music plays a large role in understanding transnational Afrodiasporic culture. Ghanaian pop culture allows Ghanaians to identify and differentiate between themselves and their culture and black American culture. There are some struggles to find where Africanness fits inside the African-American categorization. Hiplife celebrates this own unique culture within a larger, more encompassing understanding of blackness. Hiplife signifies tradition, cultural belonging, and pride. It inspires diasporas Ghanaians, for example those that attend Hiplife festivals in New York, to learn their own language and culture. Ghana@50 specifically celebrates Ghana's 50 years of independence. Reggie Rockstone, formerly mentioned as the founder of this Hiplife genre, was intended to perform at this festival, serving as a symbol of Ghanaian culture and popular authentic music. While attempting to board the plane, Rockstone was flagged by the computer systems which delayed his trip to New York for the festival. This caused significant alarm for those planning the performance as they were expecting large crowds due to Rockstone's planned presence. A plethora of people were in attendance, primarily in cultural attire. Rockstone shot a video to explain his absence and the importance of the festival. Thankfully, Rockstone's experiences conveyed through the video allowed festival attendees to relate to one another—many in the audience had endured travel issues due to their racial and ethnic identities as Rockstone did. His absence and its cause rallied an even more significant form of community. There was an important distinction made between the event's nature as a party—a more social event to foster connections and reminders of home—or a concert—people paying to hear a certain type of music. The intention for this event was the former, and promoters and planners desired to create community around a genre that was representative of a distinct culture, emphasizing the importance of preserving that culture. Hiplife and this festival permitted Ghanaians to fit in within African American society while still having ties to Ghana. During hiplife concerts and festivals, there is an importance of space which allows people to completely engage in a 'full-body' experience, affected by the concert's sights and sounds. See also Afrobeats Highlife Hip hop music Raglife References External links ghanatimes.com article: "Hiplife: A New Dawn; A New Day" Glocalization Trends: The Case of Hiplife Music in Contemporary Ghana Hip hop genres Ghanaian styles of music Highlife genres Ghanaian hip hop