Ghanaian rap music being weakened because rappers are shifting to singing — Ex Doe

The once untouchable Ghanaian rap music is declining in quality because more rappers are shifting their focus to singing, observed veteran Hiplife artist Ex Doe.

In an interview, Ex Doe, whose real name is Richard Siaw Akrofi, expressed concern that Ghanaian rappers are paying less attention to rapping in order to chase commercial success.

"I believe the Ghanaian rap game is being weakened by rappers doing more singing nowadays. For me, a rapper should stay a rapper, even though you might do some little singing for your choruses,” said the singer.

Ex Doe acknowledges that commercial demands have played a role in the shift, as radio airplay favors singing artists.

“There is more airplay for singers than rappers in recent times. In the past, it wasn’t so because there was enough radio play for both rappers and singers," he noted.

However, he warns that aspiring artists copying the styles of popular singers like Black Sherif and Kuami Eugene could have negative long-term impacts.

“Nowadays, everyone wants to sound the same because singing is selling. Upcoming artistes want to sound like Black Sherif and Kuami Eugene, among others, and for me, this is not a good sign for our music," Ex Doe stated.

He further advised that Ghanaian rap still has untapped potential and artists should focus on developing the genre rather than abandoning it for singing.

“For me, I believe we should focus on rap music and build on it, because we have an upper hand than other countries like Nigeria, whose artists are focused on doing more singing," Ex Doe said.