From E.T. Mensah and Koo Nimo to Daddy Lumba and Amakye Dede, these classic Ghanaian songs helped shape the country’s rich musical history.

Ghana has a long and influential musical tradition, with highlife serving as one of the country’s most enduring genres.

Decades before streaming platforms and social media became part of the music business, Ghanaian musicians were filling dance halls, radio programmes and homes with songs that captured love, heartbreak, family, social issues and everyday life.

From the dance-band era of the 1950s and 1960s to the emergence of burger highlife in the 1980s and the dominance of modern highlife in the 1990s, several songs have remained popular across generations.

Here are 30 old Ghanaian songs worth revisiting.

1. Yaa Amponsah – Koo Nimo

Era: 1960s

Koo Nimo is one of Ghana’s celebrated traditional highlife guitarists, and “Yaa Amponsah” is associated with the classic guitar-band tradition that helped establish Ghanaian highlife.

2. Odo Akosomo – Koo Nimo

Era: 1960s

Another classic associated with Koo Nimo’s guitar-driven style, combining traditional Ghanaian rhythms with the storytelling character of highlife.

3. Owuo Tɔn A Tɔ Bi – Dr K. Gyasi

Era: 1960s

Dr K. Gyasi was an important figure in Ghana’s guitar-band highlife movement, producing music that reflected the social experiences of his generation.

4. Aponkyerene – African Brothers Band

Era: 1960s

The African Brothers Band, led by Nana Kwame Ampadu, became one of Ghana’s influential highlife groups, with songs built around memorable melodies and storytelling.

5. Antoa Ntoa – E.T. Mensah

Era: 1960s

E.T. Mensah, widely associated with Ghana’s dance-band highlife tradition, helped take Ghanaian highlife to audiences beyond the country.

6. All For You – E.T. Mensah & The Tempos

Era: 1960s

The Tempos became one of the most recognised dance bands in Ghana, with E.T. Mensah’s music becoming an important part of the country’s post-independence musical culture.

7. Simigwa – Gyedu-Blay Ambolley

Era: 1970s

Gyedu-Blay Ambolley introduced a distinctive style that blended highlife with jazz, funk and other influences. Simigwa became closely associated with his sound.

8. Sunshine Day – Osibisa

Era: 1970s

Osibisa, founded by African and Caribbean musicians in London, became internationally recognised for its fusion of African rhythms, highlife, jazz and rock.

9. Fire – Osibisa

Era: 1970s

Another notable Osibisa recording, reflecting the band’s energetic blend of African and Western musical influences.

10. Takoradi – Wulomei

Era: 1970s

Wulomei brought traditional Ghanaian musical influences to the popular music scene, helping promote indigenous sounds during the 1970s.

11. Mother Africa – Marijata

Era: 1970s

Marijata became known for its fusion of highlife, funk and African rhythms and remains one of the groups associated with Ghana’s rich 1970s music scene.

12. Kye Kye Pe Aware – Sweet Talks

Era: 1970s

Sweet Talks were among the major groups that helped shape Ghana’s dance-oriented highlife sound during the 1970s.

13. Muntie – Ramblers International

Era: 1970s

The Ramblers International were one of Ghana’s notable dance bands, producing music that became popular in Ghana’s social and dance culture.

14. Tena Me Nkyen – Paapa Yankson

Era: 1970s

Paapa Yankson became one of Ghana’s most respected highlife musicians, with songs that often combined entertainment with observations about life and society.

15. Akoo Te Brofo – George Darko

Year: 1983

George Darko’s “Akoo Te Brofo” is strongly associated with the emergence of burger highlife, a style developed particularly among Ghanaian musicians living and working in Europe.

16. Kaakyire Nua – George Darko

Era: 1980s

Another recording associated with George Darko’s influential period, when electronic instrumentation and European production techniques were increasingly incorporated into Ghanaian highlife.

17. Fre Me – Charles Amoah

Era: 1980s

Charles Amoah became one of the recognisable voices of Ghanaian popular music during the 1980s and 1990s, with songs that gained a strong following.

18. Eye Odo Asem – Charles Amoah

Era: 1980s

The song is among the recordings remembered by fans of Charles Amoah and the highlife sound of the period.

19. Baya – Ben Brako

Era: 1980s

Ben Brako emerged as another important name in Ghana’s highlife scene, particularly during the period when the genre was undergoing significant changes.

20. Abam – Paapa Yankson

Era: 1980s

Paapa Yankson remained active through different generations of Ghanaian music, maintaining his position as one of the country’s respected highlife performers.

21. Moses – A.B. Crentsil

Era: 1980s

A.B. Crentsil was known for using humour, social commentary and everyday Ghanaian experiences in his music.

22. Papa Samo – A.B. Crentsil

Era: 1980s

Another memorable recording from A.B. Crentsil, whose music helped make social storytelling a major feature of Ghanaian popular music.

23. Sii Nana – Bessa Simons

Era: 1990s

Bessa Simons became an important figure in Ghana’s highlife scene, combining traditional elements with more contemporary production.

