DOWNLOAD [download id=”968″]
Author: EliKem_Codda
GHANA : Sarkodie to perform at BET Awards 2014
Sarkodie, and a number of African acts have been announced as performers for BET’s L.A experience event, happening from June 27-29.
The event, a pre music concert to the main awards show will feature some of the biggest names in music from around the world.
Nigeria’s Tiwa Savage, and Ice Prince as well as South Africa’s Mafikizolo will also perform as part of the “Music Around the Globe” presentation during the weekend of June 27-29.
All acts, performing at the Experience at L.A. LIVE presented by Coca-Cola®, are nominated in the “BET Awards” ‘Best International Act: Africa’ category.
The main awards show is on Sunday June 29, at the Nokia Theatre L.A. LIVE in Los Angeles, CA.
This will be the first time that Mafikizolo and Tiwa Savage have performed in the United States, and the announcement follows their wins at the MTV Africa Music Awards in the ‘Best Group’ and ‘Best Female’ categories respectively.
Sarkodie also took home a MAMA for ‘Best Hip Hop’.
This is the first time international acts have performed as part of the BET Experience at L.A. LIVE presented by Coca-Cola® since the introduction of international BET Award categories, ‘Best International Act: Africa’ and ‘Best International Act: UK’ in 2010.
Emmy and Grammy® Award winning comedian Chris Rock will host the “BET Awards” 2014, live on Sunday, June 29, 2014 at 8pm ET live from the Nokia Theatre L.A. LIVE in Los Angeles, CA.
GHANA : Stonebwoy urges women to be proud of who they are in new single
Ghanaian dancehall and Afropop artiste Livingstone Etse Satekla popularly known as Stonebwoy, has unveiled a new single Tuesday. The afro-dancehall single ‘More Gyal’ features Ashaiman-based DXD.
Stonebwoy, speaking in an interview with Hitz FM, explained that ‘More Gyal’ seeks to urge ladies to be proud of who they are irrespective of their body figure and looks.
“Basically, my return song is for all women, to make them feel good about their stature since some ladies often feel low-esteemed,” he said.
The 26-year-old talented songwriter and singer is releasing the single after a successful tour of some major cities in Europe, Austria and Italy.
He also worked on two projects – Ridal Riddim, and Pretty Cutty – which also featured some Jamaican stars including, Bennie Man, Busy Signal, and Elephant Man.
Stonebwoy has shot two videos ‘Watch Over Us’ and ‘Candy’ from his yet to be released album. The videos were shot in Austria and Italy respectively.
The yet-to-be titled album, according to him, will be released in November this year.
Kenya : Meet the Kenyan Artist Who Has Performed Alongside Rick Ross & Shaggy
Kanja Muchoki is poised to be one of the most sought-after artists in the music industry. Born in London and raised in the USA, where he developed his sound, Kanja has been touring the world since the age of 15 sharing his unique sound.
Known for blending hip-hop, r & b, reggae and African polyrhythmic music, Kanja infuses his native languages of Kikuyu and Swahili into his lyrics. This signature sound has garnered fans from all over Africa, Europe, Asia, and throughout the United States.
Both an entertainer and scholar, Kanja has thoroughly entertained audiences during appearances on BET’s “Blaze the Stage” and at the prestigious Hampton University, where he was featured on a separate occasion, alongside eo-soul recording artists, Raheem Devaughn, J. Holiday, Slim (from legendary r & b group 112), Jeremiah, Latoya Luckett, Fabulous, & 2 city show in Virginia/Maryland opening up for reggae/dancehall legend Beenie man.
In October 2009 Kanja won on BET’s 106 & Park Wild Out Wednesdays. He also had a crowd pleasing performance in Howard Yardfest 2010 alongside Shaggy, Mr. Vegas, Wale, Slick Rick, Rick Ross
Recently in 2011 he participated in 2 shows of the reggae stars Mr. Vegas & Demarco reggae tour in St. Louis, Mo and Nashville, TN.
Zimbabwe: Winky D Drops Sizzling Single
Ninja president Wallace Chirumiko, popularly known as Winky D, has dropped a sizzling single titled “Pazvikona” in which he blasts the elderly for failing to discipline the youths. The song offers the singer’s view on social vices that are rampant among the urban youths, specifically drug abuse.Commenting on the track, Winky D’s manager Jonathan Banda said this is a wake-up call to the senior people to be exemplary to the youths.
“Winky D provides empirical insights into how appalling the situation has become in the context of abuse done by the youths and older brothers everyday.
“It is now difficult to encourage the youths to stop taking drugs when they are now doing it with senior people.
“We have lost our culture and something must be done to curb this virus spreading in our society
“Thus he tries to come up with a panacea for addressing destructive youth behaviours.”
