“Ghana Has Missed Lots Of Opportunities Because We Neglect Veterans Who Contribute To Our Music Industry” – Agiecoat

Popular Ghanaian music producer Nana Asa known publicly as Agiecoat has expressed worry over how Ghanaians neglect veterans who contribute to music all their lives and has called on the media to give it’s full support to Shatta Wale, Stonebwoy and Sarkodie.

Speaking in a phone interview with Sammy Flex on Showbiz Agenda live on Zylofon 102.1 FM, Agiecoat said it takes one person to make a country’s music big. He cited Bob Marley as a typical example saying he made reggae music global and Jamaica celebrates him for it.

“Ghana has missed a lot of opportunities because we leave the oldies who contributed to our music alone. Bob Marley played a role making reggae global and it came with some dance. Music goes with dance. Our highlife needs that. We should be able to market our brand. We should be decorators of highlife music. Highlife music needs a lot of space. Let’s look for creators to work on the dance. Let’s resit it. We should also not move our music with lyrics or language but rythm” he explained.

He further added: “The industry should be united. Players should be one. Those days we were one. Today I am happy Stonebwoy refers to Shatta Wale as my brother and vice versa. This is how the industry should be. It is about perfect competition and not about enmity. Music brings glory and revenue to the country so let’s make the industry strive. Michael Jackson did it, Bob Marley did it, and all those old musicians. I have followed music for long”.

The producer who has not received any honorary from any award scheme in the country before took the opportunity to make a passionate appeal to Charter House, organizers of Vodafone Ghana Music Awards to bring an award they denied him some years back.

“I will take this opportunity to make a passionate appeal to charter House. I am making an appeal to Charter House that they should bring me my award for producer of the year. I can’t really remember the exact year but I think it is the year Kontihene won artiste of the year. That year, they cancelled the producers category without any explanations. I am waiting for the day they will call me to come for my award” he said.

Agiecoat is one of Ghana’s revered music producers who consolidated Hiplife when it was still in its experimental stage. He is best known for his works with George Darko’s Odo Colour, Buk Bak’s Klu Brofo and Gonja Barracks, Kontihene’s Aketasia, Kokovelli’s Zaaza, 4X4 and a host of others.

Story by: Reagan O.O.Osarfo (Nana Reagan)