24. Theresa – Daddy Lumba

Era: 1990s

“Theresa” is one of the songs associated with Daddy Lumba’s rise to prominence and his contribution to the evolution of modern Ghanaian highlife.

25. Bribi Gyegye Wo – Daddy Lumba

Era: 1990s

Daddy Lumba’s romantic and socially themed songs helped establish him as one of the defining highlife musicians of his generation.

26. Ankwanoma – Daddy Lumba

Era: 1990s

The song remains part of the catalogue that helped make Daddy Lumba one of Ghana’s most influential highlife stars.

27. Asem – Nana Acheampong

Era: 1990s

Nana Acheampong was one of the prominent voices of Ghanaian highlife during the 1990s and was particularly influential within the contemporary highlife movement.

28. Meko Odo Enkyen – Nana Acheampong

Era: 1990s

The song reflects the romantic and emotional themes that featured prominently in Ghanaian highlife during the period.

29. Iron Boy – Amakye Dede

Era: 1980s–1990s

Amakye Dede, popularly known as the “Iron Boy,” became one of Ghana’s most respected highlife musicians, with a career spanning several decades.

30. Sika Nye Moja – Amakye Dede

Era: 1990s

The song is among the works associated with Amakye Dede’s long and influential highlife career.

A musical journey across generations

These 30 songs represent only a fraction of Ghana’s extensive musical catalogue, but together they illustrate how the country’s sound changed over several decades.

The 1960s were strongly associated with guitar-band and dance-band highlife. The 1970s brought greater experimentation with funk, jazz, soul and African rhythms, while the 1980s saw the growth of burger highlife and electronic production.

By the 1990s, musicians such as Daddy Lumba, Nana Acheampong and Amakye Dede were helping push highlife into a more contemporary era.

Today, elements of these older sounds can still be heard in Ghanaian highlife, hiplife, Afrobeats and other modern genres.

For many music lovers, these songs remain more than old records. They are part of Ghana’s cultural and musical history.

Reggae musician Ras Kuuku has taken issue with a social media post shared by rapper Sarkodie following Stonebwoy’s OVO Arena Wembley concert, describing the content as inappropriate and calling on Ghanaians to speak up when public figures cross certain lines.

In an interview with 3Music, Ras Kuuku said a video posted by Sarkodie, which showed a person with a physical disability walking, did not sit well with him.

According to the reggae musician, the timing and nature of the post created an unfortunate impression, especially since it came shortly after Stonebwoy’s major international concert.

Ras Kuuku questioned the message Sarkodie’s post could send to the public, arguing that artistes and other influential personalities should be conscious of the content they put on social media.

“The truth is one; we should always face it and say it. After Stonebwoy’s show, the video of a cripple walking that my brother Sarkodie posted wasn’t good at all,” he said.

He also criticised people in the entertainment industry who, in his view, saw the post but failed to challenge Sarkodie.

Ras Kuuku said colleagues could have approached the rapper privately and reminded him that, despite disagreements or competition within the music industry, Ghanaian artistes ultimately belong to the same national community.

He explained that the issue should not simply be viewed through the lens of rivalry between musicians because the content involved a person living with a disability.

“People should have called him to order, ‘My brother, we are all Ghanaians. We are one people. He shouldn’t have done that.’ Even the associations that see to these things should have come out and condemned that video,” Ras Kuuku stated.

The musician further argued that the post appeared to communicate something beyond normal competition between artistes.

For him, the incident raised questions about whether disagreements within Ghana’s music industry sometimes become so intense that they overshadow the need for solidarity among Ghanaian entertainers.

“That video alone means we are not one people. That video alone speaks a lot. How can you do that?” he asked.

Ras Kuuku went on to explain his position by using another example involving people with disabilities.

He said it would similarly be wrong for someone to use the actions of a visually impaired person as material for ridicule or mockery.

“So imagine somebody does something, maybe a visually impaired person, then me coming out posting a blind person not finding his way. We should condemn some things. We shouldn’t think some artistes are mental. No, we are all human beings,” he said.

His comments focused on the need for greater sensitivity when discussing or portraying people with disabilities, particularly on platforms where content can quickly reach large audiences.

Ras Kuuku also reminded Ghanaians that differences between individuals and groups should not erase their shared national identity.

He noted that whenever Ghanaians travel outside the country, their individual differences, professional rivalries and disagreements do not change the fact that they are identified as Ghanaians.

“We are all one people. People wake up, brush their teeth, and go to the toilet. When we travel out there, we are all Ghanaians,” he added.

British Ghanaian rapper and producer Sway DaSafo, born Derek Safo, has died at the age of 44.
The news was announced by the MOBO Awards, which paid tribute to the influential musician and described him as an important part of its history.

A close friend also confirmed his death to the Guardian, revealing that Sway died at his home in Ghana. The cause of death has not been disclosed.

