VGMA: I Went, I Saw, I Recorded!!! - Kwame Dadzie

It was 18th May, 2013, the same day that per the Gregorian calendar I was born some 28 years ago. So, it was my birthday and the day that the 14th Vodafone Ghana Music Awards was held at the Accra International Conference Centre. I looked forward to having a programme that would well climax my activities for the special day in my life.

As usual, the show started with red carpet interviews with Benny Blanco of Live FM and former Big Brother Africa representative, Confidence Haugen as comperes. I don’t know if there is something wrong with me or with Confidence because I have the feeling that she doesn’t fit into that job. After performing abysmally last year, the organizers had her on again with her disorganized presentation and questioning. Everything she did on the red carpet looked phony and funny.

Typical of the Ghana Man Time (GMT), the red carpet interviews started after eight and that pushed the main show to start at 10:30pm contrary to the 8:00pm that was advertized. It was not surprising though because I knew the 8:00pm on the ticket meant 10:00pm.
So after the red carpet interviews, I was waiting for the show to start in earnest as I got myself ensconced on a seat somewhere in the audience. My pen was ready to do Azonto dance on my note pad.

I love poetry to bits that is why the opening act that had poet Chieff Moomen and saxophonist Steve Bedi weave their works, made me so happy that I was itching to know what was up next. The creatively stringed act introduced the main opening act for the night, Efya, whose performance was awesome. The truth is that this lady has the gusto and voice to dazzle her audience any time anywhere.

Just as I thought Chieff Moomen had finished with his spoken words, he came in again to spew few lines than introduced some Azonto dancers and later Fuse ODG, who did perfectly well. In fact, that chap has proven to the world that he is a real entertainer. He does well with his dance prowess and Afropop tunes. His name will forever be in the annals as one of those who contributed to making the Azonto dance to be known worldwide.

Whoever’s idea was it to bring Lilwin Nkansa on stage had it right. I heard people seated by me rejoicing when he was mentioned as the host for the show. But I was surprised though because his name never cropped up in the conjectures that had been done by entertainment critics as one who was likely to host the awards ceremony.

Then he says he had not what it took to handle the show so made way for Kofi Okyere Darko (KOD) who entered with a short play on the drums and was clad in military apparel. When KOD dramatized the invitation of musician Eazzy to help him emcee the programme, I was much convinced that this year’s event was going to be extremely unique. I had the intuition that things would be better than previously.

No one should think I hate Herty Borngreat; she is a beautiful woman who is bent on doing something unique in the gospel music arena and that is plus for her. I have no problem with her by doing what she does. However, I am not very sure she is a good singer. Neither is she a rapper; she did not do her rap well. At least she tried to do the rap verses of Trigmatic by herself but the oomph she attached to her rapping was too much that one hardly heard a word in her rap delivery. And the most interesting part is that, it appeared as though she was in to prove to her ‘detractors’ what she was ‘worth.’ But honestly, that performance gave me headache. And she won Gospel Artiste of the Year. So supposing we need one to represent Ghana in gospel festival on an international level, is that how she is going to perform? Would Ghana have had a good representation in her?

After 4X4’s performance, the first batch of the awards was presented. I was just praying that the organizers didn’t commit a mistake by giving the Gospel Song of the Year to none other than Nicholas Omane Acheampong for his ‘Zaphanat Paneah’ song, and they thought right by giving him that award. Kaaki won Reggae/Dancehall Song of the Year with ‘Toffee Pon Tongue’ and R2Bees’ ‘Odo’ was Highlife Song of the Year.

To me, M.anifest and Amandzeba’s performance was the best on the night. M.anifest came on stage in a palanquin and started doing his thing. Even though his songs were not very popular, he was able to capture the attention of patrons as he tactfully spat his words on rhythms from a live band. When Amandzeba came in, one thing that sprang to mind was, “so are our young artistes watching this act?” That performance was just spot on. He had the energy, voice and stage presence.

Just as I was enjoying the performances and the good music, I was also hoping the show ran faster so I see who the Artiste of the Year would be. Then, they came to do the next presentations. Fuse ODG won Afropop Song of the Year with ‘Antenna’, M.anifest managed to clinch Hiphop Song of the Year with his song ‘Maka a Maka’.R2bees’ ‘Walai’ was adjudged Hiplife Song of the Year.

