Ghanaian musician Chief One has made a bold claim regarding his influence on the Amapiano genre in Ghana.
He asserts that he was the first artist to introduce the genre to the country.
“I’m the first artiste that dropped Amapiano in Ghana. I started long ago, even though I got into this genre, they know me for Amapiano because I’m the first artiste to bring it here,” he told Andy Dosty in an interview on Daybreak Hitz.
According to Chief One, he released his first Amapiano song on August 17, 2021.
“You can check everywhere, August 17, 2021. No artiste in Ghana, I’ve checked, and I think yesterday I talked about it in an interview and people were trying to bash me,” he said in Pidgin English.
He refuted claims that music producer Appietus may have been the first to experiment with the Amapiano sound in 5Five’s song “Mujebaya.”
“I checked, and it seems Appietus said he dropped something like that before, but I never felt any Amapiano in it. I’m still the one who brought it here. And this thing has impacted me positively, especially in the Volta Region. A lot of artistes are now doing it, and they’re known for it,” he explained.
Chief One emphasized that his Amapiano sound is unique, fusing his style with the traditional South African genre. He noted that the Ewe ‘Kinka’ sound he incorporates into his music is what gives it the Amapiano vibe.
“Mujebaya is not Amapiano. If you check the elements in it, it doesn’t qualify as Amapiano. Even the shaker is different. Let’s forget about South African Amapiano. My Amapiano sound, you’ll see that I fuse in my own style,” he added.
Chief One has also released a new song titled “Megbe” (I decline).