Liberian Music Overview: History, Genres, Artist/Musicians
IntroductionTo Liberian Music
A characteristic of Liberian music is the perceived bifurcation of folk music and modern musical genres such as rap and hipco.
Both appear as separate musical genres in the description by the Liberian Ministry of Information, Culture, and Tourism despite the fact that many perceive them as at odds, the musical genres of Liberia are each vibrant in their own way.
Yet much modern music owes a lot to the old folk genres such as Gbema. We see the enormous variety of music, which includes:
- Suku
- Religious Music
- Indigenous music which features typical West African features such as ululation and call and response.
Liberian Music History
The beginning of the story behind Liberian music shows itself in the traditional Liberian folk music, which has a number of functions in Liberian society.
For example, when it would be offensive or aggravating to communicate a difficult truth to an offending person who is causing harm to others, a group of people may gather about their house and sing it, signifying respect as well as admonishment.
At the funeral of James Gbarbea, singers quietly protested Samuel Doe’s oppression through song lyrics. The Woi epic, a genre where the superhuman hero Woi features, is in many ways an encyclopedia of Kpelle life.
Gbema Music
Gbema music is a traditional Liberian genre of music that blends traditional Liberian and West African elements of the music with elements introduced by Christian missionaries.
Performances occur often at both official and non-official events. A similar blend of religious music and folk music is apparent in Muslim communities, where citations from the Quran blend with suku, a branch of music that describes everyday life.
Prominent voices in the recording and study of the traditional forms of music of Liberia have been the people involved in the Philadelphia Folklore Project, who have written articles, conducted interviews, and recorded songs.
Liberian Music Transmission Medium
Nowadays, an important medium for the transmission of Liberian music is the radio, the most famous station being the Liberian Broadcasting System, or ELBC.
Hipco
One of the most popular genres in Liberia is hipco, similar to hip-hop, which speaks to the issues of young people, generally low budget, and has a focus on social and political issues.
A song focused on ebola whose production occurred during the ebola pandemic, called ‘Ebola is real’ was used by both UNICEF and the BBC.
Some believe that the interest in this genre is to the detriment of folk music. This protest against ebola also showed itself in a project called “Save Liberia”, which brought 45 of the country’s famous musicians to raise awareness of ebola.
A popular hipco artist is Takun J, whose real name is Jonathan Koffa, who alongside his involvement in music is a passionate activist – for example, the Liberian Gender Ministry has made him an anti-rape ambassador. He has also spoken out against corruption both within and outside of his music.
Trapco
Trapco music, which stems from both hipco and trap music, is also extremely popular in Liberia. A prominent trapco artist in Liberia is Bucky Raw, who won both “Artist of the Year” and “Video of the Year” for the song ‘Thank You’ in 2019.
Richest Liberian Musician
One of the most successful Liberian musicians is Juli Endee, a traditional queen and the richest musician in Liberia, who also works as the Culture Ambassador for Liberia.
Her net worth at 5 million dollars is a result of her roles as musician, ambassador, and entrepreneur.
Juli Endee projects include the construction of a 1.8 million dollar village for women and children, which is at present nearly a third completed.
The Government and Music
The Liberian Ministry of Information, Culture, and Tourism, created in 1965 to spread information about the Liberian government within and outside of the country.
In addition, it promotes cultural and tourism-related ventures, an example being the National Museum in Monrovia.
Conclusion
As we have seen, while Liberian music and musicians have certainly been set back during the civil war, the truth of the matter is that it remains a vibrant, important, and ever-changing expression of Liberian culture.