ACCRA MEETS NEW YORK: HOW JOEY B REINVENTS GHANA’S SIGNATURE SOUND.
When I got the call to write this review, I didn’t even think twice. I love Joey B so much; I just wish he knew. Don’t we all? He’s one of the few artistes in Ghana who makes projects with insane replay value, despite there being so few of them. And this – the fact that he rarely makes (or rather releases) studio projects, with this being only his third – is my biggest issue with him. I think an artist of his calibre, with the kind of work rate he has (Joey B has one of the largest discographies in the Ghanaian hip-hop space, if you count features), should honestly have more albums. The fact that he has yet to release a full-length album disturbs me.
So you can imagine my elation when I was tasked with reviewing this project. And even more so when I finally got to hear the music. I almost forgot to submit this review on time because I was having so much fun just enjoying the music. This tape, aptly named Sexy Highlife, is a love letter to Ghanaian highlife music, and he wastes no time making that clear as you listen to it. The tape begins with a very sexy palm wine highlife melody, and on it, this sexy-sounding lady declares her love for Ghanaian highlife, calling it sexy. “No, no, no, I love highlife music. I mean, I love African music. I love all music, you know? But the thing is, when it’s Ghanaian highlife, though? It’s sexy. Like, sexy highlife. Honestly, that should be a genre on its own. Wait, sexy highlife? Mmm.” By this point you get the picture, and if you didn’t, that’s exactly what the next song does: paint you a picture. Montecarlo fuses the soft, sexy, groovy highlife instrumental on the intro with kompa drums reminiscent of old francophone hits like Pierette Adams’ “Notre Histoire”, to create a smooth love song on which he declares “odo e, mɛyɛ w’asɛdeɛ”, meaning “I’ll give you what you deserve, my love” while encouraging the babe (or babes, because come on, it’s Joey B) to dance. This is the song to play to set the mood for a good time with the sexy diasporan babe who thinks highlife is so sexy. Joey B singing “woso ma me baby” will definitely have her whining in her seat. You’re in luck if she’s Caribbean. By the end of the song, she could be teaching you the gouyad hip movements.
The next song, Exopa, featuring long-time friend and the only collaborator featured on every Joey B project ever released, Odunsi the Engine, was one of the singles released in the lead-up to the tape. It features the same sexy, groovy feel of Montecarlo, but dreamier. More altè. By the time it plays, your diasporan babe should be on her feet, dancing as Mellisa does in the beginning of the music video for this very song.
The instrumental on Botanical Interlude reminds me so much of Omar Sterling’s “Truth” off VTH 2 and is definitely the best-named track on the tape. Listening to it, you’ll realise you should’ve taken your diasporan babe on a picnic at the Aburi Botanical Gardens. You could’ve sang along when he sings “wo sereɛ mpo n’eku me”. She would’ve loved that. Smiled. Called you thoughtful. Intentional. Sexy. (Side note: Joey can really sing. Or ebi my mind?)
If you haven’t figured it out from how many times I’ve used the word already so far, the tape is very sexy. It is, after all, sexy highlife.
The next song, however, isn’t very highlife. Maybe it is if you count the sax as a staple of Ghanaian highlife. It’s still very sexy though. Roses features my favorite version of Pharaoh though: sexy drill Darryl. The same version as on songs like Princess, Suzzy Williams, Yaa Abrefi & Akorfa. This would actually be the first sexy drill song he makes that isn’t named after a babe. And if you listened to any of those songs, you know when he gets in that bag, he doesn’t miss. A sexy drill song where he brags about his babe? No no, no. He won’t miss. “Panin ne kakra? I still go choose you” is still stuck in my head as I type this. Your diasporan babe will love this. You’ll both be dancing and singing along by the time the song ends. Just make sure you point at her for the “I still go choose you” part. She’ll smile at that, trust me.
Track 6, Akosua Broni with Bosom P-Yung, is my favourite on the tape. And this is not even because I’m a huge Bosom fan. The song is just that good. It samples Daddy Lumba’s “Ɛnyɛ Nyame Den (Gyae su)”. I had this confused to be the same sample on Princess. But this is only because the production on Gyae Su & Mensei Da is identical. Queue them together in a playlist and you’ll see what I’m talking about. This is another sexy drill song with an extremely catchy hook. I know for a fact that my boys and I will be screaming “ɔnnfa m’ekyi. ɛda a menni bi no mebisa, ɔmame bi di” when it drops at the linkup. Bosom does the song justice as well. “Daddy e, daddy e, daddy e, wobedi ansa woadi anaa?” is a TikTok challenge waiting to happen. All in all, it’s just a really well-made song. Perfect. Sexy. Now that is sexy highlife. Both you and your diasporan babe will love this one. Especially if she loves Daddy Lumba.
It was also a really nice surprise to hear Bisa Kdei on track 7, Kyeiwaa. This song is reminiscent of the kind of highlife on songs such as Chingam, Baba, Wani Aba & Metanfo. Yes, I love Bisa Kdei too. Maybe I just like the way Pharaoh raps over the beat, or that this is the first song on the tape that isn’t a love song, but I love it. This one is for the haters. The witches and wizards. Efie abayifuor. Kyeiwaa is such a perfect name. Your diasporan babe will have a great time singing along to “wo nua ne me anka wompɛ?” & “anyɛn ne ba, ebei. anyɛn ne ba”. I know I did. And if she has haters, she definitely will.
News at 8, sequel to News at 7 & News Bulletin, features the typical lo-fi boom bap style of the News series. On here, he doubles down on the theme of the two previous songs in the series: stoicism, advice & a little akutsia. I think it’s also safe to say this song has the best rapping on the project. But of course it does. Boom bap Darryl is the deadliest. This one is definitely more for you than your diasporan babe. Firestick will definitely hate this one, and the diasporan babe will ask you why you laughed at the “slow niggas buffer, wo body nkyerɛ sɛ you tougher than me” line, but you’ll just be thinking, “How can akutsia sound so sexy?”
The project ends with Princess, the sexy highlife drill blueprint, and I don’t think I need to tell anybody how good that song is. The numbers speak for themselves. This is the part where your diasporan babe tries to prove that she’s cool by rapping along to all the lyrics. Just smile and thank Pharaoh Darryl for the assist.
When I saw the title for this project, I was unsure of what to expect because Joey B is not known for highlife music. After listening though, I get it. Sexy Highlife isn’t just Joey’s attempt at making highlife. It’s him using all of his highlife era influences to make a project that is undeniably and uniquely him. Even though the bulk of the music on this tape is hip-hop, the highlife roots are undeniable. From the samples to the themes and features, the influence of Lumba, Exopa modeling agency, and the aesthetic of borga highlife is palpable. If not for anything, I know the akutsia was inspired by Daddy Lumba. The man just had a way to get under your skin. Wherever he is, I hope he’s proud of what Joey did on this tape. Before I sign out though, in the spirit of continuing the tradition of giving him a new name every time he drops a project (Cowboy Darryl & the Messiah), what do we call this version of Darryl? Dada Darryl, because he’s clearly in his Daddy Lumba bag? Whichever way, I hope you enjoy this tape as much as I am. Sit with it, soak it in, and blast it everywhere. Play it at the gym, on your morning run, in the shower, in the car, at the linkups, everywhere. Because Lord knows it will be a while before we get another project from Joey B, or will it?
Article by Kojo Bonsamposuro