As a young boy, I listened to my father play the likes of Oriental Brothers, Oliver De Coque, Osadebe, and some others. These are no doubt men who bring the cultural heritage of the Igbo people to life in their music. They are Igbo highlife musicians, and my father made me love them as a boy, so much so that I could sing the lyrics of their songs offhand. I am a grown man now, and I have grown to have a broader taste in music. I now consider so many genres interesting, and it has become more difficult to choose between any of these genres.
I may not love to choose between the different genres of music that I have over time fallen in love with, but to say that I do not have a favourite genre is the same as lying to myself. Yes, I have a favourite genre. My father's love for highlife might have, after all, shaped my taste in music; I prefer afro-music more than every other genre, even as an adult. And in all afro-genres, I will choose highlife. But then, I prefer a contemporary kind of highlife; and so, the likes of Oliver De Coque and Osadebe might not be my favourites.
It has established that I love highlife music the most, and highlife can no doubt be categorised as traditional music. But I still do not love to choose amongst music genres, and that is because of my understanding of "good music". This prompt might have forced me to say that I love highlife over all other genres, but I simply prefer to say "good music" each time I am asked which I love most. Being a lover of music, I have over time been able to collect music from different genres that I consider my favourites. With this being the case, it no longer matters whether it is Afro or not.
Highlife might be my favourite genre, but choosing between traditional music and modern music is quite deeper than that. My love for music goes beyond genres, and that is just it. My father must have influenced me into loving highlife music, but my love for highlife and afro-music is influenced more by the fact that I play and perform afro-music the most. But then, I listen to many more genres than afro. I am a broad consumer of music, and it is hard to say which genre I really love most.
Now, here is the point. As a musician, I will go for traditional music any time, any day; but as a music consumer, it is a bit more complicated. Afro-music, which I consider traditional, is certainly not the most prominent on my playlist; in fact, no genre of music is. I love and draw inspiration from so many genres that it is hard to choose one as the best.
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