Hiplife artiste Denning Edem Agbeviadey known in showbiz as Edem last Saturday, May 10 hosted a group of music gurus at a focus group discussion for his upcoming album, “Books” “n” “Ryhmes”.

The group was to listen and judge his tracks for his “Books” “n” “Ryhmes” album scheduled to be released in September this year.

The event which is the first of its nature in Ghana was held to help Edem select 20 songs for his upcoming album, “Books” “n” “Ryhmes”. .

Personalities present at the event held at Travern in Osu, Accra included Mark Okreku Mantey, Lawyer Michael Quaye, Ama K. Abebrese, Francis Doku,Magnom, Lil Shaker, Daddy Bosco, radio presenters and fans of Edem.

The group was given the opportunity to listen and comment on 23 tracks by the Edem and give marks on the songs based on their opinion on each track.

After listening to the 23 tracks, Edem said he will choose 20 tracks out of those listened on the night and other 7 surprising tracks which were not played.

Sharing opinion on the 23 songs played on the night, Mark Okreku Mantey, CEO of Slip Music advised Edem to release songs which most Ghanaians can sing along.

“Nigerians are doing well in Ghana because they have melodies everybody can always sing along.

It was actually our trademark when they took it from us.

It’s good to do hardcore music but when you looking for the money or what people will appreciate, concentrate on what the ladies can sing” Lawyer Michael Quaye and administrator of MUSIGA, Daddy Bosco applauded Edem for the focus group discussion for his upcoming album which has not been held in the country before.

Edem speaking to Zionfelix.com after the show said “I accept all the comments in good faith and I hope that by the time we digest all these view, have around table group discussions and put the album together, it will be worthy for Ghanaians to be proud of.”

Source: Zionfelix.com

We bring to you Africa’s celebrity DJ and Sarkodie’s official turntable master; he goes by the stage name DJ Mensah.

The untouchable DJ is always set to thrill fans whenever he is called upon and he never disappoints.

Michael Mensah Ayenu, is a Ghanaian Disc Jockey born to an Ewe father and an Akan mother, he was brought up in Accra but hails from Denu in the Volta region of Ghana.

He attended Calvary International School at Madina where he had his Basic & Junior education, he then proceeded to Tema Senior High School (Temasco),after graduating, he got enrolled into RABODEF, a professional radio broadcast institution at Cantoments, Accra.

Desiring to be a DJ in his teen years, he started practicing during his leisure times thereby, cultivating the habit into a hobby.

In pursuit of churning this remarkable hobby into a professional performer, DJ Mensah met Nana Afful of ‘Soundmax’ who gave him the right guidance & tutor and also gave him the opportunity to play at funerals, naming ceremonies and other outdoor events.

After two years of working as an apprentice, he became independent and started playing at plush nightclubs like Bulldogg, Yegoala, Aphrodisiac, Hollywood, DND, Belaroma and the lavishly Rhapsodys nightclub. He has also played for Charterhouse and Bola Ray’s Empire
Entertainment.

DJ Mensah is one of the top class disk jockeys currently and he’s a monster when his fingers are busy screeching the turntables.

Be it in the club, party or an event show, the Ghana DJ Awards nominee always finds a way to make the crowd groove to his skillfully woven mixes.

Associated with mainstream acts like Trigmatic, Becca, 4X4, J Town, and Scientific among others, it is of no surprise that he is the verified DJ of BET award winner Sarkodie.

A role he won when the two met at the December to Remember show in 2009 where DJ Mensah had to unexpectedly perform cos the DJ who was billed to, did not show up.

As a born performer, he showcased his true talents, which caught the rappers attention leading to him appointing DJ Mensah.

The unrivaled disc jockey is also famed for his ‘Azonto mixes Mixtape’ a medium he uses to display his unmatched skills that have been accepted by music lovers time and time again.

He has displayed his talent on major platforms across Africa and beyond.

