Joey B’s ‘Sexy Highlife’ Reimagines Highlife Through an Alternative Lens: First Listen
When it comes to a peculiar style of music, minimalistic and novel, few artists shine like Joey B in the laid-back Ghanaian alternative scene. He has painstakingly mastered this virtue over a career that stretches across two projects, a plethora of singles, and killer guest verses. Following his last two projects, ‘Lava Feels’—a vibrant, genre-fluid collection of songs that saw Joey B assert his creative freedom with eclectic beats and alté-infused textures—and ‘Darryl’, his raw, introspective debut that introduced his biting rap delivery and sonic versatility over minimalistic production, Joey B takes a daring stride further to reimagine Highlife—a musical genre that originated along the coastal cities of present-day Ghana in the 19th century—into something ingenious, familiar, and equally futuristic on ‘Sexy Highlife’.
True to its name, the project builds on the premise of the genre as interpreted by an artist well versed in hip-hop, soul, R&B, and Afrobeats. On the EP, Joey B plays a central role beyond performing, from producing certain tracks like “Monte Carlo” to mixing and mastering a handful of songs, evidently steering the sonic course of the project.
With a runtime of 18 minutes, the project ushers listeners in with a skit that spells out its intent, laying the groundwork for much of the EP. It is primarily anchored by dreamy guitar plucks and Ghanaian Highlife riffs that give it its intermittent trippy mood, a feeling that Track 2, “Monte Carlo”, quickly consolidates.
“Exopa”, featuring Nigerian alté pioneer Odunsi The Engine, yields perhaps the strongest collaboration from every contributing artist involved, including producers Joshua Moszi and Mono, resulting in an alchemy reminiscent of a late-2010s alté classic. Rich in bass and driven by a groove that feels like a missing piece from the preceding track, “Monte Carlo”, the record seamlessly extends the atmosphere already established.
‘Sexy Highlife’ progresses through a sonic portal, “Botanical (Interlude)”, which strengthens the curatorial flavour beginning to seep through the project. It features a medley from Joey B straddling the harmonies of a saxophone, a piano, and the ambience of what feels like a botanical, beachside retreat. The seamless sequencing of tracks shines yet again on “Roses” in a bid to conclude a chapter as prefaced by “Botanical (Interlude)”, showing intentionality in its titling. “Roses” opens with the stimulating melody of the saxophone as Joey B channels his rap image to brag about his muse and pledge an undying allegiance to her, with infatuation and lust serving as catalysts.
‘On Sexy Highlife’, no two tracks are technically rendered in the same flair. Rather, they feel like extensions of one another, evoking a similar sentiment while arriving there through different sonic routes. Joey B gets more lyrical on the other side of the tape, evident on tracks like “Akosua Broni”, “Kyeiwa” featuring Bisa Kdei, and the hardcore boom-bap rap cadence on “News at 8″, where he takes swipes at perceived threats. The EP eventually closes with the Brooklyn drill-layered “Princess”, bringing together several of the project’s sonic ideas in one final statement.
To the trained ear, there is a string of Caribbean influences, particularly Kompa and Zouk, coursing through the project—elements that technically should not be regarded as classic Ghanaian highlife. However, the distillation of these sounds is what likely forms the hybrid Highlife aura of the EP Joey B christens ‘Sexy Highlife’. Ultimately, the similarities that exist within the distinctions of these genres are a testament to how interconnected African and diasporic music traditions are, and it is from this standpoint that Joey B curates ‘Sexy Highlife’.
What makes ‘Sexy Highlife’ compelling is that it attempts to preserve Highlife in its purest form by approaching the genre as a living, breathing idea. Joey B wields Highlife as a foundation upon which new influences, memories, and identities can coexist. Across its brief runtime, the EP feels meticulously sequenced, sonically cohesive, and confident in its experimentation. In doing so, ‘Sexy Highlife’ joins a growing lineage of contemporary African projects that are concerned with recreating tradition by extending its possibilities and finding novel pathways back to home.
