Ghanaian entertainment critic and media personality, Ola Michael, has reacted to a statement made by Highlife musician Gyedu-Blay Ambolley concerning young musicians.
In an interview with Graphic Showbiz, Ambolley claimed that the majority of the nation’s youthful artists fall short of his standards because they primarily create “sharp-sharp music that has a limited shelf life.”
However, Ola Michael slammed Ambolley in a UTV interview that was monitored by 1Family Radio, arguing that he takes pleasure in disparaging these young artists rather than supporting them.
“He is one of those individuals who doesn’t have the time to listen to the young people and acknowledge their efforts. He always criticizes young people when he talks about them. He talks about them as though they don’t do anything worthwhile or aren’t talented or creative,’’ he said.
“I recall him saying earlier this year that these young musicians sing more about their relationships than social issues. However, his hit song “Simi Rapp” was about a girl.”
He went on to issue a challenge to the seasoned musician, asking him to list the number of artists he has nurtured and coached to follow in his footsteps.
Ola Michael contends that a leader’s success is measured by the number of individuals he nurtures into successors, and Ambolley would be considered a failure if he had not succeeded in this.
“Good leaders have always led people who are better than them to replace them. So if Ambolley stops playing music and he cannot point out anyone whom he has trained or influenced to take after him, then he has failed. He should not blame the young ones,’’ Ola added.
“This young generation—most of them can’t even relate to his songs. If you ask any young person about Gyedu-Blay Ambolley, they will only know him for ‘Simi Rapp,’ but he has a lot of songs,’’ he noted.
Source: 1Familyradio