Very recently, after holding the Sunday weekly Writers Project on Citi FM, one of the poets on the show that night asked if I had heard of a song by Eve. Eve is an American rap artiste, formerly with Ruff Ryders I believe. I remember singing Who's that girl..." And Tambourine which she did with Swizz Beatz. Eve is a great rapper.
Back to my poet's question. According to him, Eve's latest track, the title which he didn't know but knew it went like "Ba ba ba oshibabaoo oshibaba" was a familiar Ga jama song he knew. I immediately sung the entire jama. Jama is a song by usually a group of people, drawn from folklore and other sources, and is accompanied by hand-clapping, drumming and other indigenous instruments. It is a highly experimental, innovative and participatory genre. It is very choral and employs the "call and response" technique. I don't know any Ghanaian who doesn't know any jama song.
Well, he said the new Eve track starts with the jama track. I paused and took a second look at him. He said you can look it up on YouTube. I did. And yes, he was right! "Ba ba ba oshibabaoo oshibaba...oshibaba! Oshibabaoo oshibaba!" I love that jama.
The friend poet said Eve dates or is married to a Ghanaian, and perhaps he suggested the jama song to the rapper. The song is good and very well done. The folklore flavour is still intact. The Ga, those who used the wulomo style, was very good. I've a feeling Ga people sung it actually. Anyway, I decided to do this quick post weeks after that conversation because I heard the song play again yesterday on the Coca Cola World Chart Show hosted by PJ Butta as a hit on the horizon. I said yes! I own a part of that song.
I want other Ghanaians, or Ga people at least, to know what was going down! Here is a link to the song on YouTube. Enjoy.
