 |
||||||||||||||||||
 |
 |
|||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||||||
|
Jesse Weaver Shipley |
Back to Festival Page |
|||||||||||||||||
Abstract: In 1994 rap musician Reggie Ossei Rockstone returned to his native Ghana in 1994 and sparked a musical revolution. Rockstone left a successful English-language rap career in London to make hip hop in the Twi language and record and perform in Accra. This film paints a musical portrait of urban life in Ghana by showing how hip hop and highlife popular music came together in the streets of Accra creating a new musical culture called hiplife. Combining the visual languages of remixing, portraiture, and historical footage, this film follows urban youth culture through studios, performances, and the neighborhoods in Accra. It follows Rockstone, known as the Godfather of Hiplife, in his quest to develop rap music in Ghana. The film weaves together the story of a young group of aspiring rappers called The Mobile Boys as they try to make it in the music industry. African American influences emerge in rap styles and beatmaking as artists combine older proverbial speech, urban popular styles, and electronica. The film ties political history together with vibrant musical life to look at the economic hopes and musical dreams of young urban Ghanaians as they confront the realities of corporate sponsorship, political change, and international hopes. Production Date: 03/01/07 Email: shipley.jesse@gmail.com Film Credits: Starring Reggie Ossei Rockstone and featuring The Mobile Boys and Motia Running Time: 61 Medium: DVD Film Purpose: This film portrays a portrait of contemporary African life. It shows the role of African American influence in West Africa and the importance of racial imaginaries to contemporary Ghana. It weaves together broader political history of postcolonial Ghana and the daily lives of artists and struggling youth. Film Audience: This film crosses genres of documentary, hip hop popular video, historical portrait. It is intended for anthropological, popular music, and general audiences. Role of the Anthropologist / Collaboration: I am a filmmaker and anthropologist. I made this film in conjunction with writing an ethnography on the same topic focusing on the life of rappers in Accra, Ghana. The star of the film Reggie Ossei Rockstone was centrally involved in shaping the creative choices made in the film. Filmmaker/anthropologist: Jesse Weaver Shipley, Bard College Keywords: HipHop, Streetlife, African politics |
||||||||||||||||||
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||
