As far as music groups go, one of the biggest in recent years is Ghanaian twin producer-artiste duo DopeNation. With years of experience as producers and artists themselves, the duo has served consumers some of the biggest songs to come out of the country.
With production credits with artistes like Shatta Wale, Ebony, Joey B, and E.L., among many others, along with hits of their own like “Uh Huh, Eish, Confam,Naami, and, in recent times, Gboza, they have grown to become household names in and outside the country.
Their work has seen them mount several big stages and win numerous awards both at home and abroad. As producers, they have played a key role in shaping the sounds of the songs we hear here in the country.
So it came as no surprise when the duo announced their latest project, Ghanapiano,” with the prereleased singles Clap, Gboza, and Check My Zingo.
In a conversation with TheCultureJoint, the duo spoke about the inspiration for the project, their career and lives, and what fans should expect in the coming months.
To kick things off, how have the last couple of years been for DopeNation? Have things been going as planned?
DopeNation has experienced steady and successful growth in recent years. We’ve been continuously learning on the job, adapting new methods to promote our art, and keeping up with the ever-changing dynamics of the music industry. Well, according to our calendar, we try our best to cross all T’s and dot our I’s, so yes, most things go as planned.
When you think DopeNation, you think of rap; you think of jams. What would you say is the wow factor about DP that has made you guys consistent and relevant?
DopeNation offers a lot more features when it comes to music, so we are not surprised you mentioned these attributes. However, we understand the system we are in and try to administer it to our fans one step at a time. Today it could be rap or jams; tomorrow you will be wowed by what we have installed. This literally answers the question of consistency and relevance. Rap isn’t on the decline, but Rap Music is. However, it’s an artist’s ideal feature to substitute a genre for another if they realize they can fuse, and that’s what we mostly do. So even if you hear something else, you will bet to have that rap essence from us in there.
There has been a conversation about how rap is on the decline in Ghana, but there are people like DP who have been able to package rap in afrobeats and dance music. Was it a deliberate thing, and do you believe rap is on the decline?
GhanaPiano. As self-explanatory as it is, it is a new sound we are churning. Developing our native Ghanaian sounds (highlife, hip-life, azonto, etc.) and other quality genres with the current Amapiano vibe This fusion is to showcase to the universe how or what a Ghanaian sounds like on an Amapiano tune. As a result, the name GHANA – PIANO was coined. And we are glad you asked why it took so long to bring this out.
Let us talk about your new baby Ghanaian. Why that name first of all? And why did it take you guys this long to give us a project?
When the genre was out, you realized it was hard for a couple artists to really blow an Amapiano tune from Ghana. So as producers, we took the liberty of studying the genre and finding that comfortable fusion where a Ghanaian could sing or rap on it as well as dance to it. That brought about the fusion.
About the project, can you guys run us through the creative process of the tape and explain what accounts for the features we have heard about it?
The features on the tape, Sakordie, Medikal, and DJ Faculty, are actually based on the rap and DJ presence of our native sounds. These talented gods brought unique creativity to the project by understanding what we wanted to preach and fusing it with it.
You have given us a project, and you have hits in town. Should we expect a DopeNation concert and maybe a tour?
Definitely a Ghanaian concert. We already started the year with our high school and tertiary tour. Connecting with our fans is important to us, so we found ways to do that and get to those who couldn’t afford a fully paid show with DopeNation on it.
It is still early days yet, but is Ghanapiano a reintroduction of DopeNation, or are we still going to see you guys go back to hip-hop DP from time to time?
We are not limited to any sound whatsoever. We are experimental producers and artists. We see our brand as that crossover between the western world and Africa, so for now all we have for you is GHANAPIANO. Who knows what’s to come next?
Final words for your fans
We appreciate every effort made to promote and patronize our music. We urge everyone to be on the lookout. There’s more!
Listen to Ghanapiano HERE.
Written by: Nana Kojo Mula
