Azonto has travelled far beyond Ghana, influencing sounds and movements around the world, but musician Gasmilla is questioning why the music style has still not been formally recognized as a genre.
For Gasmilla, the issue is not whether Azonto as the characteristics of a music genre. He believes its sound, movement and evolution have already given it a place on the global music scene.
He pointed to MTV’s former classification of music videos, which included Highlife, hip-life and azonto from Ghana, as a sign that the international music community already recognised azonto as a distinct musical style.
Speaking on TV3’s The Afternoon Show on Thursday, October 8, 2026, Gasmilla argued that Ghana must take ownership of azonto and develop it further rather than allowing other music cultures to draw inspiration from it without acknowledging its roots.
“Why is Azonto still not a genre of music recognized by the people that it came from?” he questioned.
He cited Amapiano as an example of what can happen when a sound develops into an established genre, arguing that formally recognizing Azonto would create room for younger musicians to build on its foundation.
Gasmilla also believes several sounds emerging outside Ghana have drawn inspiration from Azonto, making it even more important for Ghana to define and preserve what it created.
For him, recognizing Azonto as a genre is not simply about a name. It is about giving future generations a foundation they can expand and take even further onto the global stage.
