Fareed - Hip-Hop as strong as Dancehall in GH

Mohammed Abdul-Ganiyu is a young composer, singer, rapper and performer who asserts that Hip-Hop is not a new phenomenon in this country and that its current impact here is as strong as that of Dancehall.

Speaking with Showbiz recently, he said the effective blend of  Hip-Hop and Afro-pop to create a new synthesis of Hip-Hop is captivating and gaining more ground in this country,  especially among the youth.

“The young acts of today got caught up in the frenzy of what their predecessors were doing with Dancehall. Shatta Wale fused a ‘jama beat’ into his Ghanaian Dancehall style to suit his brand and it is working well for him. 

“In a similar vein, those into Hip-Hop are also injecting new stuff to keep the genre afloat,” the young artiste said.

Fareed, as he is affectionately called by his fans, presents a mixture of Afro-Pop, Hip-Hop, Hiplife and R&B which  can be felt in his mid-tempo and danceable third single rendered in Hausa, Goga featuring Edem. 

Though of Dagomba extraction, he speaks fluent Hausa because it is commonly spoken in his Accra New Town neighbourhood.

The song was produced by Masta Garzy with some support by his road manager, Mode Dee of Bamba Records. 

His latest single has come after one titled Alhaji which didn’t do well enough on the market due to promotional problems.

“I have been working on the Goga project for a while now. The song’s accompanying video was released last week. 

Videos for Alhaji and my other song called Zaafi are also done, I can say it hasn’t been easy at all. It has been a marathon process of trying to find my rhythm, all geared towards my upcoming album.