- Ghanaian highlife musician Bisa KDei has rejected claims by ethnomusicologist Professor John Collins that his 2015 hit “Brother Brother” was built on a sampled guitar loop.
- Collins suggested the track borrowed a distinctive guitar pattern from an older band recording.
- Bisa KDei responded via Instagram, insisting he played the guitar parts himself and never samples in his music.
- The exchange has sparked fresh conversation about originality and tradition in Ghanaian highlife.
Bisa KDei is standing firm on his creative process, pushing back against claims that his hit song “Brother Brother” was built on a sampled guitar loop. The highlife star has dismissed the suggestion made by Professor John Collins, a respected ethnomusicologist known for documenting Ghana’s musical heritage.
In a recent interview, Prof Collins speculated that the track may have borrowed its guitar pattern from an older record, describing the loop as distinctive and possibly lifted from a classic band recording. But Bisa KDei isn’t having it.
Taking to Instagram, the musician made it clear that he doesn’t sample — not in “Brother Brother,” not in any of his songs. He emphasized that he plays his own guitar parts and produces his own music, pointing to tracks like “Mansa” as further proof of his hands-on approach.
The post, laced with confidence and a touch of humor, has reignited conversations around originality in Ghanaian highlife. While some fans are rallying behind Bisa KDei’s defense of his artistry, others are curious about the similarities Prof Collins pointed out.
The debate touches on a broader question: where does homage end and sampling begin? In a genre built on tradition and reinterpretation, the line isn’t always clear — but for Bisa KDei, his stance is.
He plays it. He owns it. And he’s not backing down.
