First held in the year 2000, the Ghana Music Awards is now the biggest awards night in the country, and is considered an important achievement by all stakeholders, especially artists.
Daddy Lumba ( Charles K. Fosu) won the inaugural edition, and since then Kojo Antwi, Lord Kenya, Kontihene, VIP, Obour, Okyeame Kwame, Kwaw Kese, R2Bees, Sarkodie, Stonebwoy, and EL have all annexed the crown.
Dancehall singer MzVee, Sarkodie, Stonebwoy, Medikal and Joe Mettle all look to wrestle the crown from BBNZ frontman EL, who won the war last year together with Afropop Song of the Year, Hiplife/Hip Hop Artiste of the Year, and Producer of the Year. Most of the nominees would be making history should they walk home with the award tonight. For EL, he would be the firs to win it back-to-back, Sarkodie would be picking it for an unprecedented third time, MzVee would become the first female artist to earn it, and Joe Mettle, the first Gospel act to win it.
Aside the most coveted prize of Artist of the Year, the category for Best New Act is one of the most keenly contested categories for this year. Medikal, Nii Funny, Fancy Gadam, Article Wan, Feli Nuna, Ebony, Rudebwoy Ranking, and UK-based Eugy face off in the fiercest contest the scheme has ever seen.
Categories for Group of the Year, Rapper of the Year, Best Male & Best Female Vocalist of the Year, Best Collaboration of the Year, and Most Popular Song of the Year are also sure to invoke nerve- racking moments.
Starr FM broadcaster Anita Erskine comperes the event tonight with the backing of DJ Black. Berla Mundi and Elikem Kumordzi host the Red Carpet sessions.
Lynx Entertainment’s Kuami Eugene was adjudged Unsung Artist for the Year days ago. Below is the full list of nominees below:
GOSPEL SONG OF THE YEAR
Yewo Nyame A Yewo Adze – Nacee ft. Ernest Opoku
Change Over – Mary Agyemang
Mewo Jesus – Mabel Okyere
Still You Reign – Sonnie Badu
Healing Stream – Jeshrun Okyere ft. Nathaniel Bassey
Agye Won Nsam – Piesie Esther
HIGHLIFE SONG OF THE YEAR
Jwe – Bisa K’dei
Confession – Kofi Kinaata
Beshiwo – Becca ft. Bisa K’dei
Mintse Bo – Wisa Greid
Christy – Dobble
Bokor Bokor – Kill Beatz ft. Mugeez & Fuse ODG
HIPLIFE SONG OF THE YEAR
Samba – Guru ft. Singlet
Club – Donzy ft. Piesie & Sarkodie
Go Low – Flowking Stone
RNS – Sarkodie
Bie Gya – Criss Waddle ft. Stonebwoy
Sweetie Pie – Kofi Kinaata
Alhaji – VVIP ft. Patoranking
HIP-HOP SONG OF THE YEAR
God MC – M.anifest
Trumpet – Sarkodie ft. Teephlow, Koo Ntakra, Strongman, Donzy, Medikal & Pappy Kojo
Lalafalama – EL
Confirm (remix) – Medikal ft. Sarkodie
Egboame (remix) – Edem ft. Cabum, Teephlow, Ayat, Gemini, Medikal, Mac M, Darko & Bebelino
Tension – Okyeame Kwame ft. Cabum, Medikal & Sister Debbie
BEST REGGAE/DANCEHALL SONG OF THE YEAR
People Dey – Stonebwoy
Nwansina – Ras Kuuku ft. Luther