If anyone told me they had expected ace hiplife duo Akatakyie to have put up any good performance, I would have hooted at them but the guys came on stage to do what some of the current artistes could not do. They sang their old songs including the one that has the best rap ever in Ghanaian music, ‘Odo Asisi Me.’ While they performed it was as if they were new artistes. The songs sounded evergreen and communicated well with the audience. Immediately they left the stage, another ‘creatively talented’ act whose song ‘Akatasia’ recorded unprecedentedly high sales when he came out in the early 2000s, Kontihene, mounted the stage to prove to Ghanaians he still had fire in him. He also came on stage with tradition chiefly paraphernalia of a seat with an umbrella carried by his subordinates.

With the presentation of each award, I was counting how many R2bees had won and wondering if the overall Artiste of the Year people had tipped them to win would elude them or not. I feared they would not win because I had seen a couple of ‘irregularities’ on the night. So they had their third award, which was Hiphop/Hiplife Artiste of the Year, Afriyie had the Highlife Song of the Year award and Herty Borngreat who didn’t impress me with her performance early on, snatched the Gospel Artiste of the Year.

Then gradually, the show started losing its glimmer because most of the performances that followed lacked luster. EL, Cris Waddle, Keche and Asem performed in that order. Asem and Kwabena Kwabena’s act was great but I noticed Asem was rapping offbeat. In fact I can’t really tell what his problem was; whether he was short of breath or just found it difficult to flow with the band, because it not easy at all to rap with live band. Performing with the live band, tempos are likely to go a bit higher than what is in the original recording so one is expected to sing or rap faster to the beat.

They call it ‘African Artiste of the Year’ award but I call it ‘Nigerian Artiste of the Year’. Almost every year, it is either that category is inundated with Nigerian musicians or has all nominees being Nigerians. Maybe Nigerians are the only Africans who do music apart from Ghana, or they are those whose songs are loud in Ghana, kind courtesy Charterhouse. The question is, “what informed the creation of that category?” Is it to promote African artistes and friendship or to project Nigerian music in Ghana? Well, whatever it is, Nigeria’s Wizkid won that slot.

 Efya pulled a hat-trick by winning for three consecutive years the Female Vocal Performance category. Knii Lante took home the Male Vocal Performance and Manifest again beat the rap colossi in contention to win best rapper of the year.

Then I was getting blinded by the disco lights so I kept squinting and rubbing my eyes to see things well. That has actually given me red eyes. Kwaw Kesse’s entry was good but he failed to perform unlike he has always done. In my opinion, his work on stage was ordinary. Nigeria’s Banky W also did a yo man’s job.

It wasn’t surprising that Herty Borngreat won the Best Collaboration of the Year. Honestly, that was the only award that I think she deserved to win. R2Bees came on stage again for their ‘Best Group of the Year’ award right after which Chase was awarded Best Music Video for ‘Lonely’.

It is about time VIP changed their stage act because it appears people are getting fed up with their prosaic style of stage work. They didn’t do well on the night!
Sarkodie too couldn’t move the crowd but I think it was because he did rap which his audience was unfamiliar with. Other than that, I will be tempted to believe the assertion by some people that the fastest rapper is soon fading out.

 Kaaki won Discovery of the Year, EL’s ‘Something Else’ won Album of the Year and R2Bees took home Song of the Year with ‘Walai’, and also won the topmost Artiste of the Year. But seriously, the guys need to work on their stage performance. You can’t be lazing away on stage like that. The need to employ and choreographer to teach them how to do few dance moves on stage. They needn’t dance extraordinarily but a bit of the movement will help.

But for few of the hiccups mentioned above, I would say the show went well. KOD was in his element but I found that he employed much of the karaoke emceeing which to me is not apposite for a formal occasion like this but all the same, it worked. Eazzy did marvelously well- she did what Nana Aba Anamoah would not have been able to do. And I wish she is given more platforms because I know she can do better.

 I would however suggest than something is done about the recalcitrant people who would always follow winners on stage in throngs. When are we going to learn to behave like civilized people. And I beg can’t they minimize the disco lights next time? 

 I am looking forward to an improved edition of the awards next year and I pray the organizers take criticisms in good faith but not mistake them for hate. Yes, you got to the next level but there still are issues to address. I will be back some other time!