The chorus goes: “Mirai kusimbisana pazikona, ndinopa mhosva kunemi madzikoma vana vazhinji varikurasika imi muchiona.
“Angokutengera pint atove mukoma nyamba izera remwana wawakazvara . . . vakuru dziripi tsika dzedu . . . ”
The song was released under Vigilance Music last week and the riddim was produced by Bhobho.
Early this year, the ” Musarova Bigman” hit-maker also made headlines when he fused dancehall music with sungura on his hit song titled “Sungura Like”.
The track also teaches importance of African culture and creating culturally acceptable content rather than imitating international music without due consideration of our morals and ethics as Zimbabweans or Africans.
GHANA : Samini did not win any award
Samini It has emerged Samini did not win the award for BEST INTERNATIONAL ACT at the Black Canadians Awards held in Canada last weekend, contrary to an earlier report.
Samini’s team had relied on series of press publications on the subject, and came to the conclusion that their act had won.
However further checks reveal the award went to Trinidad and Tobagao’s Destra Garcia. The category also had Nigeria’s Waje, South Africa’s Lira and Khuli Chana as well as the Bajan female Soca act Alsion Hinds as contenders.
One, Julz of GhanaMixtapes, who was at the event and had relayed the information to the press, has since taken to twitter to apologize to Samini.
Samini has accepted his apology, saying “blunders do happen.” “Maybe i should have waited to see confirmation on the BCA site.”
The earlier statement we published from Samini’s camp in the morning read:
The African Dancehall King SAMINI, wins another International Award, this time; “BEST INTERNATIONAL ACT” at the Black Canadians Awards held on the 7th of June at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre in Toronto, Canada . He was in the same category with Allison Hinds, Khuli Chana Waje, Destra Garcia and others.
Award-winning Samini continues to show cause for why He believes in African Dancehall Music and making Ghana Proud, while the international community and brands keep recognising Him for such great strides in promoting Good African Dancehall music.
This is another feat in a week where Samini gears up to Launch His Lounge and Restaurant- “DanceStardom” and surely, it will be one big party/celebration this Friday.
Thanks to all fans and everyone who contributed to Samini winning this award. #GH #DanceStardom launches on June 13th with the mega celebration. HighGradeFamily……..#AkyeSaaaa
Sgd.
Anthony Pun Daning
Samini Music-HighGradeFamily
GHANA : Stonebwoy talks dancehall ….says Ambolley is right
Stonebwoy Dancehall icon Stonebwoy has added his voice to calls for uniqueness in Ghanaian Dancehall and Reggae music.
According to him, though what Ghanaian Dancehall musicians are doing now is pure Jamaican Dancehall, it will make sense to add a little bit of Ghanaian flavour to make it unique.
He was commenting on a recent statement from ace saxophonist, composer and rapper Gyedy Blay Ambolley that Ghanaian Dancehall artistes should do well to get a unique identity that would differentiate them from their Jamaican counterparts.
“We do Jamaican Dancehall and Reggae in Ghana a lot, so if we are doing Dancehall and Reggae, I don’t know how else you want it to sound differently from the regular Dancehall and Reggae music we have. But I believe that picking a point from what Ambolley said, inculcating our cultural stuff from Ghana into our Reggae and Dancehall music is an intelligent argument because you can hear me fuse Twi or Ewe in most of the songs that I do; that is trying to inculcate the Ghanaian element into them,” Stonebwoy, currently in Italy, told NEWS-ONE in a telephone interview.
He also stated that Ambolley, a veteran Ghanaian musician is apt in expressing his opinion on music.
“He may also have a reason for saying that. He cannot come out and say anything anyhow because I think he is an elderly person and an elderly musician in Ghana who also can add his opinion when certain things are going on about music.
“Leaving the highlife and hiplife genres, where he belongs, to make a comment about Reggae and Dancehall, I believe that it may not be all perfect or all true. He may have his reasons,” Stonebwoy added.
His statement conforms with what Ambolley called for: “The musicians, who are in that line of music, take more of their beats that come from Jamaica and add their voices to them. I think we need to have an identity. If our brothers from Jamaica who have created that form of music come down here and we are doing the same thing like them, it doesn’t really sit down with me. We need to add some part of our cultural aspect to the style that we’re using in the Reggae and Dancehall music.”
Stonebwoy got nominated in five categories – Dancehall Artiste of the Year, Artiste of the Year, Dancehall Song of the Year, Best Collaboration of the Year and Best Performer of the Year – for the 2014 BASS Awards.
He commended the organizers of the awards for focusing on awarding and rewarding artistes in the Reggae and Dancehall genres.
“For the primary idea of awarding Reggae and Dancehall artiste across Africa and Ghana, it is good because at the end of the day, it focuses on those particular genres to reward or award artistes, who contribute to Reggae and Dancehall in Ghana,” he said.