Gborgborvor – Gallaxy ft. Stonebwoy
Kupe – Ebony
Yonnah – Samini ft. Luther
Pain Dem – Rudebwoy Ranking
Arostor – Kaakie ft. Yaa Pono
AFRO POP SONG OF THE YEAR
Kaabuame – EL
Dance For Me – Eugy ft. Mr. Eazi
Solo – Article Wan
U x Me – Joey B
Too Risky – Medikal ft. Sister Debbie
Too Late – Adina
Grind – Vision DJ ft. A.I
GOSPEL ARTISTE OF THE YEAR
Joe Mettle
Piesie Esther
Sonnnie Badu
Jeshrun Okyere
Nacee
HIGHLIFE ARTISTE OF THE YEAR
Bis K’dei
Becca
Kofi Kinaata
REGGAE/DANCEHALL ARTISTE OF THE YEAR
Stonebwoy
Ras Kuuku
Samini
Ebony
Rudebwoy
MzVee
HIPLIFE/HIP-HOP ARTISTE OF THE YEAR
Guru
EL
Flowking Stone
Medikal
Sarkodie
M.anifest
Joey B
SONGWRITER OF THE YEAR
Joe Mettle – Onwanwani
Kill Beatz – Too Late
Kofi Kinaata – Confession
Nacee – Yewo Nyame A Yewo Adze
BEST MUSIC VIDEO OF THE YEAR
Leno by Wiyaala – Charlotte Appleton
Small Small by Okyeame Kwame ft. MzVee – Phamous Philms
Yewo Nyame A Yewo Adze by Nacee ft. Ernest Opoku – Mcwillies
Rapping Drums by Flowking Stone – Xbills Ebenezer
W’ani Aba by M.anifest ft. Bisa K’dei – Solomon Director
Nyedzilo by Edem ft. Rekaado Banks – Phamous Philms
RECORD OF THE YEAR
Me Ne Wo Aa – Nacee
Hello – Akwaboah ft. Sarkodie
Too Late – Adina
U x Me – Joey B
Motromodwo – Trigmatic ft. A.I
BEST MALE VOCALIST
Ogya Mensah – Get Serious
Afriyie – Here To Stay
Joe Mettle – Onwanwani
Akwaboah – Hello
Sonnie badu – Still You Reign
Ernest Opoku – Yewo Nyame A Yewo Adze
BEST FEMALE VOCALIST
Adina – Too Late
Becca – Beshiwo
MzVee – Nobody Else
Piesie Esther – Agye Won Nsam
Petrah – My Man
BEST GROUP OF THE YEAR
VVIP
R2bees
Dunsin
Gallaxy
BEST RAPPER OF THE YEAR
Flowking Stone – Fire Bon Dem (remix)
EL – Love God
Medikal – Connect
Yaa Pono (Ponobiom) – Mind on Money
M.anifest – 100%
Sarkodie – Fire Born Dem (remix)
BEST COLLABORATION OF THE YEAR
Alhaji – VVIP ft. Patoranking
Yewo Nyame A Yewo Adze – Nacee ft. Ernest Opoku
Confirm (remix) – Medikal ft. Sarkodie
Bie Gya – Criss Waddle ft. Stonebwoy
Nwansina – Ras Kuuku ft. Luther
Samba – Guru ft. Singlet
BEST NEW ARTISTE OF THE YEAR
Medikal
Nii Funny
Fancy Gadam
Article Wan
Feli Nuna
Ebony
Rudebwoy Ranking
Eugy
ALBUM OF THE YEAR
Counselor – Nacee
BAR 3 – EL
Nowhere Cool – M.anifest
Gifted – Flowking Stone
Soundz of Africa – Sonnie Badu
VODAFONE SONG OF THE YEAR
Christy – Dobble
U x Me – Joey B
RNS – Sarkodie
Solo – Article Wan
People Dey – Stonebwoy
Kaabuame – EL
Bie Gya – Criss Waddle ft. Stonebwoy
Sweetie Pie – Kofi Kinaata
Alhaji – VVIP ft. Patoranking
Yewo Nyame Aa Yewo Adze – Nacee
Go Low – Flowking Stone
OVERALL ARTISTE OF THE YEAR
EL
Sarkodie
Stonebwoy
Joe Mettle
MzVee
Medikal
AFRICAN ARTISTE OF THE YEAR
Patoranking
Mr. Eazi
Runtown
Tekno
Nathaniel Bassey
#VGMA2017 is the 18th edition, and is a Charterhouse Ghana production, and has Vodafone Ghana as headline sponsors.