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Who moves the crowd?

Nii Atakora — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 14:51:56 +0000

For a musical event to be one to remember, the artiste has to move the crowd to their feet or have them ask for more. What I normally hear after every show is either the supposed artiste didn’t live up to expectation or he wasn’t the right artiste for the event.

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Many at times, when people go for concerts, they look out for just a few artistes to make their day. It’s either him or her. I took it upon myself to go round asking fans who they think rocks shows and this is what I got:

Batman Samini
Castro
Praye
VIP
Kwaw Kesse
Obrafour
Tinny
Wutah
Obour
Nkasei
Kwaku Gyasi
Tic Tac
Sidney
Mzbel
Grace Ashy
Kwaadee
Christiana Love
Ebo’o
Five Five
4×4

Unofficial ranking for Ghana’s sexiest artiste – Top 20

Nii Atakora — Sat, 07 Jul 2007 11:01:12 +0000

1. Batman Samini
2. Kwabena Kwabena
3. Abortion of 4×4 fame
4. Bright formerly of Buk Bak fame
5. Lazy of VIP fame
6. Eugene of Praye fame
7. Tinny
8. Papi of 55 fame
9. Prodigal of VIP fame
10. Ebo’o
11. Kofi Nti
12. Promzy of VIP fame
13. PV of Wutah fame
14. Obrafour
15. Ofori Amponsah
16. Castro
17. K.K Fosu
18. Screw Face
19. Daasebre Dwamena
20. King Ayisoba

This is unofficial so no ill-feelings. Just hit me with your line-up.

5 most intriguing artistes of 2007

Nii Atakora — Tue, 26 Jun 2007 21:08:20 +0000

They are Ghana’s 5 most intriguing artistes of 2007, and they are influential in the music industry. Here they are in no particular order:

King Ayisoba
He came virtually from nowhere. But the man they say nearly became a fetish priest has made it and I mean made it big.

The release of his mega-song ‘I Want To see My Father’, which beat Ofori Amponsah’s ‘Emmanuella’, Batman’s ‘Samini’, Obrafour’s ‘Heavy’, Kwaku Gyasi’s ‘Onyame Aseda’ for the heavyweight title (Most Popular Song of the Year) at GMA 2007 is off the hook. Ask your kid or any other kid and he or she will second that.

Ofori Amponsah
He’s one of the richest artistes in showbiz circles. Some said his ‘Otoolege’ album was sold for 600,000,000 cedis (60,000 GH cedi) whiles others said it was much more than that.

At age 3.., the ‘highlifer’ popularly known as Mr. All for Real has had a meteoric rise to fame. He owns 4reez Entertainment and lately won the ‘Best Highlife Artiste’ for 2006. He hit fame with his album ‘Otoolege’. His ‘Emmanuella’ album, is currently doing well and trust me, it’s magnificent.

Batman Samini
After his sterling performance at Ghana Music Awards 2007 recently, the most successful artiste from D.C in Ghana has left an indelible mark in the hearts of his new fans and outsiders.

With 2 hit albums, over 100 thousand sales and a host of music awards including the MOBO Award, there’s no doubt the sexy don dada has Ghana at his feet.

Obrafuor
One of the most captivating artistes of our time, Obrafuor is the first hiplife artiste to release a single, and the first hiplife artiste to do a song on indiscipline.

He is one of the ambassadors of TIGO, the new cellular experience. He currently won a couple of awards at the just ended Ghana Music Awards and since then, there has not been any falls.

Currently riding high on his success with his thrilling song ‘Heavy’, he is everyone’s favourite. He has displaced the likes of many hiplife artistes and continues to make waves.

Real name Mike Elliot Kwabena Darko, Obrafour is one of hiplife’s revelation of the year and is set to continue in 2007 where he left off in 2006.

Kwaku Gyasi
Gospel music can’t be anything without Kwaku Gyasi. At the very least, it would be without one of its finest sons. Kwaku Gyasi, whose critics believed he would not stay at the top of the gospel game after the release of his ‘Ayeyi’ album has reinvented himself surviving every criticism.

No wonder he swapped many awards at the just ended Ghana Music Awards. The Kumasi-based musician still has the magic.

Between Bola Ray and Dorcas: Love conquers all

Nii Atakora — Sun, 24 Jun 2007 23:03:37 +0000

Time changes everything. Many years ago, it would have been unthinkable to see a respectable and magnificent smooth presenter like Bola Ray standing in this celebrity pose manner with any woman.

