INTRODUCTION
Greetings – Thank you for inviting me.

Hiplife is a variant of the prototype hip-hop just as Kwaito, Graffiti, Spoken word, Urban fashion, DJ-ing among others.
Since Run DMC and Aerosmith blew our minds some 20 years ago, hip-hop has been the only global culture which is spreading without the use of force under the whip.

Hip-hop has created millionaire beat makers, record companies, marketeers, rappers, designers and in fact has employed more black youth than any other industry in the world. Oh just an exaggeration!!
Hip-hop rap is about 25 to 30 years whiles hip-life is about 15 years. Therefore, obviously, hiplife is a derivative of hip-hop.

If the need therefore has arisen to look into the future of hiplife, let us observe the present progress of hip-hop………….. (pause) I'm done. Any questions?
Wait! Before the questions it is important to know there are striking differences in the challenges faced by either of the industries.

The main challenge being faced by the hip-hop rap is the onset of excessive download of their works off the internet ( Information Super Highway ). Yet, someone like Nelly still sells at least 5million copies. So if Nelly should complain about downloads, I would give him a big knock and say "shut up you fool!!"

This is because the challenges we are facing over here are far more in excess of what they face.

We face an avalanche of 'wahala' in our industry. I'm talking pre and post production periods. How we handle all those challenges will determine to a high extent how the future plays out.

I will break it all down in a minute but first let's take a look at how far we've come.

THE PAST
 Hilife owned by the businessmen who bought the band

 Burger hilife owned by musicians

 Hiplife 1 owned by businessmen called executive producers

 Hiplife 2 owned by hiplife artistes eg Okyeame Kwame (one mic entertainment), Obour (family tree entertainment), Obrafour (execution ), Kwaw Kesee (mad records)

THE PRESENT
Distributors – regulated the trend of the music using economic determinism. The distributor –musician relationship is like feeding a horse so that it will carry you from one point to the other and not for healthy reasons. The distributor's job is to record the album, produce them, distribute, market and promote them. But instead, they leave the greater part of the heavy load on the musicians and take part in only the distribution and selling of the CDs; put their premium on it and when enough money is made, they repay the artistes an amount intended to give the artiste the financial strength to plow back into promotion.

Recent past era – sound engineers were the determinants of the trend (Apietus, Jay Q, Morris, Zapp Mallet). They became so powerful that the first question a DJ asked when a musician presented his music for play was about the engineer who made the beat. Being that powerful, they now made their own album collections – Apietus compilation, Jay Qs and Hammer of the last two (2).

CHALLENGES

ADMINISTRATION
Currently, Musigha and Cosga are responsible for the administration of the Ghana music industry. The association must however rise above whining and focus on solutions.

For copyright, we don't need to reinvent the wheel. There's an international method by which royalties are paid to artistes. There already exists a system of logging at the radio stations when songs are played. However, this system is not computerized. It works when the DJs handwrite every music played in a book. This means that, the logging system is left at the mercy of the DJs remembering capabilities. When the DJ forgets to log, the implication is that no local music has been played on that station hence no royalties to be paid. What the association has to do is to spring a surprise on the radio stations by providing them with software which will record and tabulate the number of times and length a song is played. Also, there must be an established amount which musigha is charging the radio stations per song played. This must be made known to the musicians. This will make it easier for monies which come to musicians to be shared and this will be based on correct statistical data and not sentiments. This will be the computerized logging system and it must be seen to be enforced by the court of law in the eventuality of any breach.

'Payola' is another administrative problem musicians contend with. The solution is for musicians to cry now and laugh later. Whiles musicians are grappling with the issue of how to distribute the monies accruing in their name, because there's no proper mechanism for distribution, the money in question must be used to establish a radio and television station with nationwide coverage which will air their videos and play their music. This is easy for the union to achieve since individuals are even able to use hundred thousand dollars to achieve this. A decree must then be issued out to all other radio and television stations to stop playing all local music and stop airing all local music videos. It must be stipulated in the clause that any television or radio station requesting to play and air any local song and video must do so based on rules outline by Musigha.

Piracy is an international problem facing our global arts over the years. Computers, pen drives, mp3s, mp4s and pirates who replicate copies for sale, are competing for profits without investing in production. One sure way of reducing these is through proper distribution. People not must travel to Kantamanto and kejetia before they can buy music albums. Musicians, distributors and businessmen must open record shops everywhere but before then distributions joints like filling stations, barber shops, provision stores, restaurants, shopping malls, super markets and drinking bars. Infact albums must be sold as MTN cards and Daily Graphic. The foot soldiers on the streets selling from cars must be encouraged but polished [The foot soldiers must wear uniforms to look attractive].

The musicians can make available their songs to the agencies overseeing the downloads of music to phones as ring tones. This will make an easier access to the people who want their songs on phones as ring tones.

The musicians can again save the situation of piracy by collectively making a compilation of all their hit songs into an album and selling them out to the public interested in selections.

POLITICALLY
State must make a conscious effort to take the music beyond the borders of Ghana through international cultural exchange program. Government involvement in the promotion of the arts leaves much to be desired.

Our foreign missions must be heralded and music and festivals must be organized.
They must inform the world about Ghana through channels like Deutsche Welle, CNN, BBC, and VOA just as those channels propagate other cultures on our networks. Hindu movies flood our markets and show on our networks, so do tele novellas, Japan video topics and so many foreign documentaries all at prime time.

We will all agree that we don't get to see Ghana and Ghanaian culture showing on foreign networks the same way they showcase on our networks.

MEDIA
Quality control – can do so by not taking money for music videos. This is to improve quality

Marketing – ridiculous distribution – feeding a horse so that it gets the strength to work the next day

Professionalism – Marx Webber defined professionalism to include a long period of apprenticeship. However, far from it these days is learning to become a musician. Rhymes are being put together and the owners of those rhymes dash to the studio for a composition of those rhymes into a song. Having no training and no musical background whatsoever these people dub themselves musicians.

True, with all credits to Earl Ankrah, talent is like water flowing through a pipe. Its only when the ones in it come out that new ones can flow. That is why it is very important for rap artistes who feel ready to seek apprenticeship with already existing musicians who will aid them in managing their art and skill and school them about the industry. It is only then that the proliferation of musicians will be seasoned.

Gatekeepers – TV and radio stations, musigha, and graphic showbiz must screen the type of music they air and play on their network.

Props – some organizations have contributed immensely to the making music a household item by supporting music programs. Some of these organizations are Guinness Ghana Breweries limited, MTN, and Nescafe. Some programs which also breed new music stars, passing them through proper screening processes are Stars of the future and mentor. Soundz splash, music music and all other entertainment programs by the media propagate the local music industry.

MANAGEMENT
Distributors are not contributing to promotion. Everything is on the artiste. They bring cassettes and CDs out and add ………. And sell.

Distributors must entice with offers like putting areeba cards in the CDs. A cd can also come with a T shirt of the artiste whose cd is on sale.

Distributors must not be too comfortable with the comfort zone.

Record labels and shops must be set.

'You read too much and listen to little music, you must be an enemy' wrote Shakespeare. Music is an art and art is a higher type of knowledge than experience. Music has become an inevitable food for the society of entertainment. It is imperative therefore that music is taken seriously.

The present plus the past are the only determinants of the future. Aristotle explains that "art completes what nature cannot elaborate; and in part imitates nature."

It is the interactions of today, therefore, which will spell out clearly how the future of hip life and art in Ghana will turn out.

The afore discussed issues in the music and entertainment industry, when taken seriously will give a facelift to the industry.