GHANA : 2014 BASS Awards Nominations Full List
The second edition of the only awards scheme aimed at promoting reggae and dancehall music in Ghana BASS Awards has released a list of nominations for the 2014 edition.
• DANCEHALL ARTISTE(S) OF THE YEAR1) Stonebwoy – Give it to them
2) Shatta Wale – Enter the Net
3) Jupitar – Freaky girl• REGGAE ARTISTE(S) OF THE YEAR
1) Ras Kuuku – Father
2) Blakk Rasta – Iyawata
3) Iwan – Chant a song• BEST ALTERNATIVE REGGAE/DANCEHALL SONG (GOSPEL)
1) Akesse Brempong – Crazy love
2) Nii Soul – Count it all joy
3) Jay Shady – Bestest friend
4) Jael Wiafe – Don’t give up the fight• ARTISTE OF THE YEAR (KWAME NKRUMAH AWARD)
1) Shatta Wale
2) Stonebwoy
3) Jupitar
4) Blakk Rasta
5) Ras Kuuku• DANCEHALL SONG OF THE YEAR
1) Episode – Turn up
2) Fuse ODG – Badder than bad
3) Shatta Wale- Enter the net
4) Stonebwoy – Give it to them
5) Jupitar – Freaky girl• REGGAE SONG OF THE YEAR
1) Buk bak – Mama cry no more
2) Blakk Rasta – Iyawata
3) Iwan – Chant a song
4) Jah Wadada – Loving you
5) Konkarah – Rise
6) Ras Kuuku – Father
7) Tinny – Mi love you
8) Tsidifari – Ghana
9) Gyadu-Blay Ambolley – It doesn’t Matter• BEST COLLABORATION OF THE YEAR (REGGAE)
1) Blakk Rasta/Lami – Iyawata
2) Kiki Jail/Shatta Rako – Me and You
3) Papa Jingo/Jeron Tempo – Yen ye Baako
4) Lingua Kat/Jah Amber – Makooma
5) Ras Kuuku/Norris man – Give thanks• BEST COLLABORATION OF THE YEAR (DANCEHALL)
1) D2/Shatta Wale – Fever
2) Edem/Stonebwoy – Go harder
3) Episode/Edem – Circumstance
4) Method Ranking/Stonebwoy – Wind up
5) Sarkodie/Banky W – Pon di tin
6) Shatta Wale/D Black – Ina the Party
7) Trade Mark /Natural Face – Mi Girl Nie
8) Wiyaala/Jupitar – Rock my body• RECORD OF THE YEAR (YAA ASANTEWAA AWARD)
1) Blakk Rasta – Eager to see Mandela
2) Papa Jingo – Yen ye baako
3) Episode – Mandela
4) Na U – Kudos Ghana.
5) Tsidifari – Ghana• PRODUCER OF THE YEAR
1) Dakay
2) Genius selection
3) Infectious• MUSIC VIDEO F THE YEAR (REGGAE)
1) Na U – Believe in me
2) Konkarah – Rise
3) Ras Kuuku – Father
4) Jon Germain – Still here
5) Blakk Rasta- Iyawata• MUSIC VIDEO OF THE YEAR (DANCEHALL)
1) Jupitar – Money Box
2) Shatta Wale – Like my thing
3) Sarkodie/Banky W – Pon di tin
4) Wiyaala/Jupitar – Rock my body
5) Mz Vee – Borkor Borkor• BEST MALE VOCAL ARTISTE OF THE YEAR
1) Buk Bak – Mama cry more
2) Jah ambar – Eye Wunkuaa
3) Luther – Judge not
4) Nature – Chameleon love
5) Tsidifari– Ghana• BEST FEMALE VOCAL ARTISTE OF THE YEAR
1) Mz Vee – Bokor Bokor
2) Wiyaala – Rock my body• LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
1) Samson Quaye (Poncho)
2) Consular Hayes
3) Simple Man Kante• DISCOVERY OF THE YEAR
1) Jah Wyz – My life
2) A K songtress – The Empress
3) Buju Stingo – Badder than them• RIDDIM OF THE YEAR
1) Smirnoff and Guinness riddim
2) Kulcha riddim• BEST PERFORMER OF THE YEAR
1) Shatta Wale
2) Stonebwoy
3) Ras Kuuku
4) Jupitar• ALBUM OF THE YEAR (REGGAE/DANCEHALL)
1) Blakk Rasta – Ancestral Moon Splash• BEST SONG WRITER OF THE YEAR
1) Buk Bak – Mama Cry no more
2) Konkarah – Rise
3) Ras Kuuku – Father
4) Tsidifari – Ghana
5) Ras Bomber – Danqua Circle• BEST AFRICAN ACT OF THE YEAR
1) Wyre
2) Jesse Jagz
3) Alpha Blondy
