Versatile rapper, OK has had an eventful year and done a yeoman’s job. He’s been that idol every musician looks up to. His technique has been flawless in 2016.
Why the biggest award, “Artiste of the Year” will be quite an obvious ‘cool chop’ for the Best Rapper Alive is his unquenchable relevance that peaked in the year, his completeness and his relentlessness.
Our difficulty in adjudging who an overall best is, is on the tenets of inability of the contenders to cut wide margins between them and others. But, in the appraisal words of music legend ‘Kojo Antwi, “Okyeame Kwame separated himself from the boys”.
“ Artiste(s) of the Year
The Artiste of the Year is the Artiste(s) adjudged by the Academy, Board and the General Public as the Artiste(s) with the highest audience appeal and popularity. The Artiste(s) must have released a hit single/album during the year under review. “
Okyeame Kwame pulled one of the most attractions in 2016; strategically stealing love from the extremes of all forms of audience; young and old, home and abroad, the low-class and elite; the gospel music lovers, even.
If there’s any moment of his career where his ‘versatility’ accolade shot into full flight, it is 2016 where he did everything from music to studying to motor riding on the streets of Jamaica.
‘Small Small Remix’, ‘Hallelujah’, ‘Tension’ and others have seen the playlists of every disc jockey, humped on every chart, prided in all the reviews, got the kind of heartwarming sing-alongs every artiste would exchange anything for. These are songs that stood the challenge from an avalanche of releases that were commercial cancerous too. “Hallelujah” left beaches and went into churches, literally.
And he has sung about everything from sex to salvation, employing the best of creativity in both live and recorded renditions.
The year saw him perform to audiences in the U.S: the Arts on Third Festival, the SOB’s, Annie O Series at Standard Hotel, the Black Community in Cincinnati. He opened up Citi FM’s December 2 Remember, he rocked the Tiptoe Concert and set Takoradi ablaze with his self-hosted show. Then he would organise a benefit concert to raise funds for the Ghana Paralympics Team to aid their participation at the Olympics.
Writing his name on international sheets came as a feather in his cap – the All Africa Music Awards, the Midem Conference in France, the foreign media interviews and front-page-covers.
Being given the key to the city of Cincinnati became the final rough thrust that tore mercilessly through the hymen of the year, crediting all the stories to him.
Okyeame’s contributions to society through music stands him out in a way that cannot be matched. In the year under review, his free Hepatitis B campaign in Ho brought his figures to 7,000 beneficiaries. The World Hepatitis Alliance appointed him a global icon in commemoration of his philanthropy.
2016 saw the rapper dominate the scenes. Even though controversy-free and running a career without scandals, Kwame Nsiah-Apau continued to steal the headlines even at a pursuit of higher education.
He beats his chest as one of the most searched musicians on Google in the year.
Music hasn’t only been about making hits but inspiring creative difference and this is what the year meant to him; what society needs to encourage; what he deserves recognition for.
Okyeame’s nomination and subsequent crowning as Artiste of the Year will not only be a recognition of his successes with music but a pat on his back for commemorating his 20th career year with hard work.
To repeat this feat which he chalked in 2009, he will be facing stiff competition from hopefuls including Stonebwoy, Sarkodie, Guru, E.L, M.anifest, VVIP, among others. Compared to what they have achieved, what opinion do you hold? Does he deserve the crown?
Well, this remains a decision of the Academy, Board and the General Public.