Arts & Culture
CNN Celebrates Ghanaian Highlife & Afrobeat Legend, Ebo Taylor; Features Him On Africa Avant-Garde Series

Cable News Network; an American news-based pay television channel has featured Ghanaian Highlife and Afrobeat Legend, Ebo Taylor on Africa Avant-Garde – a new series showcasing innovators and creators working across art, design, music, film and fashion, for playing a pivotal and practical role in elevating the West African sound and making his signature Ghanaian highlife that influenced the father of afrobeat, Fela Kuti.
According to CNN, as at when Highlife and Afrobeats grew to become a global household genre on the music market, the ‘Ayesama’ hitmaker’s outputs were inherited as a source of inspiration to many notable international creatives and has witnessed series of sampling by international R&B artiste Usher on his 2010 track “She Don’t Know,” featuring rapper Ludacris, and by Canadian hip-hop duo Ghetto Concept on their 1992 track “Certified.”

Speaking to CNN, “Uncle Ebo,” as he’s known by locals in Saltpond, the small Ghanaian fishing town he’s called home since birth, revealed how he cultivated a close and harmonious relationship with colleague Afrobeat legend Kuti.
“Fela used to come to my apartment in Willesden quite often and we’d spend hours playing records,” Taylor said. “When he came to Ghana in ’67, he drove to Cape Coast to see me and we spent the afternoon talking about African Unity.”
Taylor credits Kuti with pushing him, and others, to compose distinctly African music. “He (Fela) never understood why as Africans we like playing jazz; he wanted us to be ourselves, be original and tell our stories,” Taylor said.

His influence can also be seen in afrobeat’s clubbier offshoot, afrobeats (with an “s”), which has hit international charts through West African acts like Wizkid, who has collaborated with artists including Drake and Major Lazer. Taylor is quick to highlight the fact that the popularity of afrobeats has coincided with its embrace of authentically African arrangements and a departure from heavy hip-hop and R&B sounds which he believes could seem forced.
“The music we made was real music, it made you stop and think,” he said. “It’s not surprising that people are connecting with afrobeats more now that it is embracing elements from the music we made.”
And Taylor, however, is still recording new material at age 84. He has spent most of this year in his home studio observing Covid-19 protocols and recording new material for his third studio album in 10 years.
Since the release of his 2010 album “Love and Death,” as well as his collaboration with the Berlin-based Afrobeat Academy in 2011, Taylor’s international profile has been raised. In 2017, the release of Ghana funk anthem “Come Along,” made DJ playlists globally, according to Taylor. But Taylor’s newfound global fame is the culmination of his own influence on West African music since the early 1960s.

Photo Credit: CNN
Arts & Culture
Could 2021 Be The Year Of The African Museum?
Arts & Culture
An Illustrated Book Dedicated To The Memory Of JJ Rawlings Now Available
Arts & Culture
The ‘Camboo’ Rave Is This Saturday [SEE DETAILS]
Arts & Culture
Audiomack Unveiled Official Streaming Platform For 2020 Afrochella Block Party
-
Music Videos3 days ago
Premiere: Shatta Wale Delivers Unadulterated Lyrics Over Dancehall Synths & Drums In New Song – 1 Don [WATCH HERE]
-
Health & Fitness4 days ago
Toothy Tuesdays: Dr. Louisa Launches New Grassroot Dental Care Webshow
-
Cultural Events & Festival4 days ago
The First Edition Of Drumline Festival To Be Held In The Western Region.
-
Business3 days ago
Camidoh Joins Ololo Express As Official Brand Ambassador