Sway, who became one of the notable figures in British hip-hop, made history in 2005 when he won the MOBO Award for Best Hip-Hop Act as an unsigned artist. His achievement came at a time when major names such as 50 Cent and The Game were dominating the international hip-hop scene.

The award helped establish Sway as an independent force in British music and earned him admiration from a generation of Black British musicians.

Born and raised in Hornsey, north London, to Ghanaian parents, Sway developed his musical abilities as both a rapper and producer. His style allowed him to move comfortably between grime, club music and more reflective hip-hop.

He once explained that he struggled to identify with any particular British music scene. At the time, UK garage was hugely popular, while British hip-hop, hiplife, drum and bass and R&B each presented their own limitations for him.

Sway initially performed with groups including Phynix Crew and One before embarking on a solo career. He released several mixtapes and gradually built a following.

His early single, Up Your Speed, attracted attention, but it was Little Derek that gave him a breakthrough. The song entered the UK Top 40 in 2006 and became one of the defining tracks of his career.

Little Derek later featured on his critically acclaimed debut album, This Is My Demo. The project received strong reviews, including a four-star review from the Guardian, and was nominated for the Mercury Prize. It ultimately lost the award to Arctic Monkeys’ debut album.

Sway’s MOBO success came during the same period, further cementing his reputation as one of Britain’s emerging hip-hop talents.

He continued releasing music through his independent label, Dcypha Productions, before entering into a partnership with Konvict Music, the label founded by Senegalese-American superstar Akon.

Akon was among the artists featured on Sway’s second album, The Signature LP, released in 2008.

As his profile grew, Sway later spoke openly about some of the pressures that came with increased fame. He said the period surrounding The Signature LP brought “ego, too many lights, and too much confusion.”

Despite those challenges, he continued experimenting with a more commercial sound and achieved some of the biggest chart successes of his career.

His 2011 single Still Speedin’, which sampled the classic track Ride on Time, became his first UK Top 20 hit and featured a guest appearance from fellow British rapper Kano.

He followed that success with Level Up, produced by dubstep heavyweight Flux Pavilion. The song performed even better, reaching No. 8 on the UK Singles Chart in 2012.

Throughout his career, Sway worked with several prominent musicians across different genres.

His collaborations included Riz Ahmed on Shifty, Ed Sheeran on the No. 5 Collaborations Project EP, and work with American rappers Lupe Fiasco and Chamillionaire.

He also collaborated with British acts and rappers such as Tinchy Stryder, Akala, Mitchell Brothers and Donae’o.

His musical reach extended beyond hip-hop as well, with Sway making an appearance on Kaiser Chiefs’ third studio album, Off With Their Heads.

Beyond his own music, Sway played a significant role in helping develop younger talents. He used his label and experience to support emerging artistes and was particularly instrumental in the early development of KSI, who later became a major YouTube personality and successful musician.

Sway and KSI also recorded the 2013 song No Sleep, which featured another young artiste associated with Sway, Tiggs Da Author.

Away from music, Sway was married to Helen. The couple tied the knot in 2013 and had four children: Jalil, AJ, Inaya and Imara.

His death at 44 marks the loss of a musician whose career bridged British hip-hop, grime and Ghanaian heritage while also leaving an impact through his work with younger artistes.

Media personality MzGee has reacted with surprise after hearing students and parents mention BECE aggregates of 28, 33, 39 and 45 during the ongoing 2026/2027 SHS placement exercise.

MzGee’s reaction came after she watched footage of Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu touring the National Resolution Centre, where he engaged students and parents seeking help with their school placements.

During the interaction, some of the students and parents disclosed the BECE aggregates of the candidates, with scores ranging from 28 to 45 being mentioned.

The figures appeared to shock MzGee, who questioned whether such results had become normal.

Reacting to the footage, she wrote:

“Eeeiii!!! Just watching the Education Minister tour the School Placement Center, and the aggregate of these students and parents are mentioning PAA! Ah, how did we get here or ebi normal? 28, 33, 39, 45?”

https://web.facebook.com/share/p/1JH5ycHjn7/

Her comments have since sparked discussion around BECE performance, school selection and the challenges associated with the Computerised School Selection and Placement System (CSSPS).

The 2026/2027 placement exercise has seen students and parents visit the resolution centre to seek assistance with placement-related concerns, including requests for changes to assigned schools.

Ghanaian singer Wendy Shay has reignited conversations about the challenges confronting women in the country’s music industry, expressing concern over what she says is a lack of support for female artistes.

The Uber Driver hitmaker said she has always been aware that the industry does not provide equal opportunities and support for women, but revealed that something she recently heard has made her even more concerned about the situation.

Wendy Shay shared her thoughts in a post on her X account where she criticised the music industry for what she described as its unfavourable treatment of women.

She wrote:

“This music industry does not favour women AT ALL!!! I always knew this, but after hearing what I just heard, it’s SERIOUS!!!”

However, the singer did not explain what she had heard or reveal the specific incident that prompted the strong reaction.

Her comments have since generated interest among social media users, with some seeking further clarification about the issue she was referring to and what may have triggered her latest concerns.