Not until he met the lady of his dream, Dorcas, a beautiful Ghanaian lady who won his heart finally.

So love has struck one of Ghana’s famous presenters who drives us home everyday with ‘Drive Time’ on Joy FM, and makes every Saturday on TV3 a night to remember with ‘Music Music’.

He now walks into functions with this trendy lady as captured in this picture. Gorgeous isn’t it? When will I get there?

Perhaps, Bola learnt the trick of romance from his friend, Komla Dumor whose love for his wife is legendary and unassailable. All hail ‘the lover boys’.

Remembering Mufty Dabre

Nii Atakora — Sun, 24 Jun 2007 22:59:32 +0000

How time flies. It’s already a week and some days since the death of one of Accra’s finest presenters, Mufty Dabere.

Until the time of his eviction and suddenly his tragic death, he was part of the TV reality show, ‘Presenters Guide’.

Mufty Dabere has been working with Peace FM for some years.

He was also the manager of the now reigning Highlife Champ, Ofori Amponsah.

Mufty had great friends who stormed his funeral at Nii Boi Town and later to the premises of Peace FM. He was survived with a 2 year old daughter.

Condolences to the bereaved family.

Sally and Confidence: The hottest babes in Accra

Nii Atakora — Sun, 24 Jun 2007 22:57:32 +0000

I did promise to tell you the hottest people, places and events in Ghana. This is the time for me to go by my words. If you step into Accra and want to know who is hot in town, just talk to moi.

I know who is hot and see what you can’t see. Two of the hottest babes in Accra are no doubt Sally and Confidence, CEO’s of Monte Carlo Forever and Aphrodisiac Night Club respectively.

Sally has added to her ‘business family’, a new kid known as ‘Monte Carlo Grand Café’ situated at Labone, just nearer to Metro TV.

The second babe, Confidence is Accra’s successful woman to have a night club. Not to talk of her new joint at La Beach called Klimax Bay, it’s awesome.

These smart young ladies are cruising around the world and enjoying the success of their works. Who says life is not good for some people?

Aphrodisiac Nite Klub does it again

Who will settle Ofori Amponsah and Barosky’s cold war?

Nii Atakora — Sun, 24 Jun 2007 22:50:18 +0000

For many years, the two popular Ghanaian musicians were the best of friends. They were so close that Barosky is part of Ofori’s success.

Today, things are no longer the way it used to be between the two erstwhile friends. According to insiders, those who were jealous of their music and friendly relationship began the terrible rumours that tore them apart.

Such envious friends made sure they circulated enough dangerous rumours against them. There was also the problem of money not being given to Barosky for all the works he’s done for Ofori and a misunderstanding between the two over his(Barosky) inability to come out with an album to be produced by Ofori; a promise according to Barosky, Ofori never fulfilled.

At the end of it all, the centre could no longer hold and things have definitely fallen apart. Long time good friends now becoming short time worst friends.

Let’s wait and see whether the score would be settled.

Is there any future for young artistes?

Nii Atakora — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 10:41:12 +0000

Worried about this, I went round trying to get the views of some of the young and upcoming artistes who are gnashing their teeth.

LOCATION: At the barber shop

ARTISTES: Nnunsin, Bohyeba, Gbagbladza (of the Last 2 Fame)

My survey proved a lot of limitations in the industry and I came out with a lot of findings upon listening to the views of some of the young ones such as the trio ‘Nnunsin’ (upcoming starlets) made up of Nkete, Drent and Omega present at a barber shop and this is what they had to say:

Nkete: “We have good stuff but hey we are new so why should they (executive producers) come in to produce us. They don’t want to take that initiative rather focus on the household names”.

Drent: “The Ofori Amponsah’s, Daddy Lumba’s, Kojo Antwi’s, Obrafour’s, Batman Samini’s, Castro’s, Kwabena Kwabena’s, VIP’s and the likes started from somewhere. I mean somewhere like where we are now so imagine what would have happened if some executive producers hadn’t taken the risk to produce them. Would they have been where they are now? The industry would have been dead by now. As the day goes by, old ones fade away and new music babies come into existence. Some executive producers had to take the risk for the present greats to make it big other than that, it would have been the old acts like Ramblers, Osibisa, Nana Ampadu, George Darko, Adofo, Awurama Badu and the likes”.

