Ghana-based Benjamin Lebrave speaks fluent French and English, and can schmooze in Spanish and Portuguese. He'll report on new African music every other week. This week, he shares the undeniable summer jam "Ayoo."
When Ghanaians like a song, they LIKE it. They play it several times at a given party and simultaneously on different radio stations, going to bed having heard it between five and 2000 times on any given day.
Cash Unit, Castro and Screwface's "Ayoo," one of Ghana's current heavy rotation mega-hits, has a pretty standard recipe. It's not boring or played out—just works over and over. Stonzzi and Linzzi, the two brothers that comprise Cash Unit, have had some success in Ghana before. But on "Ayoo," they surrounded themselves with a mini all-star team. The beat is by Appietus, whose sound has already evolved significantly since Akwaaba put out his compilation last summer. Appietus reliably adapts to the latest Ghanaian sound, today incorporating less traditional highlife, and more UK Funky type beats. Donaeo’s "Party Hard" was a humongous hit last year in Accra, and its lasting influence rings throughout "Ayoo."
Add to this immediately recognizable vocals by Castro, the high pitch fella who is now most known for his collaboration with Ghana Black Stars striker Asamoah Gyan, a player girls drooled over during last year's world cup. Screwface makes an appearance as well. Together, they talk about those things that make you go Ayoooooo. Like a coyote in a Tex Avery cartoon? The stuff that feels goooooood in the bedroom.
"Ayoo" has a bumpin beat, addictive chorus and always-relevant theme. So there you have it—one of these tunes that sticks in your head, a song you hear in the trotro, a song you swap from a kid's bluetooth phone and move to at a drinking bar. GH baby, chale we dey.
Download: Cash Unit f. Castro and Screwface, "Ayoo"