Internationally acclaimed musician Rocky Dawuni has emphasized the significant role Ghanaian reggae music has played in promoting the country’s music and culture on the global stage.
Speaking during a live X Spaces discussion hosted by GhanaWeb’s Isaac Dadzie and Joseph Henry Mensah, Rocky Dawuni noted that reggae, when infused with authentic African sounds, has been a powerful vehicle for sharing Ghana’s musical narrative with the world.
“We added elements of our own authentic original African sounds into it to recreate it and repurpose it. Since then, it’s also had its own trajectory and its own evolution… I believe that the music has been able to speak on behalf of our country,” Dawuni explained.
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He pointed to its significant impact, noting that the genre and its variants, like dancehall, have grown globally.
Buttressing his point, Rocky Dawuni referenced Ghana’s first Grammy nomination in 2016, when he was selected in the Best Reggae Album category.
“But that’s not to say that it’s only reggae music, Ghanaian reggae, that has pushed our music onto the international scale because you had the Osibisas and the Guy Warrens and all of these before even the modern era of all our new artists who are also impacting around the globe.
However, the artiste was careful to acknowledge the pioneers who laid the groundwork, naming legends like Osibisa and Guy Warren, who achieved international success long before the modern era.
“So I’ll say that [reggae] has contributed immensely to the internationalization of Ghanaian music and also to bringing Ghanaian culture and Ghanaian voices to around the world in a very powerful way,” Dawuni concluded.
Listen to the full interview below:
— GhanaWeb (@TheGhanaWeb) September 19, 2025
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Also catch the latest episode of Talkertainment with Ghana’s most-sought-after MC/Hypeman, Kojo Manuel, below:
