On October 31, news broke of the sudden demise of David Ifeanyi Adedeji Adeleke Jr who reportedly drowned in his father’s swimming pool at his Banana Island residence.
Messages of condolences have poured out to the bereaved family from friends, family, fans and colleagues in the music industry including Ghana’s Stonebwoy and Sarkodie.
As a parent this hits different …sorry brother @davido May the almighty grant you the strength to go through this ❤️ Stay strong . We pray for your family pic.twitter.com/kzyvCsB3aI
On November 2, Sarkodie took to his Twitter page to console Davido and also offer special prayers for him in these trying times.
“As a parent this hits different …sorry brother @davido. May the almighty grant you the strength to go through this Stay strong. We pray for your family,’ read the tweet sighted by GhanaWeb.
Meanwhile, the family of little Ifeanyi are yet to release an official statement to confirm their tragic loss.
According to reports, some workers at his residence including his deceased son’s nanny and cook have been arrested by the police to assist with investigations.
The song which was produced and mixed by Keymix would be released on November 25, 2022.
The highly anticipated jam would be accompanied by some entrancing visuals.
Kay9ice who is gradually rising up in Ghana’s music industry has worked with some of top Ghanaian artiste including Bisa K’dei, Sista Afia, Galaxy, Yaa Pono, Tsoobi Ryan Korsah, Tyrell (USA) etc.
He has also shared the stage with some artiste including Sarkodie, Stonebwoy, Wendy Shay, Sista Afia, Flowking Stone, Guru, Teephlow, to mention but few
Kay9ice appeared on BBC after winning Tom Robinson’s tracklistings for The BBC Music Introducing Mixtape – a podcast and radio show broadcast every Monday from 2-3am on BBC Radio 6 Music.
Without a doubt, Sarkodieand Shatta Wale are Kings of Kings when it comes to the Ghanaian music industry.
The two Ghanaian acts are both banger-machines as they have churned out monster hit records that they will forever be remembered for. However, when it comes to hit songs, who among them is the King of Kings?
Sarkodie has been in the Ghanaian music industry for almost two decades now. He is well known for countless popular songs.
Some of Sarkodie’s hit songs are are:
1.Baby featuring Mugeez
2.U Go Kill Me featuring E.L
3.Azonto Fiesta featuring Appeatus and Kesse
4.I’m In Love With You Now featuring Efya
5.Original
6.M3gye Wo girl featuring Shatta Wale
7.Adonai featuring Castro
8.Can’t Let You Go featuring King Promise
9.Ofeetso featuring Prince Bright
10.Happy Day featuring Kuami Eugene
Shatta Wale on the other hand also passed to be described as the most popular contemporary Ghanaian artiste just like Sarkodie.
He is an old gee in the Ghanaian music industry. Before 2004, he was known as Bandana but he rebranded to be known as Shatta Wale. Ever since his new, it has been hit after hit for Shatta Wale.
Shatta Wale has explored his creativity in diverse to make music in all kinds of genres. When it comes to the popular music genres in Ghana, Shatta Wale has got at least one-hit in all of them.
Some of his most popular songs are:
1.Moko Hoo featuring Tinny
2.Dancehall King
3.Everybody Like My Thing
4.Baby Chop Kiss
5.Taking over featuring Militants
6.Melissa
7.Bullet Proof
8.My Level
9.Kakai
10.Mahama Paper
With these hit and popular songs, we would leave it here for you to decide who actually has the most hit songs. So between Shatta Wale and Sarkodie, who has the most hit songs? Drop your thoughts in the comment section.
Okra Tom Dawidi, one of Ghana’s all-time best rapper’s, is plotting a sensational comeback with a series of exciting musical projects.
Okra, who is often referred to as the “Kasaharilist”, is set to release the music video for his timeless hit single “You Know Get Money”, which features Hiplife legend Reggie Rockstone.
The video for the song, which made waves years ago, has finally been shot, with some interesting characters making an appearance in the well-curated masterpiece.
Okra, who is a philanthropist and a businessman, is poised to thrill music lovers with some good music.
“I am delighted to shoot a video for this hit single and am grateful to everyone who has supported me over the years. Fans should watch out for this because it is going to be a blockbuster,” Okra said in an interview.
In the coming months, the Ghanaian rap music icon is also expected to release singles featuring Stonebwoy, Sarkodie, and a new crop of artistes.
Okra’s most recent single, “Fitem,” was released in 2018 and featured Sarkodie, who described Okra as one of the best lyricists and someone who inspired young rappers in a social media post a few years ago.
The rapper was one of Ghana’s topmost rappers in the early 2000s with back-to-back hits from the camp of Hammer of the Last Two.
Okra’s “Ayekoo” single featuring Obrafour and Tinny, released in the early 2000s, remains one of the best music collaborations in the annals of Ghanaian music.
Rapper Sarkodie is undoubtedly one of Ghana’s most popular musicians known globally for his talent. Back home, he is celebrated for winning awards and also being vocal about matters that affect citizens.
Unhappy about Ghana’s economic situation, Sarkodiewent after the country’s leadership some eight years ago under John Dramani Mahama of the National Democratic Congress (NDC).
He called out the president for mismanaging the economy which was characterized by power outages popularly known as ‘Dumsor’, hikes in fuel prices, and the cedi’s poor performance against the American dollar.
Sarkodiereleased two songs in the space of one year to ‘attack’ the then-government which was run by John Mahama. He spelt out all the wrongs under his leadership and called him to action.
Fast forward to 2022, Ghana is now facing a much more difficult situation that has witnessed citizens calling for the heads of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, his Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, and other ministers who have woefully failed in their various positions.
GhanaWeb throws back to two of Sarkodie’shit songs that best describe Ghana’s current economic crises under Akufo-Addo.
1. Inflation
Released in 2014, ‘Inflation’ was Sarkodie’s first punch at the NDC’s government and the then-president, John Mahama. The lyrics in the songs are more than ever relatable.
The introduction of ‘Inflation’ goes like this: “The nation is full of surprises. Besi nne we still leave in crisis. Kantamanto kokohwe nneeama prices. ECGfoo nso play omo tactise. Ene na dumso, okyena na pipe. Towo nnooma so na yebe dum no five. Filli wo gallon na save wo life.”
Parts of the lyrics touched on the cedi’s performance against the dollar and the fuel price hikes.
2. The Masses (Inflation Part 2)
Just a year after Sarkodie released Inflation, he came out with ‘The Masses’ to hammer on the need for the government to address the plight of Ghanaians.
The song equally got all the hype despite claims that it was a deliberate attempt to make the government unpopular.
Sarkodie poured out his frustration on the song that was sung in the Twi language.
Meanwhile, Sarkodie in a couple of tweets has urged President Akufo-Addo to fix the country following distress calls from all four corners of the country as a result of the economic crises.
Sarkodie’s decision not to sign with Akon’s Konvict Music record label is one of the most significant decisions of his career. This is according to controversial Ghanaian entertainment critic Arnold Asamoah-Baidoo.
His comments come at the back of an interview Shatta Wale said that rapper Sarkodie failed to take advantage of his relationship with record producer Akon to boost his career.
“Sarkodie not signing unto Akon’s label is one of the biggest decisions he has taken if that is true. It’s his best decision,” he said.
Speaking on Peace FM’s entertainment news review show, Arnold explained that Akon’s label has recently failed to project any signee.
“Tell me who you know from Akon’s label. Signee’s include OJ Boo Dirty, Demarco, Money J, Yaa Boy, Omega amongst others. I am super gratified with where Sarkodie independently has moved his career to where he is,” he added.
“Independently see where Sarkodie has moved his career from here to that international pedestal”, Arnold stated.
Arnold further stated that Shatta Wale is nowhere close to Sarkodie’s international significance.
“He (Shatta) cannot match Sarkodie’s international presence. It is a fact. How was he able to leverage on Beyonce’s collaboration? Since 2019, the likes of Burna Boy has gone on to win Grammy and playing on big big stadia. Why is Wale not comparing himself to Burna Boy?” he quizzed.
In a Director OJ video, rap legend Michael Owusu ‘Sarkodie’ Addo has asserted his dominance in what seems like a freestyle song.
Delivered in keeping with the popular braggadocios Hiphop spirit, he addressed a number of issues including why he is still an independent artiste and not signed to any major record label.
Africa’s most decorated rapper, he, in this surprise release titled ‘Fraud N*** in Suit’, compared detractors in the creative arts industry to bloggers who write “stupid things” to for money.
He also likened them to “blood sucking” mosquitoes, and warned them he would kill them with an insecticide.
“You don’t have good intentions. You’re here in Ghana, always scheming to destroy people,” he further charged and strongly warned that they should stay off Black Sherif.
“I beg you don’t go after Blacko with your witchcraft,” he barked sarcastically in a plea.
King Sarkodie, as is his nickname, he rapped in English, Pidgin and Akan.
Recently, Sarkodie, citing a trip to South Africa, indicated how popular ‘Blacko’ has become internationally. He recalled an instance where people in a club he was in, were pining to hear Black Sherif’s music as the biggest record of the night.
“It’s not just part of the playlist. We’re talking about the biggest song of the night that people are looking forward to at the highest peak,” the rapper affectionately called Sark said.
He also prayed for the 20-year-old: “He is about to see more than he has done already. So he should strap on for the better things that are about to happen. God bless you, Blacko.”
Sarkodie said these things at Black Sherif’s private cocktail to celebrate his debut album: ‘The Villain I Never Was’.
Meanwhile, due to some pictures of the two in a recording studio, spotted on social media, it is said they have collaborated on unreleased music.
Sarkodie is at the moment, gearing up for the November 11, 2022, release of his ‘Jamz’ project.
Ghanaian rapper cum entrepreneur, Desmond Kwesi Blackmorepopularly known as D-Black, has expressed worry about how sharply the cedi has depreciated against the United States dollar.
The current development which has triggered harsh economic conditions in the country has been of public concern among scores of netizens, including celebrities on social media.
D-Black is the latest to join the tall list of celebrities to vent about this particular issue on Twitter.
“How are we working for a dead currency? Mehnnn!! Fix this shit ! Ghana is in a mess!” he wrote in a series of posts.
Meanwhile, the cedi sells at GH¢14 to the US dollar at the forex bureaus or the retail market.
Cedi depreciation: Ghanaian celebrities lament
Several Ghanaian celebrities have complained bitterly about the hardships the country has been plagued with under the leadership of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
These celebrities, who seem ‘fed up’ have lamented the depreciating cedis to the dollar, the constant fuel price hikes, and the overall hardships that everyone in the country is currently experiencing.
The likes of Yvonne Nelson, Nana Aba Anamoah, Prince David Osei, Lydia Forson, Shatta Wale, Efia Odo, Kojo Cue, Sarkodie, and many others have cried out on social media.
Prices of goods and services have risen sharply following the depreciation of the Ghana cedi against the dollar contributing to the economic situation in the country.
The cedi sells at GH¢14 to the US dollar at the forex bureaus or the retail market.
On the back of that, Nana Aba Anamoah has spoken against profiteering at such a critical moment in the country.
Highlighting the fact that some traders are charging unjustifiably high prices for goods, Nana Aba in a Twitter post said “Some traders are taking advantage of the current system to charge exorbitant prices for goods.”
Meanwhile, some Ghanaian celebrities have also complained bitterly about the hardships the country has been plagued with under the leadership of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
These celebrities, who seem ‘fed up’ have lamented the depreciating cedis to the dollar, the constant fuel price hikes, and the overall hardships that everyone in the country is currently experiencing.
The likes of Yvonne Nelson, Prince David Osei, Lydia Forson, Shatta Wale, Efia Odo, Kojo Cue, Sarkodie, and many others have cried out on social media.
Shatta Wale has asserted that Sarkodie should have superseded Nigerian superstar Wizkid’s stardom, but he’s still not as internationally renowned as expected.
According to the dancehall musician, the multi-award-winning rapper is one of Ghana’s artistes who invest in their craft – from his music to his personal image – and should have been bigger than the Afrobeats star.
He reckons that his expectation of Sarkodie is not at easy as it may seem that’s why he does not struggle to fight opinions dubbing him as a “local champion” only recognised by his fans in Ghana.
“You see someone like Sarkodie, he should have been bigger than Wizkid. You see what Sarkodie even did. Sarkodie is putting money into his craft in terms of videos and everything to make it perfectly right but he is still not there,” Shatta lamented at a roundtable on Joy FM’s ShowbizAtoZ.
Shatta Wale further noted that things would have been different if Sarkodie made good use of the opportunity he had with Akon.
He said Sarkodie failed to capitalize on his association with the Senegalese-American singer and record producer when he had the chance to sign onto Konvict Music some years ago.
“If Sarkodie is doing it and I am watching him and he is still not making it. What he is doing, he is alone and he is using his money to do that…especially when Akon mentioned Sarkodie’s name. He should have been there but I could also say that he didn’t even take advantage of it,” Shatta Wale added.
Meanwhile, Shatta Wale gave the impression that he sees Sarkodie as a role and fumbled when asked if he looks up to the rapper before deciding on whether or not to also invest in his craft.
Stressing that help isn’t going to drop like manna from heaven, the ‘Atta Adwoa’ hitmaker has advised Ghanaians to take the bull by the horn.
According to PYung, there are no signs that the government is interested in easing the country’s economic crisis, adding that the time to act is now.
“We the youth naa for rise then help wanna body. The Government will never help. It has been this way for ages. Are we still gonna wait? For how Long? We should wake up,” he wrote on Twitter
We the youth naa for rise then help wanna body💯. The Government will never Help. It has been this for Ages. Are we still Gonna wait? For how Long?. We should wake up.
Meanwhile, some Ghanaian celebrities have also complained bitterly about the hardships the country has been plagued with under the leadership of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
Mr President, @NAkufoAddo , this eye drop ( xalacom) was 120ghc , its now 273ghc and even 300ghc in some pharmacies. I need to use this every evening, without it, the pressures on my eye will go up and will result in glaucoma. How many Ghanaians do you… pic.twitter.com/RiVHTfokB2
These celebrities, who seem ‘fed up’, have lamented about the depreciating cedis to the dollar, the constant fuel price hikes, and the overall hardships that everyone in the country is currently experiencing.
The likes of Yvonne Nelson, Prince David Osei, Lydia Forson, Shatta Wale, Efia Odo, Kojo Cue, Sarkodie, and many others have cried out on social media.
Dancehall artiste Shatta Wale believes his colleague Sarkodie should have been a bigger artiste than Wizkidor just as big.
Speaking on Showbiz A-Z, Shatta Wale said that the ‘Pizza and Burger’ rapper failed to take advantage of his relationship with record producer Akon to boost his career.
He said that he has noticed Sarkodie invest so much money into his music and his brand but that has not propelled the rapper’s career as much as he expected to.
This he said is mostly because he is an independent artiste making moves in the industry all by himself with no label to back him like his Nigerian counterpart.
Shatta Wale said he is sometimes hesitant to invest as much as Sarkodie does for his music.
He explained that this is because he has been observing the ‘Highest’ rapper and his “slow progress” is not enough motivation for him and others to do the same.
“Sarkodie is doing it, I am watching him and he is still not making it. He is doing this alone and he is using money to do it,” Shatta Wale said.
But he acknowledged that being an independent artiste is not a walk in the park and thus was grateful to his fans for their patience.
Many who are fans of Ghanaian rapper Michael Owusu Addo popularly known in showbiz as Sarkodie will know that his better half, Tracy Sarkcess, has been in the picture since his journey to stardom began.
This is especially evident with some throwback photos of the love birds which occasionally surface from time to time on various social media platforms.
The duo have become models to look up to when one is looking for a great example of a long-lasting relationship.
Questions have over the years been asked about how the two started their blissful relationship which is the envy of many.
Speaking to media personality Berla Mundi on ‘The Day Show’ on Accra-based TV3, Tracy Sarkcess provided some insights into how it all began.
Tracy explained that she and Sarkodie grew up in the same neighbourhood in Tema, a suburb of Accra. During that period, she said Sarkodie liked her but could not tell her. The popular Ghanaian rapper instead told Tracy’s cousin to inform her about his affection.
An old photo of Tracy Sarkcess and Sarkodie
The unnamed cousin of Tracy informed her about Sarkodie’s ‘like’ for her but she remained undecided as she travelled to Germany at age 13.
After three years of being in Germany, Tracy Sarkcess returned to Ghana and reconnected with Sarkodie. She suggested that her return marked the starting point of their love story.
“To be honest I didn’t [see how big Sarkodie was going to become]. In my mind, I thought ‘oh maybe at some point I will be able to convince him to come along with me to Germany and he should a job, let’s work and have our kids’. I wasn’t sure about the music.
“We have known each other for quite a long time. Before I left for Germany, we lived in the same neighbourhood. So he’s a childhood friend and I know he liked me. He couldn’t tell me. He told my cousin who was living with us that she should come and tell me. It was towards the end when I was about to leave [for Germeany] that she told me.
“But at that point was like I don’t know. So I came back. It was actually on a holiday. I had been away for three years. That was the first time that I came back and weirdly enough we reconnected as friends and then ever since then,” Tracy Sarkcess said.
On October 15, 2022, numerous Ghanaians marched to Krokrobite to go to the yearly Tidal Rave live event where artistes like Black Sherif, Sarkodie, and R2Bees among others, were bill ed to perform.
The aftermath of the occasion was certainly not a good one as certain individuals confronted their most dreaded fears and terrible encounters that left them traumatised.
After a couple of individuals shared their encounters on different social media platforms with the hashtag ‘Krokrobite’, the town shot up to number one on Twitter trends.
The pattern has triggered some other individuals to share their experiences while adding pictures of the awful things that happened to them during and after the live concert.
Not only were cutlasses and blades pulled on individuals to take their possessions like telephones, cameras and cash, vehicle mirrors were also taken.
In certain accounts shared by some people, they were advised that walking in groups was safer, but they noted that even walking together didn’t guarantee their safety.
As per the stories told, some of these savage criminals pounced on their victims in groups overpowering them.
Sarkodie has applauded the exploits of Black Sherif and the huge impact he’s making in the music industry since his emergence into the mainstream just a few years ago.
Obidi further said Black Sherif’s song is ‘blazing’ everywhere in South Africa when he visited the country recently to shoot a music video for one of his songs on his forthcoming studio album, Jamz.
The revered rapper shared this compliment when he joined some distinguished personalities and industry players at the private cocktail party Black Sherif and his team put together to celebrate the successful release of his debut album, ‘The Villian I Never Was’.
In his words, almost every top nightclub in the country rotates Sherif’s songs heavily and he said he felt proud that Blacko was doing wonders as a Ghanaian in a different domain.
Eventually, he advised the fast-rising HipHop act to keep the momentum because he believes his present prowess is just the tip of the iceberg.
A strictly by-invitation private cocktail reception and dinner in honour of Black Sherif held at Brasa Restaurant, Accra, Sunday, was graced by some eminent personalities including politicians and businessmen who seem to have become fans of the musician.
They included Dr. Sir Sam Jonah (President of AngloGold Ashanti, Executive Chairman of Jonah Capital Equity Fund and the Chancellor of the University of Cape Coast), Ibrahim Mahama (founder of Engineers and Planners), and Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko (renowned lawyer and leading member of the New Patriotic Party).
Representing the showbiz fraternity were Sarkodie, D Black, Kwabena Kwabena, Andy Dosty, Abrantepa, Hajia Buintu and a host of others.
Blacko has undoubtedly enjoyed a wide audience appeal and has certainly had his popularity rise to a crescendo following the release of his maiden album ‘The Villain I Never Was’.
Aside from hitting the hundred-million-mark on streaming platform Boomplay, the songs on the album have garnered considerable views on other digital music platforms while the album entered the Top Albums Debut UK chart, placing tenth barely days after its release.
“It took me everything to give life to this body. The one thing in my life that I gave everything up for.
There is life in this body, I hope it treats you good and speaks to you like I want it to,” Blacko said about his album released on October 6, 2022.
Sam Jonah, Gabby, Ibrahim Mahama and all the big men who attended Black Sherif’s dinner
Filling up the O2 Arena in London is a huge feat, and Dennis Tawiah has contended that no Ghanaian artiste can, presently, reach this milestone.
Lexis Bill asked him on Personality Profile on Joy FM, Thursday evening, “do you think any Ghanaian artiste can sell out the O2 Arena’s 20,000 space?” The CEO of Akwaaba UK Group kept it simple, “at present, No!”
“Which Ghanaian artiste, on record, as we speak, has even sold a 5,000 capacity venue in the UK?” he wondered. The closest, he recalls, is Reggie Rockstone or Sarkodie who might have drawn about 4,000 audiences to their shows some years ago.
Dennis is an experienced UK-based event organizer, with a rich record of hosting some of the biggest African entertainment shows in his territory. He further revealed that the biggest crowd a Ghanaian event has ever registered was at the O2 Academy, Brixton, with more than 4,000 music lovers in attendance. “That was Lumba, Kojo Antwi and Amakye Dede, altogether, in 1994”, he quickly underscored.
In an attempt to defend his assertion, Dennis Tawiah explained that music must be appealing to people from all walks of life in a particular radius, in order to attract huge numbers to a show of 20,000 capacity.
The experienced event organizer, however, believes that Ghana’s biggest shot at filling the O2 Arena in London, currently, could possibly result from assembling some of the biggest names in our music space for a night of thrills. If Sarkodie, Stonebwoy, Samini, Shatta Wale, Kidi, Kuami Eugene and Black Sherif headline a concert, “we can try” to fill up the O2, Dennis believes, adding that, “it’s going to be difficult”.
“Now we’ve got Black Sherif. There’s a lot of pressure on him to make it but it shouldn’t be only Blacko. There should be other artistes joining him, making sure we get that global attention”, he advised. Dennis believes everything is possible, however, Ghanaian artistes need to build a united front in order to reach milestones of single-handedly selling out huge arenas.
Dennis Tawiah recently picked up the Diasporan Award at the 7th EMY Africa Awards, held in Accra and powered by Joy Entertainment. He is mostly celebrated for his relentless efforts in promoting the African culture in the diaspora through entertainment. His company, The Akwaaba Group, has been the force behind Miss Ghana-UK, Ghana Independence celebrations as well as Party in the Park in the United Kingdom.
Female MC, Eno Barony who is highly regarded by her fans as the best female rapper on the African continent has revealed what she wants for her birthday which is a few days ahead.
According to the artiste, she wants cement bags and iron rods when people plan to gift her something for her birthday and not the conventional birthday cake and its accompaniment.
“I beg this month on my birthday nobody should buy me cake I want cement bags and iron rods thank u,” she posted on Instagram on October 12, 2022.
Eno sent messages with a photo of herself sporting hot pants, sunglasses, a baseball helmet, and a black t-shirt with matching long boots.
Prior to this post, the rapper recently shared a profound quote on social media in a bid to stop people from laying violent hands on themselves.
Eno suggested that s,uicide is not the right option to escape from depression or any sort of problem.
She posted on Twitter that no matter what, everyone is bound to die so one must wait until the appointed time that he or she is designed to die instead of quickly resorting to the mechanism of s,uicide.
Eno Barony, real name Ruth Eno Adjoa Amankwah Nyame Adom is a Ghanaian rapper and songwriter. She was born in Tema, Accra, and gained notoriety when she released her debut single, “Wats Ma Name,” and “Tonga,” a remix of Joey B’s song “Tonga,” featuring Sarkodie.
Social media users, notably those on Facebook and Twitter, have criticised Ghanaian rapper Michael Owusu Addo, better known in the entertainment industry as Sarkodie, for missing the funeral of Highlife legend Nana Ampadu.
After apologizing for the incident on both social media platforms, some users took to the comment sections to express their discontentment.
While some believe Sarkodie deliberately refused to attend the funeral, others indicated that the rapper could have made use of a personal assistant or reminder on his phone to prompt him.
Others also shared the view that the apology was an insult while others believe Sarkodie should mend his relationship with the family of Nana Ampadu.
Pac Anokye Lord Knows, a Facebook user, wrote: “Naa…You already have it in mind that u won’t go..we are not children to come tell us stories..Shame to You”.
“You must honour the MASTERS. This excuse is best left not said. Actually an INSULT to the memory of arguably one of the Greatest Global Musicians of all time,” Lloyd Amoah also wrote on Facebook.
The situation on Twitter was no different as users also expressed similar sentiments on the matter. Fidelis Banaaleh in a Twitter post said Sarkodie missed the funeral because it was not his priority.
“You missed it because it wasn’t a priority for you senior.. in an age where phones have reminders? hmm to whom much is given much is expected Mr Sarkodie.. understand that the young are learning from you,” he tweeted.
Sarkodie apologizes for missing Nana Ampadu’s funeral
In a Facebook post on October 9, Sarkodie said he was ashamed of himself and hurt for missing Nana Ampadu’s funeral despite being reminded about it by veteran actor, David Dontoh.
He said even though David Dontoh’s reminder lingered on his mind, it apparently skipped him on the day of the event.
Sarkodie added that it was bad enough for him to be missing the funerals of legends stressing that he needs to do better.
He wrote: “Ashamed and hurt for not making it to the Legend Nana Ampadu’s funeral … Uncle David Dontoh told me about it last Sunday… Crazy how I had it on my mind from then and still missed it but all the same Rest In Peace Grandpa May the almighty keep you safe No excuse makes sense to even myself missing all these legends’ funerals… Need to do better”.
Nana Ampadu died on Tuesday, September 28, 2021, while on admission at the Intensive Care Unit of the University of Ghana Medical Centre (UGMC) in Accra with his funeral slated for October 8.
A day after his passing, Sarkodie made a post on social media revealing that the late music icon had once given him wise advice about not posting private stuff on social media.
A state funeral in Accra was organized for the late Nana Kwame Ampaduand he was subsequently transported to his hometown at Obo Kwahu, in the Eastern Region, on Saturday,
US-based Ghanaian fashion critic, Charlie Dior, has lambasted Ghanaian rapper Sarkodie over what he described as a poor choice of fashion style at the just-ended Global Citizen Festival.
Sarkodie was captured in a pair of black tracksuit, and a black tee with a pair of Nike sneakers to match.
He paired the outfit with a multi-coloured scarf tied around his neck and some black hand gloves.
Although not much has been said about his outfit, Charlie Dior appears to have conducted a thorough analysis of it.
According to him, the Sarkcess Music boss dresses as though he purchased his clothes from a cheap store.
Speaking in a viral video, Charlie maintained that although Sarkodie is perceived as an artist with a high fashion appeal, his recent style of dressing to the Global Citizen Concert sucks.
Charlie established that he felt disappointed the moment he chanced on Sarkodie at the event.
“Sarkodie dresses and it looks like he buys from Kantamanto. He does not look sophisticated with blowing cigars. He needs to sit with his team and address that, he added.
Charlie Dior believes that the rapper must go back to the basics and ensure that he looks the part.
“He much not slack when it comes to choosing and picking what to wear”.
Ghanaian rapper Michael Owusu Addo popularly known in showbiz circles as Sarkodie has expressed regret for being absent at the funeral of late Highlife legend, Nana Kwame Ampadu.
In a Facebook post on October 9, the musician said he was ashamed of himself and hurt for missing Nana Ampadu’s funeral despite being reminded about it by veteran actor, David Dontoh.
He said even though David Dontoh’s reminder lingered on his mind, it apparently skipped him on the day of the event.
Sarkodie added that it was bad enough for him to be missing the funerals of legends stressing that he needs to do better.
He wrote: “Ashamed and hurt for not making it to the Legend Nana Ampadu’s funeral … Uncle David Dontoh told me about it last Sunday… Crazy how I had it on my mind from then and still missed it but all the same Rest In Peace Grandpa May the almighty keep you safe No excuse makes sense to even myself missing all these legends’ funerals… Need to do better”.
Nana Ampadu died on Tuesday, September 28, 2021, while on admission at the Intensive Care Unit of the University of Ghana Medical Centre (UGMC) in Accra with his funeral slated for October 8.
A day after his passing, Sarkodie made a post on social media revealing that the late music icon had once given him wise advice about not posting private stuff on social media.
A state funeral in Accra was organized for the late Nana Kwame Ampadu and he was subsequently transported to his hometown at Obo Kwahu, in the Eastern Region, on Saturday, October 8, 2022, where he has been laid to rest.
The state funeral was attended by prominent personalities including President Nana Akufo-Addo, Alban Bagbin (Speaker of Parliament), Chief of Staff Akosua Frema Osei Opare, former First Lady Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings, Interior Minister Ambrose Dery and Alan Kyerematen (Trade and Industry Minister).
Members of the clergy, musicians from Ghana’s Musicians Union of Ghana (MUSIGA), actors from the Obra Drama Group, family members, friends, and members of the general public were also present during the state funeral.
The late Nana Kwame Ampadu is survived by a wife, Madam Joyce AB Frimpong, 24 children and 30 grandchildren. He was 76 years old.
According to him, Sarkodie leans towards the hip-hop genre and as such, it is inappropriate for him to rock outfits that make him look very formal.
Speaking on the Good Evening Ghana show on October 6, 2022, Shatta Wale questioned why the rapper would want to appear like a politician or even a lawyer.
The dancehall artiste however, singled himself out while stating that he wants to look the part.
The Shatta Movement boss added that he would rather spend his money on more important things like cars, diamond necklaces and not on his appearance.
“I don’t want to speak, act, behave like them. I want to be like me. Now every artiste wants to act like a political, wearing Kaftan and suits all the time. Artiste? wearing kaftan? Davido is buying diamonds why don’t you buy some? He is buying expensive cars like Ferrari, Bugatti and the rest. Why don’t you also buy some? That’s what I am also focused on. As for Sarkodie, he could have been a good lawyer instead of a rapper. This is because of the way he dresses. The suit and kaftan is just too much,” he stated.
Artiste manager, Lawerence Asiamah Hanson, popularly known as Bullgodsays Sarkodie and Shatta Wale’s upcoming albums cannot compete with Black Sherif’s debut dubbed the ‘The Villain I Never Was’.
Speaking to Doreen Avio on Daybreak Hitz, Bullgod mentioned that Sarkodie and Shatta Wale are handicapped when it comes to reaching a wider audience, unlike Black Sherif because they are not signed on to distribution companies like EMPIRE.
According to him, Black Sherif’s involvement with companies like EMPIRE puts him miles ahead of other Ghanaian musicians.
“I woke up this morning and I realized that this month is serious because we have three of our artistes releasing albums.
“On top of my mind, I said Black Sherif will do better than all of them. Black Sherif has a label and they don’t.
“Shatta and Sarkodie are all about to compete with EMPIRE. They don’t have the strength to do that.”
Bullgod added that it will only take a miracle for them to reach a wider audience.
“Empire is a very big company and in terms of reach, Sarkodie and Shatta do not have what it takes. It will only take a miracle.”
Bullgod took the opportunity to throw some light on the importance of being signed to major record labels to widen the reach of musicians.
According to him, Ghanaian musicians need to understand that musicians cannot be in the music business and expect to do everything alone.
“Music has changed. It’s been like this for a very long time, but we did not understand the system at the time. You can’t do this alone. Bullhaus entertainment cannot do this.
“You can’t compare KiDi to Vanilla; you will miss the point,” he said on Hitz FM.
Black Sherif on Thursday released his 14-track debut album titled ‘The Villain I Never Was’ via RBA / EMPIRE.
On the other hand, Sarkodie and Shatta Wale are set to release their albums later this year.
Ghana witnessed one of the biggest outdoor events on September 24, 2022, and there’s been several talking points emanating from the event.
From production, performances, to who was brought who on stage to the President of Ghana receiving some jeers from a section of the crowd, it’s been such a week inundated with varied chatter on what transpired at the Black Star/Independence Square.
As we are still reeling over the grand spectacle that was unfurled last weekend, it would also be disingenuous on our part as an industry not be pick valuable lessons from the festival and try and better our space of events, production, performances and everything else.
It is really possible that we can have major concerts like that of Global Citizen Festival and not have any flaws.
There are quite a number of lessons to pick from but for the sake of lack of space, let’s stick with investment, organization, discipline, and timing among others.
Investment
From the gigantic stage to the exquisite set-up to everything else that went into the promotion of the show, the level of production and the international artistes billed, there’s little dispute on the sort of investment that was injected into the Festival.
Global Poverty Project, owners of the Global Citizen Festival run a well-financed Non-Governmental Organization with connections to various governments and the United Nations – making the festival one of the most expensive.
Most of the technical guys and assistants used for the festival are Ghanaians, led by Kojo Poku and Edem Lumor among others – and pulled off one of the best outdoor shows ever staged in Ghana.
The fact is; the likes of Big Ideas, Charterhouse, Image Bureau, Silicon House, 3Music and others have the men, the expertise and knowledge to pull events like Global Citizen but there’s one major setback; funding.
Clearly, there’s expertise, there are amazing performers, a music-loving public and a convivial environment to hold as many big concerts as possible. All we need is the adequate investment to have such a stage, set up and everything else that comes with staging a mammoth concert like what we witnessed.
Organization
The kind of organization that was exhibited with the Global Citizen Festivalwas top tier. From the day Accra was announced one of 2 host cities till the last performing act finished his set, everything, every move was properly planned and expertly executed.
For a moment, the feeling was that, the publicity was low in months leading to the event, but that was a wrong mindset. They had all avenues for marketing covered – starting with that massive online promotion, then traditional media took over and then with days to the event, the euphoria kicked in.
The organization on the day of the event was exemplary – from set up, to strict entry rules, security, strict performance rules, to the sharing and refilling of water bottles to refresh patrons. Amazing stuff!
Security was adequate and properly managed – from car park to the main event and on stage, no room was left for any unnecessary skirmish.
To have such an event and not have complaints of safety and security to bad performances tell of how grand the event was put together.
Discipline
One cannot recount how our artistes were this disciplined to any of our home-based events. For Global Citizen Festival, our A-list acts were humble, listened and complied with all directives without squealing.
Ghanaian artistes were not late for dress rehearsal, they were early to their hotels and of course, they were on time for their performances on the night.
Even Stonebwoy had no qualms opening the show as early as 8pm. In fact, from his entry to exit, he gave one of the best performances on the night.
If our artistes could exercise such restraint, tolerance and control and listen to foreign event organizers, then moving forward, they must exhibit the same form of discipline to our local events.
Timing
One of the biggest banes for our events is time. We hardly stick to the advertised time for the commencement and closure for most of our high-profile shows. That was not the case with Global Citizen Festival. The show kicked off officially at 8pm with Stonebwoy as the opening act and closed before 1am with Usher as headlining act – including all the various speeches and commitments expressed by World Leaders.
For a show produced live for TV and streamed across the world, the handling and execution of production was world-class.
The VGMAs and 3Music Awards are produced for TV too yet, the Red Carpet segment for such shows commence late in the night, forcing such shows to close very late – not to mention the technical challenges that fraught the events.
We know it is possible to have a blemish-less event like Global Citizen in Ghana; it is about to our home-based events having enough resources, having proper planning and handling and effective execution.
Rapper, Benjamin Epps, from France on October 4, won the BET Best International Flow Award, cutting short Ghana’s dream of bagging the prestigious award for the second time.
The Ghanaian rapper, Black Sherif, who bagged a nomination in the Best International Flow Awards category this year, was hoping for a win together with his fans.
Tons of music lovers, including some of his colleagues, threw their height behind him.
Blacko is the second Ghanaian to bag a nomination after Sarkodie, who in 2019 won the International Flow category.
This year’s BET Hip Hop Awards, which celebrates Black culture went down in Atlanta and was hosted by American rapper, Fat Joe.
Announcing Benjamin Epp’s win in an Instagram post, BET wrote: “Congratulations to Benjamin Epps on winning the 2022 BET HIP HOP AWARDS BEST INTERNATIONAL FLOW! Please see attached digital assets for your talent and team.”
Meanwhile, Black Sherif is set to release his maiden album titled ‘The Villain I Never Was’ on October 6, 2022.
Ghanaian playwright and actor, Kweku Sintim Misa (KSM), has shared a post on social media expressing that Ghana is self-programmed to land in disarray.
According to the actor in a tweet dated October 3, 2022, a new age is rising and will fight for the confusion in the country to end.
“GHANA is SELF-PROGRAMMED to land in CHAOS. Out of these CHAOS, a NEW GENERATION WILL RISE.
“This Generation will insist that THIS NONSENSE MUST STOP. The REAL MENTAL REVOLUTION will then BEGIN. GHANA WILL THEN REGAIN HER LOST GLORY,” he posted.
One can’t tell what triggered KSM to make this post, however, one can line it up with the current government under the Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo rules.
It appears some Ghanaians have lost trust in the president because of the many economic hardships.
On September 24, 2022, some people booed the president at the Global Citizen Festival which took place at Independence Square in Accra.
The show had several international acts like Usher, SZA, Burna Boy, Pheelz, Oxlade, Sarkodie, and Stonebwoy among many others billed to perform.
Aired live on Youtube, feeds were taken from Accra and New York before the president of Ghana mounted the stage to an angry youth unwilling to hear what he had come to say at the event.
“GHANA is SELF-PROGRAMMED to land in CHAOS. Out this CHAOS, a NEW GENERATION WILL RISE. This Generation will insist that THIS NONSENSE MUST STOP. The REAL MENTAL REVOLUTION will then BEGIN. GHANA WILL THEN REGAIN HER LOST GLORY”
Charles Nii Armah Mensah, popularly known as Shatta Wale, has labeled as impossible claims that he is often sidelined by some event organizers in the country.
The dancehall artiste said he usually charges US$200, 000 and above for shows and because some people cannot afford that, he (Shatta Wale) willingly decides not to participate in their event.
Shatta’s comments are on the back of claims that he was sidelined for the 2022 Global Citizen Concertwhich saw the likes of Usher, Stonebwoy, Sarkodie, Gyakie, Tiwa Savage, Oxlade, and many others perform at the Independence Square in Accra.
Scores of individuals including Akuapem Poloo, Afia Schwarzenegger, and many others have wondered why the dancehall artiste wasn’t billed for the prestigious event which featured most A-list artistes.
Critics trolled Shattawhile stating that he was sidelined by the event organizers after they sought validation from some showbiz industry bigwigs and got bad feedback about him.
Afrobeats and Highlife singer, KiDi,has once again had to apologize to the general public especially personalities whom he insulted and passed negative comments about in tweets that date back to 2012.
In the last 24 hours, the singer has dominated entertainment shows in Ghana, made headlines and also topped Twitter trends after his damning old tweets once again resurfaced.
Wednesday, September 28, was supposed to be one of KiDi’s biggest days on the calendar with the release of his latest EP titled 4Play.
It was however marred with the tweets that saw him attack personalities including Delay, Sarkodie, Yvonne Nelson, Nana Akufo-Addo among several others.
It would be recalled that KiDi in 2020 had to tow the same lane when these old tweets came to haunt him. This is not the first time social media users have dug up the famous singer’s tweets.
In the latest apology sighted by GhanaWeb on Thursday, September 29, the ‘Touch It’ hitmaker expressed remorse while pleading for forgiveness from his victims
“Years ago, when I was young and ignorant and didn’t understand the implications and consequences of my words, / tweeted things that were inappropriate and unkind. As I matured, I came to be extremely regretful of these actions and how they affected the parties involved. I want to apologise again to everyone for the statements I made, and use this to remind us all to be mindful of the things we say and how they affect people. Let’s be Kind to each other.”
Thursday’s post also captured the Lynx Entertainment signee preaching to fans against cyberbullying.
Fans of rapper Sarkodieon Thursday shared their experiences after he opened up about battling with “difficult situations” in his head.
According to Sarkodie, he mostly finds himself creating non-existing situations in his head and while he tries to wrap his head around such difficult circumstances, things rather get complicated.
He noted that all he does is sit and wonder how he will solve the problem he has mysteriously painted on his mind.
The tweet sighted by GhanaWeb read: “I randomly create difficult situations that don’t exist in my head then try to solve them and the moment I’m figuring it out I make it more complicated… don’t know who can relate and if it’s normal… happens almost daily.”
Following his tweet, a host of followers commented that they face similar struggles adding that it is quite normal.
Others blamed it on Sark’s supposed addiction to smoking of cigars.
I Randomly create difficult situations that don’t exist in my head then try to solve them and the moment I’m figuring it out I make it more complicated… don’t know who can relate and if it’s normal… happens almost daily
Rapper, Sarkodie has thrown his weight behind Kirani Ayat in the latter’s bid to get the Ministry of Tourism and the Ghana Tourism Authority to compensate him for using his content without consent.
In a tweet, Sarkodie noted that creatives work tirelessly to sell the country to investors and tourists with no help whatsoever from the government.
The ‘Pizza and Bigger’ hitmaker stated that he would support Kirani Ayat to get his due especially since the musician reached out to the Tourism Ministry and did not get any help.
“We (creatives) do a lot to put our country out there, attracting a lot of tourists and investors that translates to money to help nation building yet that’s one sector with no support… I feel my brother and support him especially if he actually reached out and didn’t get help,” he wrote.
This comes after musician Kirani Ayat called out the Tourism Ministry and the Authority for copyright infringement.
A video shared on President Akufo-Addo’s social media handles promoting tourism used footage from his ‘Guda’ music video.
Kirani Ayat who was not pleased to see his work used without his consent noted that he spent money in making the video without aid from anyone and yet he was not compensated after his content was used.
“The president of Ghana has used my video “GUDA” in this ad to promote Ghana. I was actively reaching out to the Ministry of Tourism in 2018/19 to use this video to push tourism in the North and got NO reply, yet today it’s in an ad and no one reached out to me for permission,” he wrote.
But reacting to the musician, the Ghana Tourism Authority, dismissed claims that some footage used for the new tourism promotional video which features President Akufo-Addo was pirated.
In a press statement, the Authority stated that they procured the footage Kirani Ayat is claiming ownership of legitimately from a creative agency in 2019 as part of a project.
The GTA stated that the agency delivered the content to the Authority, and the Authority used the content in accordance with the terms of the MOU.
They however added that despite their stance, they have reached out to the agency to deal with the issue after Kirani Ayat aired his concerns.
“This is without prejudice to any legal options available to the Authority against the Artiste and/or Agency or vice versa. The Authority has been very supportive of the Arts and has created platforms for engagement and performances for our Artistes, and we will continue to do so in our quest to make Ghana the preferred tourism destination,” they added.
However, Kirani Ayat replied the Ghana Tourism Authority, stating that he has not given any agency the right to his intellectual property or given approval for any agency to use his content.
“As an independent artist and SOLE owner of the video used in the “visit Ghana” ad campaign I have NO agreement with any government or private entity to use my intellectual property,” he noted.
Kirani Ayat added that “the agency in question needs to be named, and signed documents made publically available to demonstrate clearly when, where and under whose authority the supposed agreement was signed.”
Contrary to a claim by Kojo Poku, the Chief Executive Officer of Big Ideaz Consult, a local partner of the just-ended Global Citizen Festivalin Accra, that none of the artists billed for the event was paid a performance fee, Gyakie, one of the musicians who performed at the event said she was duly paid.
3news.com quotes Gyakie to have said on 3FM Drive, Tuesday, that she was paid a full amount.
“Yes, everybody that was on the stage was obviously paid. The dancers, the choristers, the band. Everybody,” she said while responding in the affirmative that she was given what was due her.
“Yes. (full amount?) Absolutely. Every single person was paid.”
The Global Citizen Festival 2022 came off at the Black Star Square on September 24. It wasn’t an average Accra Saturday evening as stars from around the world and within Ghana graced the show.
With powerhouses like Usher, SZA, Sarkodie, Stonebwoy, Gyakie and Stormzy on the bill, the event saw tens of thousands thrilled to spectacular performances.
After the successful event, Kojo Poku in an interview 3FM said performers were not paid because they understood the rationale behind the concert.
He said: “I have to say that no artist was paid a performance fee for this. Everyone who mounted the stage did so out of the benevolence of their heart and the Global Citizen because it’s bigger than how much you’ll make out of a performance on that stage.”
What is the Global Citizen Festival?
Global Citizen Festival is an annual music festival where fans take actions toward ending extreme poverty in order to earn free tickets. The festivals bring together Global Citizens, artists, activists, world leaders, philanthropists, corporate leaders, and more, with one collective mission: End Extreme Poverty NOW.
Global Citizen Festival is timed to coincide with the UN General Assembly to leverage opportunities to get policy and financial commitments from government, corporate, and philanthropic leaders to defeat poverty, demand equity, and defend the planet.
According to the GRAMMY boss, to win a GRAMMY, one needs to live in the United States of America and be a part of the GRAMMY Academy.
“In order to win a GRAMMY, first, you’ve got to be part of the Academy and then the membership of the Academy will vote for you.
“If you are a member of the Academy, you’ve got to be a professional in the United States, for now, the United States,” he disclosed.
He also noted that once an artiste makes music and will live in the US, he can now submit his works to the GRAMMY Academy board which is made up of different artistes.
When the submission is finished, he referenced that these artistes assess their own companions and get to pick whose music they like better.
“Right now, if you are a working professional in the United States, you become a member of the Recording Academy, once you are a member of the Recording Academy, all the music is submitted, the members listen to it and you are evaluated on the quality of the art.
“Not the sales, not the streams, not the how many fans, not the how many followers but purely on the opinion, and it’s very hard. As you all know because it’s subjective,” he added.
He, moreover, expressed that artistes needn’t bother to be with a recording label or have a huge fanbase, simply their unadulterated ability is sufficient to win them an award with the GRAMMY.
“So Best Song, Best Record, just the opinion of the membership in that particular year and that’s how you win a GRAMMY.
“That’s it, the vote is the vote. There’s no committee, there are no journalists, no labels, just music professionals voting for their peers. Period,” he noted.
Present at the dinner were the likes of Efya, Sarkodie, Tems, Edem, MOG Music among many other artistes.
What the dancers started as a normal ‘jamma’ chant, invited the Hollywood A-Lister to join the group to mime the song as though he knew what they were singing about.
At a point, they stopped singing but were motivated by Usher to continue singing while some of them took turns hugging the artiste.
Usher arrived in Ghana last week with SZA to perform at the Global Citizen Festival.
On September 24, 2022, the show came off with tens of thousands of people in attendance at the Black Star Square.
With two stages in New York City’s Central Park and the Black Star Square in Accra, Ghana, fans who attended the events said they had not seen anything like it before.
Artistes who were billed to perform aside from Usher and SZA were Stormzy, Sarkodie, Gyakie, and Stonebwoy among others.
As the only Ghanaian female artist to perform on the Global Citizen Festival stageat the Black Star Square last night, Gyakie did an incredible job representing the country and doing her part in being a contributing voice for global change.
The fast-rising singer started her performance with the reggae song Waka Waka off her recently released “My Diary” EP. An unlikely song intro to her performance, Gyakie delivered a fantastic live rendition of the song with the help of the Ghana Army regimental Band. At the same time, the Ghana flag and branded Gyakie flags were waved behind her: A statement of who she is and where she is from.
Fitting that she is referred to as Queen by people in the industry and her fans, Gyakie showed up on stage, resplendent in a bedazzled outfit by Eleanore, thrilling fans with “Far Away” and her hit single, “Forever” the remix, before ending with her current hit, “Something”.
Gyakie’s band, backing vocalists, and instrumentalists were testament to the fact that she has come a long way since her first performance as an artist, and the future is promising for what she is capable of in the coming years.
In a statement from the Songbird on stage, Gyakie revealed the source of her consistency, hard work and achievements were the young girls around the world, who look up to her. She said: “Before I do anything, I try to picture two or three girls that look up to me. I have their faces etched in my mind as a reminder of my responsibility to show up in a way that inspires them and lets them know they can be anything they want to be, no matter the odds against them.”
The Global Citizen Festival is the world’s longest-running global campaign calling for an end to extreme poverty. Through the Festival, the organization brings together millions of people to amplify the message to #EndPovertyNow and this year, in celebrating 10 Years of impacting change, the event was split into two locations:
Accra and New York with artists like Sza, Usher, Tems, Sarkodie, and Stonebwoy performing while dignitaries from around the world including his Excellency, President Akuffo-Addo delivered speeches calling for leaders and persons around the world to take action to #EndPovertyNow.
Event organization is an arduous and complex terrain. From conceptualization to the composition of a team, to resource mobilization, to marketing, to delivery, it is such a mammoth task which requires grit. Some people presume event organization as an easy task until they have first-hand experience.
Unfortunately, the smooth ecosystem in Ghana to facilitate event organization is virtually non-existent. While industry players and ‘ordinary’ citizens strive to see a miraculous change in new event organizations, a new yardstick has been created – the Global Citizen Festival.
What is this new yardstick?
Over the weekend, the Global Citizen Festival (GCF) came off as one of (if not) the best-produced entertainment event in Ghana. Everything was perfect, from the artist lineup, promotions, performances, light, sound, set up, audience control, extra support for attendees (charging ports, free refillable water stations), and live stream. In the past few decades, I have witnessed many events as a physical and a virtual audience. However, I have not even caught such a flawless piece of work.
During and after the event, many netizens in Ghana concur that the GCF has set a benchmark for rating future shows organized by our ‘local’ entertainment bigwigs. That’s fair enough. Barring any other noteworthy piece not directly mentioned, I am convinced that the event’s success rested on a large pool of resources – human and capital.
Expertise and sub-substandardness of local production:
Getting experts to run successful events in Ghana has been a severe bane to event organizations. British Advertising Tycoon David Mackenzie Ogilvy once said, “Hire people who are better than you are, then leave them to get on with it. Look for people who will aim for the remarkable, who will not settle for the routine”. Unfortunately, one of Ghana’s significant shortfalls is the lack of technical know-how. Not to say that we don’t have people who have experience in handling events in Ghana. But, the challenge is those who have ‘experience’ are stuck to a particular mundane routine over the years and ‘refuse’ to learn or grow.
Why do I say that? First, it was fascinating to see that our ‘experienced guys’ such as Mr Rudy Kwakye(served as a team lead), Mr Frank Kwakye (sound), and Derrick Ankomah, alongside other production crew members, played impressive roles in the successful organization of the GCF. Yet, these same people offer services to event organizers in Ghana and produce negligible differences yearly. Correct?
So the big question is, what different methods did organizers of the event rely on to pull off such an incredible event? The answer is simple. Our ‘experienced practitioners’ were led/directed by ‘experienced professionals’ (foreigners essentially) assigned by the GCF organizers. For instance, the OB Van (owned by a Ghanaian) used to operate the control room was handled by “outsiders/foreigners”. Not to take anything away from us, but we are just so accustomed to a particular norm.
Thus, pulling off a spectacular production is challenging unless there’s a direction from an “outsider”. Our experienced guys would not take a word from you (as a local) if you tried to suggest other creative ways to get the job done. You will likely hear statements such as, “do you know how long I have been doing this? This is my job; let me handle it”. But do they say the same to “outsiders”? Your guess is as good as mine.
We need skilled individuals to thrive in every facet of our industry. But how will we learn new techniques and improve when there is an institutional and financial lapse? When the people themselves are used to the same routine and are unteachable – unless it is a foreigner?
Finance:
On finance, while going through the feeds on Facebook and Twitter, I saw how some netizens went hard on events such as the Vodafone Ghana Music Awards – calling them out to take a cue from the GCF and do better. But one missing link was that very few considered (or consider) the level of capital investment that went into the production of the GCF. The budget, if disclosed, would shock the bone marrow of ordinary Ghanaians who lack insight into what goes into the production of a successful event. I, therefore, ask, when will corporate Ghana and the government understand that the creative arts industry can drive tourism and help accrue millions of dollars into the Ghanaian economy?
On this side of the sun, event organizers will go arm’s length to secure sponsorship only to be given a paltry of it (that is when they successfully get any). Lack of financial support leads to inadequate funds to pay for “experts” and acquire advanced equipment to run a flawless event. While the sound guy is underpaid, the light guy is taking his share. As a result, everyone is de-motivated right from the onset, leading to poor production year in and year out. I must also mention GSF employed a large pool of Human resources to see the event’s efficiency. It won’t be surprising that the cost of paying the crew alone can be the entire budget of several “big events” in Ghana. Capital is thus critical in acquiring the tools and human resources needed to man these tools.
Impact on economy:
Notably, the creative arts industry contributes significantly to counties’ gross domestic product (GDP) worldwide. For instance, in 2020, Media and entertainment contributed a whopping $2 trillion annual economic impact globally and some $500 billion in the United States. It is estimated that about 5 million people are employed within the audiovisual space alone in the creative arts industry, bringing in about $5 billion annually. Sadly, we do not have precise data on the influence of the creative art industry on our economy.