Some of the mega events he has played at are ‘Ghana Meets Naija’, ‘Big Brother Africa’ and has also toured countries like Nigeria, Togo, Sierra Leone, UK, Canada and eleven states in the U.S with Sarkodie.

The genius disk jockey is also the Ghanaian representative of Akwaaba UK, CEO of A-town group an event promoter and also host of PhamousTvs’ ‘Phreestyle’ segment.

With all these feats, he has been rewarded for his efforts as he has won countless awards which includes, Best Event DJ of the year 2013 at Accra Night Live Awards, 4syte Tv DJ of the year 2013, Best Artiste DJ of the year 2013 at the Ghana Djs Awards, and has been nominated for Best DJ, Best artiste DJ, Best Events DJ and Best Mixtape DJ in the 2014 DJ Awards ceremony.

The sky is certainly not the limit for DJ Mensah as he intends to keep breaking boundaries when the opportunity comes knocking and I hope upcoming DJ’s will learn from his unique masterpiece.

Photo: Steven Adusei

DJ Black speaks After four years of having played as the official DJ at Vodafone Ghana Music Awards night, DJ Black was missing on the stage this year, because, organisers of the award – Charterhouse, could not meet his professional charge.

The official DJ who played for this year’s VGMA night was DJ Mic Smith. Though a top-drawer DJ, many patrons who attended the event as well as critics alike have expressed disappointment at his performance regarding his poor selection of songs and timing.

Speaking to Razz Newspaper, DJ Black said; “they contacted me but they could not meet my fee. That is the main reason why I did not play on the night.” As to how much he charged, he did not state it.

In his opinion on how DJ Mic Smith fared on the night, Mr. Tuntum told Razz Newspaper he was on air as DJ on Joy 99.7 Fm, so he could not listen or monitor the VGMA event which was broadcasted live both on GhOne and GTV.

He admitted that there is absolutely no bad blood between him and Charterhouse. DJ Black started his DJ career in 1993 in School.

He later joined Prime Cut in 1995 and worked alongside veteran Ghanaian DJs like Azigiza Jnr, DJ Magic Sam, DJ Rab, DJ Kakra, among other.

In 1997, DJ Black moved on to manage Dope Rhyme Studios in Nima, giving rise to his clench on Hiphop music in Ghana.

He became the DJ for the streets as he made mixtapes and spinned for Hiplifers like VIP, Bukbak, Obrafuor, etc and being in the forefront of people who strengthened the movement Hiplife. DJ Black started radio in 1997 at Radio Universe.

He holds a BA in Mass Communication from Ghana Institute of Journalism and University of Ghana. He as well has diploma in Public Administration.

He is the host DJ for almost all major shows in Ghana including the Ghana Music Awards. DJ Black won the 2013 Best Ghanaian DJ, Best radio DJ.

He can be described as the hottest DJ in Ghana at the moment.

Source: Razz Newspaper

Live Wire Events and Yfm bring you the first annual Celebrity Soccer Weekend Showdown between 8 celebrity teams across our music and entertainment scene made up Samini’s Highgrade family team, Tinny’s Bardman Family, D-Black’s BAM United, E.L’s BBNZ Live, Shatta Movement F.C, Yfm All Stars,R2Bees Nation and Castro’s Baby Jet United.

The highly anticipated annual soccer
tournament dubbed the Celebrity Soccer Weekend happens on Saturday 24th May at Lizzy’s Sports Complex (East Legon) and is geared at raising funds for the Children’s Ward of the Korle-bu Teaching Hospital.

With kick off at 12pm, come have fun for 25 Ghc only as your favourite celebrities battle it out for the champion of Celebrity Soccer Weekend 2014.

Catch all 8 teams live on 4Syte TV on Saturday 17th May as they ballot to find out who faces who in the group stages and unveil team jerseys for The Celebrity Soccer Weekend.

