrated Pat Thomas. True men with noble characters who remember those who look(ed) out for them…
Lee, the small boy supported him for almost 30 years of his career & made sure he was not left out when he facilitated the legends Glo signed up when they came to GH (he shouldn’t forget his insincerity with how he handled himself in that space). I always knew this day would come somehow… That’s how I know him; a charlatan.
Wisdom is not a preserve of old age & grey hair. There are older men in communities/families but children often rise to lead.
These are my last words to the great Ambolley, our last from the good old Western stock.
I still love his music
Amen.”
Iconic Nigerian singer Peter Okoye has responded to allegations made by his twin brother Paul over ownership of a new song “Winning.”
Peter Okoye shared a detailed account of the song’s creation, clarifying his role and collaboration with others, including Ghanaian producer Vampire and songwriter Calypso.
He questioned Paul’s claims, citing their agreed-upon creative process and Paul’s removal of his (Peter’s) vocals from joint songs.
Peter also addressed his temporary break from music, stating he took time to recharge before returning with “Winning.”
He wrote on X: “If you have followed my journey as a solo artiste and even before, you will notice that I give people their due credit where necessary as I am a firm believer in teamwork; I know my strengths, where I need assistance or guidance I am not afraid to ask or work with those who are strong in the areas I am not; this includes the process of creating music, executing concepts and ideas etc. I will always credit people for their contributions to my projects.
“Sometime in June 2022, I stumbled upon a producer based in Ghana named Vampire, and my team and I also personally reached out to him via DM, that I liked his work and was interested in working with him. Before getting him to Lagos, I presented the idea of this producer to my twin brother and our team, getting their buy-in before I got him flight tickets and flew him to Lagos.“
It was when he got into Lagos I asked if he would be open to working on P-SQUARE’s next album project, that the 5 songs I had penned down from my end to be presented to our A&R team for the album project were: JAIYE, WINNING, FIND SOMEBODY, LEGENDARY, and ATTENTION, based on tracks he had produced.
“We started with my own 5 songs that needed to be submitted for PSQUARE’s album, which he produced for me: The idea for WINNING came from one of his beats that I discovered. I came up with the idea of changing the chord progression from the original version to what it is today with my own producer Goldswarm who is the co-producer of the song WINNING.
“I had also engaged a songwriter known as CALYPSO who wrote and composed the song WINNING and sent it to me on the beats through a voice note. And we started working on the song. Mind you, he worked on some other songs that were to make the album as well, so my brother was aware of his input to the production as we were all in the studio during this period.
“Then when my twin brother heard the song WINNING, which we had already created the hook/chorus for, he then wanted to start creating a verse. Our agreed-on process for each song presented by us was: arrange the song, leave a verse for the other person, then we both harmonise the chorus and refrain bits together. He wasn’t supposed to until Calypso and I finished it as part of my own song submission to the LEGENDARY ALBUM.
“After that, we finished and shared verses among ourselves. I do not wish to get into details of why the album didn’t see the light of day till date but it takes a different level of psychosis for one to steal what is theirs already; as since the release of this song, I have been labeled and called all sorts online and they have even gone as far as asking for the song to be taken down on various platforms, to what end?
“It was never part of his 5, now 6 (according to him) songs for submission, yet when he felt I was not interested in making music because I chose my sanity over the constant berating and drama that seemed to come up over creative direction in the group.
“If it were his song, why do I have all the music data including initial conversations and picture/video evidence on the above-mentioned titles/songs? Which of his songs do I have its data in my possession in that case? All because he was hoping for me to quit music. Even when I learnt that he had removed my vocals on songs we did together, suggesting that he sing the entire songs including the ones that he planned to present for the album without my input (a very absurd idea as we both make up the duo not just the one), but we both perform them on stage, I begun to have a rethink of the entire situation. Let me leave this here.
“Maybe because I was not posting anything music-related on my social media page for over 4 months. He believes I have lost interest in music. I took a breather to get my mind and head in the right space and when that was done, my epiphany was WINNING!”.
Bawumia- “Mahama’s Economic Record Bad”
Peter Okoye reacts to alleged song ownership by twin brother
