‘I don’t believe that a country should have one kind of music’ - Knii Lante

“I don’t believe that a country should have one kind of music, it becomes dictatorial,” he said during the interview with Jay Foley on Friday, August 6th.

According to the ‘Baby Take Good Care’ hitmaker, highlife as a piece of music is not indigenous to Ghana. Knii Lante believes Highlife music has some borrowed elements from the Western culture to make it a whole as well all other forms of music around the world.

“We borrow from a lot of western music to get Highlife and we will keep borrowing from Jamaican music to get something else and borrow from German music to get another," he said.

However, Knii Lante who just released two singles, one reggae and the other an afrobeats, believes a musician should be fluid in making music without restrictions.

Knii Lante Pulse Ghana

Meanwhile, Knii Lante has said he believes the media has the power to change and control what music consumers consume.

Answering questions on why reggae music seems to be depreciating in recent times, Knii Lante in an interview with Elvis Crystal on Asaase Radio, said he believes the media and DJs possess the power to make Ghanaian reggae music big again by giving it much airspace on radio and TV.

“The space for reggae music on the airwaves; radio and TV are too small. I mean some years back in the morning, you’ll open the radio every Saturday morning and you’ll be hearing reggae on most channels. ... but these days, you hardly hear reggae being played," he said.

Knii Lante also mentioned stereotyping of reggae music and reggae musicians as a factor for the suffering genre. According to him, it drives investors away.

“The stereotyping of reggae music and reggae musicians with everybody thinking a reggae musician is a rebel and smoke weed, that hurts us a lot. Driving potential investors away," he lamented.

The "Baby Take Good Care" hitmaker said Ghanaian gatekeepers have the power to direct what the music consumer consumes.

“If the gatekeepers, the media houses and DJs decide to give one hour to Ghanaian jazz, there will be a lot of Ghanaian jazz musicians after a year. The DJs and the media houses have the power to change consumption patterns," Knii Lante said.