Ghanaian artiste Epixode is sounding the alarm on what he sees as Dancehall’s slow but steady slide from prominence at home and globally.
In an interview with Okay FM’s Nana Romeo, Epixode pulled no punches as he broke down the genre’s fading influence, tracing its downturn to a mix of cultural disconnection, miscommunication with fans, and brand image problems that have made corporate support elusive.
According to the musician, the genre’s decline didn’t begin in Ghana; it had already lost momentum worldwide before its local scene started to feel the tremors. A brief resurgence, he said, came only when a high-profile Jamaican artist began releasing music from prison.
“Until Vybz Kartel came out of prison, Dancehall was actually gone. We’d find Dancehall artistes doing Afrobeats and stuff. Afrobeats is ruling the world,” he said.
Despite Dancehall’s past popularity in Ghana, Epixode believes local artistes failed to capitalize during the genre’s peak about five years ago. Instead of cultivating a uniquely Ghanaian sound, many opted to imitate Western styles, something he says alienated listeners.
“When we started it, we misinformed the fans,” he said. “The people are not able to relate to our songs more than our culture. We try to copy the West.”
He argued that the lyrical themes, often centered on violence, gang rivalry, or bravado, had little relevance to everyday Ghanaians and did more to push potential fans away than draw them in.
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That cultural misalignment, according to Epixode, also impacted how fan communities responded to the internal rivalries typical of the genre. He acknowledged that while lyrical clashes are part of Dancehall’s tradition, emotional reactions from artists and fans have occasionally blurred the lines between art and animosity.
“The fans did not understand that the rivalry in Dancehall is for a purpose. We, the artistes, are too emotional sometimes to control our feelings, and that influences the fans,” he said.
The fallout, he added, has stretched beyond the music itself and into the business side of the industry. Because Dancehall is often perceived as unruly or confrontational, corporate sponsors have been hesitant to associate with the genre, unless the artiste has intentionally cultivated a cleaner image.
“When corporate bodies want to come in, there is a certain misconception about the Dancehall space. Nobody wants to affiliate with us unless it’s one or two of us who have branded ourselves to suit the corporate space,” Epixode bemoaned.
