Ghanaian musician Mimi Andani has revealed that women hesitated to venture into highlife music in the past because they were judged as lacking morals.

She referenced her stance to research conducted by renowned ethnomusicologist Professor John Collins at the University of Ghana, which traces highlife’s roots to Osibisaba, an early 20th-century genre, indicating that such women came across as promiscuous.

“Music, then, wasn't really seen as something serious. Not to mention women venturing into it. When a woman ventures, she is seen as loose. So women were not encouraged to venture into it, she explained.

Although highlife has evolved, merging with jazz and shaping the rise of Afrobeat, the lingering stereotype continues to deter many young women from entering the genre.

"Afrobeats is trending now, but if you look closely, highlife is in it. Yet, women still face judgment when they enter this space,” she stated.

Mimi Andani is a talented Ghanaian musician who became well-known after representing Ghana on season 3 of Big Brother Africa.

She gained fame with her first album, Music in Me, released in 2009 by Movingui Records and managed by Empire Entertainment.

Mimi is known for mixing different music styles like R&B, Highlife, Hiplife, Techno, Rock, and Afropop.

She has released popular songs like "Leave Me Alone, DJ, Fa Ma Me, and Tattoo, which helped make her a strong and unique voice in Ghana's music industry.

In 2024, legendary rapper Kwame Nsiah-Apau known professionally as Okyeame Kwame expressed disappointment in the current state of hiplife in Ghana, asserting that the genre is in a coma.Okyeame Kwame asserted he bears responsibility for not passing it on to the next generation.

In an interview on Starr Chat with Bola Ray, Okyeame Kwame explained that the lack of young artists interested in carrying the torch for hiplife is a major issue.

He further admitted that he and other pioneers have failed the younger generation of hiplife artists.

Comparing the success of hiplife in the Western world to Ghana, Okyeame Kwame emphasised that not enough has been done to uphold the genre in Ghana.

He noted that the passing of the mantle, as seen with artists like Big Daddy Kane and Jay Z, has not been effectively implemented in Ghana.“People like myself have failed the young generation completely, because when I took on the mantle of hiplife in 1996, the last thing I knew was anthropology, sociology or marketing. I didn’t know I was supposed to carry this thing upfront and give it to someone else.“This thing we’re doing, this is not how it’s done. Big Daddy Kane will carry to a point and give it to Jay Z, Jay Z will give it to another person, another person will give it to Kanye, that is how we keep it moving,” Okyeame Kwame stated.