This event is brought to you by LiveWire Events and Yfm and supported by Red Bull, Gh One, ETV Ghana, 4Syte TV, Black Avenue,Clothing,ameyawdebrah.ghanamusic,ghanagist and omgghana

One thing in music that makes artistes easily noticed and marketable is being associated with a particular genre or style of music.

Having realized this, music duo Gallaxy comprising Kwasi Dav and Bra Chiky have decided to do mostly Afrobeat music, a music genre that concentrates on predominantly African rhythms. This is a mass departure from the other well known genres of music trending in the music circles.

Listening to their songs critically, one would notice the streaks of Africanness in them and that makes Gallaxy stand out among the many musicians there are in the world. At least, when being interviewed about which genre of music they do, Gallaxy would be bold to identify with a brand they have created by themselves.

Gallaxy -Kwesi Dav (Vocalist) and Bra Chiky (Rapper) are both beat makers who also write songs for other musicians. They are signed onto Habour City Recordz and have been together as a group for over ten years but three years in commercial music.

Apart from their Afrobeat genre, they also do Highlife sparingly. They have five singles to their credit with BokoBoko (Slowly) being the song that shot them into the limelight.

The Highlife side of their brand served music lovers with an authentic Highlife song ‘Wodo Nti’ which enjoyed massive airplay countrywide and has also featured on most chart shows as against Castro’s ‘Odo pa’. They have been commended for that production because it projected and represented Ghana’s indigenous highlife genre perfectly .Their latest, ‘Highlife Agogo’ is just another unadulterated highlife song playing in clubs and every corner.

Kwesi Dav the vocalist who was also the lead singer was very selective about the kind of words he used to lure his mistress who was expected to ride him ‘slowly’. Pidgin English was the dominant language used in his case.

Bra Chiky the rapper on the other hand, has proved that, he has total control over his choice of words and felt very comfortable in the delivery .He spewed out his wicked ‘punch lines’ as the rap emcees will say.

Gallaxy is very young in the industry but well known behind the scene as good song writers. They have always defended themselves as song writers with a unique style and very selective not to abuse their listeners with their songs .The pedigree can be traced from their previous releases.

If you have ever watched the ‘BokoBoko’ video and compare it to their ‘Wodo Nti’ video .You can see the disparity. Versatility and swag comes to play. Their body language tells the story.

At least every musician must have a foresight. Music is a tool you can use to appeal to your global audience and Gallaxy possesses this. Of course, this is the future.

Get Social With Gallaxy
1.Facebook: www.faceboo.com/GallaxyOfficial
2.YouTube: www.YouTube.com/GallaxyOfficial
Instagram & Twitter: GallaxyGH
Hashtags: #Gallaxy #Agyis3wokidey #Gallaxians

Credit: Kwame Dadzie

After a succesful first edition of the
Ghana DJs conference held in Accra on May 1 2014 at the Airport West hotel (near Hotel Kuffuor), DJs from the Northern sector of the country would have the chance to engage in a very fruitful interaction at the Golden Tulip, Kumasi City on Friday May 9 2014.

The conference is aimed at bringing
together DJs from across the country and will see players discuss pertinent issues regarding the profession although there is no unified body as yet.

The conference which is being put together by Joy FM’s DJ Black and his Toontoom outfit comes off on May 9 2014 at the Golden Tulip, Kumasi city and kicks start at 10AM.

Among the many issues to discuss are
artists and DJs relations, Unity among DJs and welfare of DJ.

The conference is open to all DJs
nationwide.

Last week, it unveiled its first cover with Africa’s youngest billionaire, Ashish J. Thakkar sharing his inspiring story of surviving his environment and building a global business.

The 32-year-old from Uganda is founder of the Mara Group and the Mara Foundation.

This week, it has issued the second cover – actor, producer and serial entrepreneur; Yvonne Nelson.

The Ghanaian superstar talks about her work, her businesses, her vision for the creative industry, and where she sees Africa’s future.

