Good songwriting skills, thoughtful rap lines, extraordinary music videos and lots of concerts: things are gradually shaping up in the industry.
While the A-listers in the industry continue to set the pace, the other artistes are also giving them a close run for their money.
1. Sarkodie
Rapper Sarkodie started the year on a very slow note, but he has wonderfully recovered to end 2019 on a very strong footing.
The rapper really kicked into gear in the last quarter when he announced his ‘Black Love album’. Soon after, he collaborated with Rudeboy of P Square fame to release the hit single “Lucky”.
“Saara” with Efya followed, before another collabo with Prince Bright produced a jam titled “Ofeets)”. As if that was not enough, he did some mouthwatering collabos.
The decision to feature Donae’O and Hollywood’s Idris Elba on ‘Party & Bullsh*t’ was a masterstroke, just as the song itself is a massive hit. In terms of awards, Sarkodie was not left out at all as he scooped the Best International Flow award at the BET Hip Hop Awards, as well as the Artiste of the Decade award at the 2019 Vodafone Ghana Music Awards.
2. Shatta Wale
Like him or hate him, Shatta Wale is a very talented artiste – one who knows how to serve the fans with exactly what they want.
The Shatta Movement boss is arguably the most awarded Ghanaian artiste in 2019, having dominated a lot of award schemes. His awards at the 2019 VGMA may have been stripped, but he still won numerous others with his hit songs and impeccable music videos.
“Melissa” remains one of the biggest songs in 2019, while he also launched his “Wonder Boy” album earlier in October. Shatta Wale was also the biggest winners at the 10th edition of the annual 4Syte Music Video Awards, after walking home with five awards.
3. Stonebwoy
Stonebwoy has been almost everywhere this year. The “Kpo K3k3” hit maker continues to take the game to the next level and the year 2019 was no exception.
The reggae/dancehall artiste was rewarded for the superb year he’s had when he won the Best Reggae/dancehall artiste for the third time at the 6th All Africa Music Awards.
Although his clash with Shatta Wale at the VGMA nearly marred his year, he superbly recovered with back-to-back hits by releasing “Tuff Seed” and “Ololo” featuring Nigeria’s Teni. Meanwhile, his collabo with Beenie Man for “Shuga” remains one of the biggest collabos on the continent.
4. Wendy Shay
An artiste like Wendy Shay will always be surrounded by controversy. But if you look closely, you would realise that she has been one of the most hard-working musicians in the country in 2019.
The RuffTown Records signee endured her best calendar year yet, having finally cemented her place as one of the heavyweights in the industry.
Take it or leave it, Wendy is currently the most enterprising female artiste in the country and her works are evident. Her album “Shay on you” contained numerous hits, including “Psalm 35”, “Astalavista”, “The boy is mine” and “Bedroom commando”.
In a year where she has collaborated with the likes of Shatta Wale, Sarkodie and Kuami Eugene, there’s very little to argue about when it comes to Wendy’s reach. The song “Stevie Wonder” in which she featured Shatta Wale is one of the biggest jams till date and has over two million views on YouTube.
She is also not short on awards, having won the Discovery of the Year award at the 2019 VGMA and the Breakthrough Act of the Year at the 3 Music Awards.
5. Diana Hamilton
Very few artistes in the music industry can be compared with Diana Hamilton when it comes to impact in the year 2019.
The gospel singer enjoyed a very fruitful year, which saw her deservedly win numerous awards in the process.
Diana Hamilton released a series of hits, top of the list being ‘W’asem’ and ‘Nsenkyerene Nyankopon”.
She subsequently bagged the Gospel Artiste of the Year award at the 2019 Vodafone Ghana Music Awards (VGMA), and also won two awards at the 2019 African Gospel Music and Media Awards.
6. Medikal
The year 2019 saw Medikal win the hearts of many music fans with his flows and, more importantly, his hit songs.
Deservedly, Medikal was named Rapper of the Year at the 2019 Vodafone Ghana Music Awards (VGMA).
The AMG rapper also managed a lot of collaborations, including featuring Nigerian star Davido on his hit single titled “Father”.
His top records in 2019 include ‘Omo Ada’, ‘Drip’ and ‘Vamijo’, while his beef with fellow rapper Strongman Burner gave the rape industry a huge facelift.
He may have his critics due to his off-music antics, but Medikal worked hard in 2019 to earn his place among the elite artistes in the country.
7. Kofi Kinaata
When the year has not ended, yet fans begin conferring awards on a particular artiste, then you know the amount of work the artiste has put in.
For Kofi Kinaata, this has nothing to do with hype. Not only has he successfully transformed from a rapper into a superb singer, he is also making the hits.
From “Adam & Eve” to “Never Again” to “Things Fall Apart”, the Takoradi-based artiste totally took over the airwaves.
To put into context the kind of year Kofi Kinaata has had, there is barely any concert currently without his name on the bill. The year 2019 was definitely one to remember for the “Susuka” hit maker.
8. Kuami Eugene
Kuami Eugene’s rise in the music industry has been very meteoric and he is undoubtedly currently the hottest kid on the block.
The Lynx Entertainment signee has blazed the trail with numerous hits and features in the year under review.
The ‘Ohemaa’ hit maker was deservedly rewarded for his outputs when he won big at the 2019 Vodafone Ghana Music Awards (VGMA).
Kuami Eugene was adjudged the Highlife Artiste of the Year, while his ‘Rockstar’ album also won him the Album of the Year.
In terms of features, the singer was very active in 2019, doing collaborations with Nigerian stars Davido and Mayorkun, as well as pulling a huge coup by featuring American television host Conan O’Brien on the song “For love”.
9. Kwesi Arthur
Since announcing himself in the Ghana music industry somewhere in 2017, Kwesi Arthur has not looked back at all.
The young rapper, who occasionally sings, dropped a lot of dynamic songs in 2019 to endear himself to music lovers.
Having missed out on the Viewer’s Choice “Best New International Act” award in 2018, it looks like Kwesi Arthur may soon scoop an international award should he continue on this trajectory.
The release of his EP – titled ‘Live from Nkrumah krom, Vol. II: Home run’ – set the tone for a successful 2019. The EP contained a number of hit songs, including “Nobody” (featuring Mr Eazi and “African Girl” (featuring Shatta Wale).
He also had other collabos with Sarkodie, Stonebwoy and Nasty C, in addition to his big win at the 2019 VGMA, where he scooped the Hip Hop Song of the Year award.
10. King Promise
Last year, King Promise was one of the most featured Ghanaian artistes, having made appearances on Mr Eazi’s “Dabebi”, Sarkodie’s “Can’t let you go” and Medikal’s “Ayekoo”.
In 2019, not only did not do more influential collabos, he impressively made a breakthrough with his music into Nigeria.
The “Selfish” singer’s biggest single in the year was “Bra”, featuring the legendary Kojo Antwi. However, songs like “My lady” and “Commando” are also huge jams.
King Promise was the only Ghanaian act to win a plaque at the 2019 edition of Nigeria’s Headies music awards. He won in the African Artiste Recognition category.