Way forward:
Consequently, I hope that while we set the GCF as a benchmark for future events in Ghana, funding bodies and the government will open their arms wide to support the creative industry. I still consider it an untapped sector. We need to do more. Also, event organizers need to stop underpaying creatives – all in a bid to make so much for themselves. If the resource is available, it is better to pay creatives well, as it would lead to the success of the events. What’s the return on this? Better sponsorship packages for subsequent events.
Additionally, our ‘experts’ need to take it upon themselves to outgrow their comfort zone. It is time for them to plug themselves into international productions to acquire enhanced skills and knowledge to change the fortunes of event organizations in Ghana. On the flip side, I believe our ‘experienced guys’ learnt a thing or two about production while working with these “foreign experts”.
I would use this opportunity to congratulate all the acts who performed, especially our Ghanaian acts, for their stellar performances. Big shouts to Stonebwoy, Sarkodie, Gyakie, DWP Academy, Kwesi Arthur and Yaw Tog. You made us proud.
From the United States of America came Usher Raymond, SZA, and H.E.R. British act of Ghanaian descent, Stomzy and Nigeria’s Tems who also performed at the programme.
Stormzy brought on stage two of Ghana’s enterprising musicians, Yaw Tog and Kwesi Arthur who did the remix of Yaw Tog’s ‘Sore’ which features all the three acts.
Usher during his performance also brought on stage three Nigerian acts: Oxlade, Tiwa Savage, and Pheelz.
Ghana’s DWP Academy, with choreographed dances by Afrobeast, put up spectacular performances for the artistes.
Hype MCs Kojo Manuel, OGee and DJ Mic Smith were also in their element at the concert.
Uncle Waffles joined the lineup of performers in Accra with Berla Mundi, Joselyn Dumas, Michaela Coel, Nomzamo Mbatha, and Sabrina Dhowrie Elba as presenters.
The event in Accra was hosted by award-winning actor, playwright, and activist Danai Gurira.
The Global Citizen Festival is the world’s longest-running global campaign calling for an end to extreme poverty. Through the Festival, the organization brings together millions of people to amplify the message to #EndPovertyNow, and this year, in celebrating 10 Years of impacting change, the event will be split into two locations: Accra and New York.
The 2022 Global Citizen Festival campaign is supported by governments and world leaders across the world.
Since its inception in 2012, the Global Citizen Festival has become the world’s longest-running global campaign, calling for an end to extreme poverty, gender inequality, and environmental degradation.
According to the founder of Global Citizen, Hugh Evans, SDRs (a type of reserve asset mostly sitting unused by the world’s wealthiest countries) can immediately provide new and affordable financing relief for countries at high risk of financial and debt distress.
Global Citizen is calling for world leaders, major corporations, and philanthropic foundations to take to the Global Citizen Festival stages and announce new commitments to End Extreme Poverty NOW, by deploying funds to meet the total goal of reallocating $100 billion in IMF Special Drawing Rights (SDRs), by making up the $40B shortfall.
The young budding artist has said that the American music man has been an inspiration to him leading to his career path in music and that has contributed to his craftmanship and brand as an artist.
The “Shuperu” hitmaker shared on social media, how he’d like to meet up with the R&B singer, he said in his tweet.
Should Ghanaians be expecting a possible collaboration with Usher after the link-up?
I need to linkop with @usher , his music and craft has had a huge impact on my career and has contributed to the artist I am today .. I am gonna need y’all help to make this happen Ghana 🇬🇭 🙏🏾 #seleey@GlblCtzn
The singer landed in Ghana ahead of his performance at the Global Citizen Festival happening at the Blackstar square on Saturday, September 24, 2022.
The 2022 Global Citizen Festival returns for its 10th-anniversary edition on Saturday, September 24, 2022, to call on world leaders and major corporations to take urgent action for girls, for the planet, and to end extreme poverty NOW.
Artists including Sarkodie, TEMS, Neil Young with Crazy Horse, Foo Fighters, The Black Keys, Band of Horses, and K’Naan will perform at the Global Citizen Festival.
With two stages in international cultural capitals, the 2022 Global Citizen Festivalwill be broadcast globally from New York City’s Central Park, presented by Citi and Cisco, and Black Star Square in Accra, Ghana, presented by Harith General Partners.
It will be hosted by award-winning actor, playwright, and activist Danai Gurira. Other presenters joining her include Berla Mundi, Joselyn Dumas, Michaela Coel, Nomzamo Mbatha, and Sabrina Dhowre Elba.
In a snippet of his performance of his “Caught Up” track, Usher ha the crowd singing alongside as he delivers hi typical dance moves and ‘interaction’ with the microphone stand.
On Friday, 23 September, 2022, he visited parts of the capital city Accra including a basic school in the Chorkor community.
The ‘My Way’ hitmaker was in the company of officials representing the Global Citizens Festivaland the Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA).
Sharing pictures of the tour on social media, the GTA wrote: “Today, the Global Citizen Festival Artiste Usher and SZA visited BASICS International and toured the Chorkor community.
“BASICS International is an education-focused NGO in Chorkor, Accra, engaged in making education and childcare accessible in vulnerable communities. The organisation is also one of Global Citizen’s regional response partners for the End Extreme Poverty NOW campaign for Global Citizen Festival: Accra.”
The 10th Global Citizen Festival at the Black Star Square had performances from Americans Usher, SZA, HER, British-Ghanaian Stormzy, Nigerian Tems, and Ghanaian stars Sarkodie, Stonebwoy and Gyakie.
In a reverse lineup of his usual arrangement of songs for his Rapperholic concerts, Sarkodieonce again reminded music lovers of why he merits the title ‘King Sark’.
The rap king started his performance at the Global Citizen Festival with some danceable tunes before switching to his popular rap songs.
After thrilling the crowd with back-to-back hits, Obidi paused for a moment and introduced the song which he terms the ‘anthem for SarkNation’.
As soon as the beat for the Original track dropped, the Black Star Square which was filled to the rafters bounced in excitement as the crowd moved and did the ‘SarkNation’ dance.
People present and watching from home could not have enough of Sarkodie’s performance as they hailed him on social media.
Sarkodie has been up in the trends on social media as Ghanaians and Africans who followed the event showered praises on him for establishing himself as the ‘King’ of music in the country.
As customary of the Adonai rapper, Sarkodie stepped out in style, rocking a white Cole Buxton t-shirt on black shorts. He completed his look with a pair of Nike Dunk sneakers and a red scarf with white polka dots.
Posting a photo collection on Instagram, Sarkodieshared several pictures of his stage rehearsal. He also included pictures of himself getting off the stage and walking with his crew. Captioning the post, he wrote;
The Global Citizen Festival will take place on Saturday, 24 September, for the first time in Accra and will see performances from Sarkodie, Stonebwoy, Gyakie and Nigerian singer Tems. In addition, international acts like Usher, SZA, H.E.R and Stormzy will thrill fans during the show.
Usher, an American artist, has arrived in Ghana in advance of his performance on September 24, 2022.
With a visit to the Chorkor village in Accra, it appears that the R&B artist is enjoying his time in the West African nation.
Usher and artist SZA, who will both perform at the Global Citizen Festival, were seen touring a basic school in the nation’s capital in pictures released by the Ghana Tourism Authority.
The pupils that met Usher couldn’t contain their enthusiasm as they talked to the celebrity and alternated snapping pictures with the “U Remind Me” singer.
“Today, the Global Citizen Festival Artiste Usher and Sza visited BASICS International and toured the Chorkor community. BASICS International is an education-focused NGO in Chokor, Accra, engaged in making education and childcare accessible in vulnerable communities. The organisation is also one of Global Citizen’s regional response partners for the End Extreme Poverty NOW campaign for Global Citizen Festival: Accra,” the Tourism Authority wrote.
Artistes including Sarkodie, TEMS, Neil Young with Crazy Horse, Foo Fighters, The Black Keys, Band of Horses, K’Naan will perform at the Global Citizen Festival.
A new song video by Ghanaian rapper Sarkodie was released today.
It was made for the song “Labadi,” which takes its name from a neighborhood in Ghana’s capital city of Accra.
The 3 minutes and 18 second music video, which features Cape Verdean model Alexys Jay, was mostly created by Capone with assistance from Babs Direction.
The song “Amapiano,” which will be officially released on audio streaming services on Friday, September 23, 2022, is the fifth song that Sarkodie and fellow Ghanaian King Promise have worked on together.
Before this new song, they have had ‘Double Trouble’ (2017); CCTV (2018); Can’t Let You Go (2018) and Anadwo (2019).
The music video for ‘Labadi’, a single releasedto herald a new album by Sarkodie called ‘Jamz’, was shot in Greece.
According to Ghanaian singer Camidoh, pictures of rapper Sarkodie smoking a cigar are always lovely.
Critics recently accused Sarkodie, CEO of SarkCess Music, of propagating a hazardous habit that could have a negative impact on impressionable followers when images and videos of him holding or smoking a cigar were published.
