Legendary Ghanaian musician Gyedu Blay Ambolley has spoken candidly about why he refuses requests to collaborate with Ghanaian young artists.
He claims that throughout the course of his four decades in the music industry, he has established an enviable reputation for himself, and as a result, any musician who wants to work with him must keep to his standards.
Ambolley stated that regardless of their fame and wealth, he will not collaborate with any young musician whose music does not reflect the legacy of Ghanaian music in an interview with Graphic Showbiz that was monitored by 1Family Radio.
“I am not looking at the money. I am not going to say that because they have money, I am going to charge them and do it. It has to be what I believe in, and the substance of the music must have a positive impact on listeners,’’ he said.
“In our time, we learned what music really was and the rudiments of music composition, arrangements, and all other elements that make good music. That is not available to the young ones lately. All they do is depend on the computer, and after that, they give themselves all kinds of titles.’’
He claims that rather than composing timeless music, a great deal of these young artists are more interested in quick recognition and gratification.
“Many of them want to do music with me, but they are not on par with what I expect. And if you are not up to that, I am sorry; I won’t team up with you.’’
He furthered, “I have been approached several times by some of these young ones; they want me to endorse their stuff, but I decline because whatever work I put my mark on has to be real music. Most of them are doing what I call’sharp, sharp’ music, which has a very short shelf life.’’
However, Ambolley observed that there are some outstanding young musicians making impacts in the music industry, and he would not be hesitant to train them while opening his doors to them for partnerships and sponsorships.
“There are a few exceptional ones who have the potential to make a significant impact on our music scene, and we know them, and these are the ones I will not hesitate to work with,’’ he added.
Source: 1Familyradio