Listen to The Sounds of Accra on Apple Music.
The Sounds of Accra
Playlist - 100 Songs
For Africa Month, we asked a diverse group of artists, industry executives, tastemakers, and influencers to help us curate the soundtrack of the city they call home. Here, they share what makes the sounds of their city unique. “The Accra I know is a densely populated, ethnically diverse, and worldly African urban space still rooted in the culture and sounds of its original people—the Ga,” musician M.anifest tells Apple Music of the textures of his hometown. “Accra is the seaside as much as it’s the streetside. It’s the intense smell of the hustle and bustle of Makola market, juxtaposed with the tranquil, green, and bourgeoisie, old-money vibes of Cantonments. It is the enviable array of street food and music cultures coming alive in colorful, working-class neighborhoods such as Jamestown and Nima. It is ginger shots at Republic and Fulera waakye in Madina.” Tracking the past and present of Ghana’s capital city, music marketer John Hill highlights three generations of Accra’s sonic evolution. “First, there’s our signature commercial highlife-Afropop fusion,” he explains, “with legends R2Bees and Sarkodie, Quamina Mp, DarkoVibes, and producer Kuvie, and new-generation stars represented by KOJO BLAK. Alté is the second pivotal genre, with pioneers like Amaarae, La Même Gang, and Yung D3mz and his alté-R&B-Afrobeats fusion. Then, hip-hop, with E.L and Joey B showcasing versatility and the city’s innovative sound, and Black Sherif’s salutes to the Kumerica drill era.” Additional curators from Accra include musicians Sarkodie and Stonebwoy; industry execs Kofi “Funkz” Kyei, Glen Sho, and Albert “Trebla” Donkor, and iMullar founder Maxwell Adjavon. Hear something that transports you? Add it to your library.
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