It would seem that Camidohhas a different perspective.
He spoke while a guest on Lexis Bill’s drive-time show on Accra-based Joy FM.
When I see that, “that’s always a nice look,” he added.
Chuckling, he added, “It’s nice. It looks good. It looks papi-ish.”
The ‘Sugarcane’ hitmaker also indicated Sarkodie “also inspires me with his work ethics.”
Asked if he would “do a cigar-shoot sometime,” he answered, “Maybe, if my stylist wants me to, then I will do it.”
On whether he smokes or not, he shrugged, “No, I don’t smoke.”
He explained he would only use the cigar for props.
“[I’d have it] for props. Most people would do it for props. Even though they don’t smoke, they’d do it for props,” he went on.
“If the story that we’re trying to portray had to have me portray that then, I mean, this is what we’re here for so, we’d do it.”
The Ghanaian singer-songwriter’s latest song is titled ‘Kaba’ produced by Ugly & Tough.
It appears to be an exciting week for music enthusiasts as some of their favourite Ghanaian artistes drop new songs.
The excitement has double with the announcement by award winning rapper Sarkodieof the release of a new tune, ‘Labadi’ on Friday, September 23, 2022.
The SarkCess Music headline act and Africa’s most decorated rap artiste, Sarkodie took to his official social media pages to announce the completion and the official release date for his next single.
Captioned; ‘Labadi’, the upcoming single features top Ghanaian singer, songwriter and Legacy Life Entertainment superstar,King Promiseand it’s off his forthcoming album “Jamz”.
From the details he shared via his verified Instagram page, ‘Labadi’ will be available for purchase and streaming on all digital music stores from Friday, September 23, 2022.
”Sarkodie hasn’t dropped a single project yet, this should inform you that #Labadisong isn’t just any song….it’s a proper banngerrrr. You heard me right” a tweep wrote and another added that “These duo again? anything they touch is a banger. #labadisong this friday naa its really a #JAMZAlbum”
The Vodafone Ghana Music Award for “Artiste of the Decade” is also considered one of the major proponents of the Azonto genre and dance and one of the most successful African rappers of all time.
Multiple award winning Ghanaian singer, Ahmed Muhajid Bello, known within the showbiz circles as Fancy Gadam is 10 years old since bursting onto the music scene.
As part of activities lined up to celebrate his 10 years on the music scene, Fancy Gadam will hold a musical concert at the Aliu Mahama Sports Stadium on October 22, 2022.
The concert is being organised by the artiste to celebrate his achievement on the music scene, entertain his fans and also to thank them for supporting him throughout his music career.
The Tamale-based musician, who is credited with a number of hit songs, said: “The concert would be one of the biggest ever to be held in the country, and the target is to fill up the stadium to the rafters.”
As one of the most sought-after performers from the Northern Region, Fancy Gadam will be performing to over twenty thousand music lovers at the anniversary concert.
He is expected to entertain music fans with his popular dancehall songs such as ‘Turn Up’, ‘Concrete’, ‘Bie Gya’, ‘Naayo Koomi’, ‘We Dey Collect’, ‘Naawuni Yiko’, among others.
Speaking in an interview ahead of the concert, he said, “My dream was to become one of the biggest music stars from the north, and so far the dream is on course, and I would like to say a big thank you to all my fans.”
He has won many awards which include Hiplife Song of the Year and Vodafone Most Popular Song of the Year with his hit song, ‘Total Cheat’ at the 2018 Vodafone Ghana Music Awards (VGMA).
He has also appeared on many musical concerts held in the country and performed with music stars like Sarkodie, Stonebwoy, Shatta Wale, Samini, among others.
Fancy Gadam has had collaborations with popular musicians like Sarkodie, Mr Eazi, Patoranking, among others, and popularly referred to as the ‘King of the North’ in the music industry.
Fancy Gadam first burst onto the Ghanaian music scene in 2012 with his hit song ‘total cheat, featuring heavy weight Ghanaian rapper, Sarkodie.
In an effort to critique certain celebrities, certain radio hosts and entertainment experts have recently come under fire from the public for “verbally abusing” those individuals.
They were accused of being overly sentimental due to their word choice and the apparent sarcasm with which these experts presented their thoughts.
A portion of the public also thinks that they haven’t done their homework when it comes to investigating and presenting facts about subjects.
Recently, some of these radio hosts and entertainment commentators have not been kind to artists like Shatta Wale and Sarkodie.
In the case of Shatta Wale, he has faced constant criticisms by a popular outspoken pundit, Sally Mann, who labeled him a local champion, an inconsistent, and a confused artiste.
Sarkodie wasn’t also spared by the likes of DJ slim, Socrate Safo, and others for stating that radio presenters who haven’t attained the trajectory of working with the BBC have no moral right to criticize his works or question his growth.
However, analyzing all these, Andy Dosty thinks that his colleagues need to remain absolutely professional when carrying out their duties.
While admitting that some pundits or journalists overreact in delivering their judgments, the ‘Daybreak Hitz’ host in an interview with Graphic Showbiz said;
“Radio presenters have always had their opinions on topics just as Graphic Showbiz has columnists who share their opinions on issues but I admit that sometimes, we overdo it. The question I want to ask is concerning those criticizing, are they doing it wrongly or are they being objective?
“As long as we are objective in our criticisms, I don’t have any problem with that but if not, then we are obviously not doing the right thing and we are not being professional. We must strive to be objective at all times. Radio presenters have their say, they have an opinion just like editorials but if they have to say something they must say it well and also be objective.
Otherwise it is like saying that Kwaku Sakyi-Addo or Francis Doku or Arnold Asamoah-Baidoo shouldn’t have an opinion, there must be such people who come out to share their opinions.”
Ghana’s most decorated rapper, Sarkodie has for years witnessed some radio presenters and industry players downgrade local artistes for what they term as failure to go international with their music or mount bigger platforms like some of their African counterparts.
Sarkodie in a recent interview emphasized that local radio presenters who have equally not made any big move in their career do not have the moral right to criticize artistes for not gracing international platforms.
He subtly jabbed radio presenters who have over 20 years of work experience but still haven’t recorded any milestones. These same individuals turn to ‘disrespect’ and pressurize musicians for not winning big for the country adding that these presenters don’t create opportunities for them.
“It is easy for someone to sit on the radio and say that Shatta Waleor Sarkodiedidn’t do this or that. I know that we the artiste have things we should do because every time there is a step but if you are on a Ghanaian radio for close to 20 years and you’ve not moved to a platform like Choice or BBC, I don’t think you have the moral right to talk about Ghanaian artistes who have not moved,” said Sarkodie in an interview which has gone viral.
The rapper also took the opportunity to explain how late Ghanaian BBC journalist, Komla Afeke Dumor gave him a big spot on the BBC.
IN 2013, Sarkodie was featured in an interview with BBC Africa’s Paul Bakibinga.
“I for instance was on BBC because of Komla Dumor, he made it possible,” he added.
Ghana’s Amapiano ‘King’, DJ Azonto, says he is far bigger than Sarkodie even before his ‘Fa Ne Fom’ hit song gained massive traction.
DJ Azonto’s assertion comes after he made comments about charging Sarkodie $200, 000 for a possible feature.
This comment from DJ Azonto who is touted as one of Ghana’s richest musicians has drawn massive backlash in the showbiz circles with some fans saying that Sarkodie was way bigger than him.
But DJ Azonto in an interview said: ” I am a big personality in Ghana’s showbiz industry and Sarkodie can even attest to that. I was far bigger than him before my ‘Fa Ne Fom’ single.
“I’m here to stay in the music industry with some massive tunes for music lovers so they should watch out,” he said.
DJ Azonto who is arguably Ghana’s Amapiano King is currently promoting his “Add Wale” music video which comes with some danceable vibes.
Ghana’s Amapiano ‘King’, DJ Azonto, says he is far bigger than Sarkodie even before his ‘Fa Ne Fom’ hit song gained massive traction.
DJ Azonto‘s assertion comes after he made comments about charging Sarkodie $200, 000 for a possible feature.
This comment from DJ Azonto who is touted as one of Ghana’s richest musicians has drawn massive backlash in the showbiz circles with some fans saying that Sarkodie was way bigger than him.
But DJ Azonto in an interview said: ” I am a big personality in Ghana’s showbiz industry and Sarkodie can even attest to that. I was far bigger than him before my ‘Fa Ne Fom’ single.
“I’m here to stay in the music industry with some massive tunes for music lovers so they should watch out,” he said.
DJ Azonto who is arguably Ghana’s Amapiano King is currently promoting his “Add Wale” music video which comes with some danceable vibes.
Stormzy brought on stage two of Ghana’s enterprising musicians, Yaw Tog and Kwesi Arthur who did the remix of Yaw Tog’s ‘Sore’ which features all the three acts.
Hype MCs Kojo Manuel, OGee and DJ Mic Smith were also in their element at the concert.
The 2022 Global Citizen Festival campaign is supported by governments and world leaders across the world.