“Y! Africa is focused governance, enterprise and technology, but it also has an eye firm eye on the culture,” says its associate editor, Tunde Kara.

“The culture weaves the underlying thread that advances the aspirations of any people, and those like Nelson who are its glittering stars, make it possible.”

Y! is available in stores and from vendors across Nigeria, and is also distributed in Ghana, Rwanda and South Africa.

Credits…
Photography: C. Asare Photography in Ghana
Creativity, art direction and profile: Tunde Kara
Styling: House of Cramera
Make Up: Contours by Valerie
Source: A-Deebie

The industry awards for the 2014 Ghana Music Awards was held on Saturday April 26 2014 at Alisa Hotel in Accra, Ghana.

The strictly by invitation event was attended by Ghanaian music industry folks, including producers, musicians as well as actors andhighly placed people from the Ghanaian community.

Patrons were thrilled with performances from Gospel musician O.J, Akwaboah,M.anifest.

Below is the full list of winners.

Gospel Album of the Year – Nyame Eguama – Joyce Blessing

Record of the year – Wo Sika Enti –
Trigmatic

Songwriter of the year – Baba by Bisa KDei

Producer of the year – Killbeatz Addison

Sound Engineer of the year – Kaywa

Instrumentalist of the year – Victor Dey

Traditional Artiste of the year – Densi

Music for Development – Kwabena
Kwabena’s Save a heart. For einning that award, the Adult Music singer gets GHC 3,000.00 from the World Bank Ghana.

Unsung artiste to rock the VGMA – MzVee from Lynx Entertainment and would therefore have the chance to perform at he main awards event on May 3.

MUSIGA Merit Award – Korkor Amarteifio

Lifetime Achievement Award – Ebo Taylor

Bice Osei Kuffour, president of the Musicians Union of Ghana (MUSIGA), has disclosed that the sole purpose of the GH¢2million which was allocated by government in 2013, was to fund research into the music industry and the Ghana Music Week celebrations.

The research themed “A Comprehensive Study of the
Music Sector in Ghana” was to ascertain an overview of the creative industry, its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats, and to make recommendations about the findings.

Although Obour had declined to reveal how much was spent on the research, checks by the paper showed that the entire project cost the Union a little over GH¢2,000.

“The final report on the GH¢2million has been given to the Ministry of Finance and how much money was used to conduct the research will be available in it.

The main aim of the GH¢2million was for the research and the Ghana Music Week celebrations.

“The information is contractual and has to come out from the proper channel. Once the project is also through, we will issue a report on the entire GH ¢2million and how it was spent.

Just last Friday, there was a validation workshop and once it has been validated, then we will be in the final report stage.

As of the work, it has been completed,” he told NEWS-ONE.

However, unconfirmed reports suggested the union has started purporting that they spent GH¢60,000 to fund the supposed research which was also supported by World Bank in terms of logistics.

The search was conducted by renowned auditing, research and statistical firm KPMG – the company responsible for auditing the election results during the famous election petition in 2013.

Source: News-One

The Tupac musical coming to Broadway has found its (non-holographic) leading man.

The main role in the non-biographical Holler If Ya Hear Me will be taken by musician/slam poet/actor Saul Williams , according to The Hollywood Reporter .

The musical, produced by the late rapper’s mother Afeni Shakur , does not feature Tupac as a character, but does include the West Coast legend’s music prominently.

A New York native, Williams rose to fame as the lead in the 1998 film Slam, which follows a poet and aspiring rapper attempting to leave behind his gruff surroundings.

He’s also released four studio albums; however, Holler If Ya Hear Me will be his first major Broadway role.

Tony Award-winner Tonya Pinkins will join Williams at the head of the cast for the production, which has been described as a fictional story that provides a glimpse into the streets of modern-day America and their tenants.

The musical is set to begin preview performances May 29 at the Palace Theatre, followed by a June 19 opening night.