Nkete: “To add to what my partner said, for all you know some of the young acts have better songs as compared to some already established ones”.

After a long chat with the group, another young hiplife artiste stepped into the barber shop to share his view on the issue under discussion. Bohyeba, the young entrant pointed to the fact that “some of the Executive Producers go in for albums of great artistes not taking fully into consideration whether it’s good or not. Once the artiste has made a mark on the music scene, his album is good. So names make them produce albums. They no longer see it as a business where it involves taking risks and either making a profit or loss. They are in for one motive; to make money and not to help bring upcoming artistes into the limelight”.

“Even if they will produce you the young artiste, it’s a ‘who you know thing’ and not solely because the album is good. And hey lest I forget, some of the old artistes sometimes sabotage we the young ones by telling the Executive Producers not to invest in us ‘cos’ they don’t want us to be like them. As someone will say ‘Ahooyaa’ (Jealousy).

Gbagbladza (of the Last 2 fame) also commented on the same points and in addition had this to say: You know what, some of the dj’s are also a part of we not coming out. Since they have their favourite engineers, if a song or an album of a new artiste was not produced by their favourite engineer, they convince the Executive Producers not to financially produce the song or album. So it’s like as if they determine which albums should come out and which shouldn’t.

All the artistes: If the Executive Producers are real business men, they should sit up and look for good albums no matter the risks they have to take and not listen to what others say.

Well, well, well. I have to go but the story still unfolds. Let me get a taxi and move to my next location.

Mzbel attacked by 3 armed robbers

Nii Atakora — Fri, 22 Dec 2006 10:41:11 +0000

The famous female icon in the music industry known in showbiz circles as Mzbel on Tuesday 12 September, together with five other girls and a boy of about 7 years old were brutally assaulted at her residence – New Gbawe.

At about 1:35 am, a gang of 3 armed robbers partly masked with handkerchiefs came to the house without anyone hearing. As they broke through the main door with big blocks, one of the girls by name Roxy upon hearing the noise woke up to see what was happening.

To her surprise, she came into contact with the robbers who pointed guns at her head and asked her to stay calm. They then led her to the rooms of the other girls including Mzbel and on seeing the robbers, one of the girls collapsed.

The 3 armed robbers then asked Mzbel to either hand over 10,000 US dollars because according to them, they knew she had come back from Liberia with such an amount or loose her life. They wanted nothing less than “I don’t have such an amount” so when Mzbel told them she had no such amount on her, they hit her with the back of their guns even though they had made their way with $900, £500, ¢800,000, jewellery, 5 mobile phones, a laptop, a camcorder, 2 VCD players, clothes and shoes.

As if that was all, they wanted to sexually molest them which they refused by screaming. Due to this, one of the armed robbers used his gun to hit the abdomen of Roxy and beat her up severely.

When they realised the screams were becoming intense, they took to their heels. During the course of the robbery, one of the robbers mentioned Mzbel’s cousin by name Ato as the one who sent them so he is now in police custody for interrogation.

According to the medical report, she was not raped as some media houses are reporting. I think the emphasis should be on the robbery and not her being raped. Some media houses and members of the public are even relating it to her style of dressing that has brought about this.

No law or criminal code points out that a person’s style of dressing calls for sexual molestation. This should not be a justification for such an act. This is the time we should be sympathising with her because it could happen to anyone.

And to those hypocritical and selfish media houses, give me a break! Why should you be dwelling on her style of dressing rather than sending the right signal or message across? The subject here is the attack and nothing else. It’s not all about making sales with false information.

As I said, this is the time we Ghanaians especially women should stand up against such an act. The government should definitely intervene because it’s very appalling. It is on the increase and a stop should be put to it.

Let’s all lend a sympathetic hand to Mzbel. This is the time we should show much love to her. If you want to do so, send a word of sympathy via Ghana Music.com and mzbelonline.com.

Stand up Ghana, stand up women.

Ghana Music.com | Just log on. » Meet Mendack

Who moves the crowd?

Related:

Unofficial ranking for Ghana’s sexiest artiste – Top 20

Related:

5 most intriguing artistes of 2007

Related:

Between Bola Ray and Dorcas: Love conquers all

Related:

Remembering Mufty Dabre

Related:

Sally and Confidence: The hottest babes in Accra

Related:

Who will settle Ofori Amponsah and Barosky’s cold war?

Related:

Is there any future for young artistes?

Related:

Mzbel attacked by 3 armed robbers

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