Ghana has not given us our due; we are exploited, disregarded - Nana Ampadu

Also Read

Ghana has not given us our due; we are exploited, disregarded - Nana Ampadu Source: Ghana | Hitz FM | Gloria Nyarku Date: 26-08-2015 Time: 05:08:20:pm Veteran musician Nana Ampadu has bemoaned the treatment meted out to aged musicians in the country. In a conversation with Hitz FM’s MzGee on ‘entertainment this week’, the musician who has been described as a living legend says the title is seen as mere in the
sight of society who chooses to rather exploit and disregard living legends than glorify them. MzGee: Nana, Musician Adane Best mentioned you as one of the living legends Ghana has. Are you a Legend? Nana Ampadu: Well Nobody can claim that he is a legend, people will proclaim you a legend and not only Adane best has but other musicians like Amakyi Dede, Kojo Antwi, Oheneba Kissi and Samuel Owusu have also proclaimed me a legend so I accept that. MzGee: What in your opinion defines who a legend is?

 Nana Ampadu: A legend is somebody who in his career has performed creditably well without any blemish of bad character, people have adjudged him to be a sound person, a person who has done well in his field, has created a good name for himself and is always on the green side (never goes down, he always brings out something in his profession) of his profession. MzGee: Is it true the assertion that the likes of yourself, AB Crentsil and others who have also been referred to as living legends, have not been treated well by the society? Nana Ampadu: In Ghana, a large section of the populace do not understand the essence of music, they regard it as luxury so they wouldn’t see anything good in a musician. This is what has emanated to this point that people disregard and exploit us and the like and is true the society is not treating us well. MzGee: What would you rather have society do for you as veterans or living legends? 

Nana Ampadu: The society can give us regards where we have performed efficiently then privately in their homes they will be proud that I have raised a son, who has become popular treating us to music, I am not talking about only musicians but also we should take a look at other areas when people in the industry excel, the society should be proud but unfortunately in Ghana our case this is different. Only few people admire us. Those who understand what music really mean give us that regard and there are few people in the country who have made prominent state men about us and we take solace from that. MzGee: Did you write your songs yourself back in the day? Nana Ampadu: From scratch one to where I am now. 

I have been writing all my songs, composing and arranging. I arrange almost 80% of the horns on my songs though I haven’t attended any theory school in music. The omnipotent God gives me the direction to do so. MzGee: Can you tell us the difference between a hit song and good song? Nana Ampadu: A hit song is a song that the whole citizenry finds as a household material. Such songs are played everywhere, have gained tones of airplay and loads of people’s attention so far as it has gotten to all homes and people admire it, I call it a hit song. But one thing is that you might have a hit song that will not leave for long, maybe within a space of about six months you will not hear of the song again but there are some hit songs which are good songs.

 These songs stays on sounding evergreen and whenever you listen you will feel it was composed last year. Let me give you few examples which are not from my repertoire, whenever you hear the song ‘kyenkyen bi adi menwo’ you feel as though it was sung yesterday and adwoa bene is also a hit song and played at any function people will be jumping to it. MzGee: What of today’s songs, do you have any you can call a hit song or a very good song? Nana Ampadu: Normally, excuse me but I don’t listen to them not because I don’t like them but I just don’t listen to them unless maybe I am passing by and I hear them playing.