CONTROVERSIAL STOP AT THE 4SYTE MUSIC VIDEO AWARDS

The time has certainly come for celebrating the Ghanaian Music Industry and acknowledging the builders behind the scenes, thus our very own Thanksgiving 4syte style!

The International Conference Centre was so choked if it was a person it would definitely be belching out the extras. This is expected as 4syte, a favorite among the youth in Ghana, always draws its very large fanbase. A night of glamorous and very unglamorous events colored the night, and it’s always courteous to begin with ladies!

Unstated dress code for the night was show-some-skin and did we see some skin, of all colors, cellulite and flab! One woman almost brought the poor Conference Centre down in a z-cup size bra ornamented only with a white net top. It wasn’t all bad though. There were some pretty hot and sexy ladies in black numbers, or colored in the beautiful African print. Then, were the leopard skin tights and killer-inch pump combination that just brought sexy back.

Ignes, MD of 4syte

The men played it simple to classy in jeans, T-shirts, long Catholic cross necklaces (it’s a fad to be Catholic now), nerdy glasses, skinnies and long sleeved Woodin shirts, sweeping up to shiny, grey and electric blue suits,  Chinese collars, white army type shirts and matching trousers (kind of a reminder of Our former Presidents-for-life, but still classy as hell). There was one guy in purple suspender, jeans and a grey tank top. Help, Stage Carpenter not at post! Trigmatic appeared in a white T-shirt and Jeans and a kente bubu.

Mzbel looked awesome in a blue jumpsuit and a sweet ponytail, Tictac, colourful in a yellow and red suit, and Joseline Dumas looking like Mortisha in the Adams Family, in a sexy, gothic way, dressed in a lovely black gown contrasting her caramel skin. Raquel looked curvilicious in a half gown, fitting tight against her hips and a flowing tale against her calves. Becca looked gorgeous in tube dress whose major point was its play with color: sky blue and pink, bringing reminders of a beach and white sands.

A cocktail party was held in the lobby before the show, or rather VIP cocktailed themselves as regulars watched the as the snacks go down their throats. But feet could not stop moving! If your mouth was not chewing, then azonto yourself to enjoyment!

The stage looked incredible. A runway had been built right into VIP section, and artsy lights decorated the back, complementing a grand piano which was used once during the program. Great electronic graphics were running in the background. It seemed the vision for the program was to achieve as much of the BET award look. This was because:

Ø  There was an act with a group of dancers whose costumes were decorated with lights to add to the art of the dance. The effect, as in the BET awards this year, was to give the impression of lights dancing on their own and forming shapes (though we couldn’t quite tell the shape this team was trying to form).

Ø  Each team to present the award was to chitchat or perform an act before presenting the award. Alex and his fellow Kenyan housemate in the Big Brother House treated their audience’s eyes to a juicy, passionate kiss.

Ø  A running video, like the Real Husbands of Hollywood in the BET awards, was shown throughout the night, only this time it was a funny vignette chronicling the FOKN boys’ (Wanluv and M3nsa) journey to the Conference Centre for the Awards show. The FOKN boys had the audience holding their sides in laughter with their realist, stupid comedy.

Ø  A great dancing act for the crew to clear the stage and set up for the next act.

Raquel

Opening act for the night was a performance of “One Girl” with Richie and Eazzy, Richie in a black suit with white trimmings and a white hat, Eazzy in a fishtale half gown, were very innovative with their act, performing their hit song in a very different way from what their fans were used to. The fast rhythm of the song was slowed down to a serenade with Richie at the grand piano, joined by a violinist and a harmonica. There were screams of “eeeeiii!” as Eazzy, lying on the piano, butterflyed her thighs to the cameras. All in all, it was nice to hear the same song in a very different way..

Kwao Kesse was up next, appearing on stage in a tubish-like alien spaceship thing, to do his hits, including “Poppin” in his lucky pink scarf.

MCs for the night were Lazy of VIP and Christelle of eTV who introduced themselves with a short piece of “She be my taste”. Christelle, unfortunately, screamed too much on the mike, and already had the audience chanting’ “Away!” with the handclapping that complements it.

Man Sing Angel, Ghana’s “Rock” music artiste, mimed his single, “Imagination”, in a cowboy outfit and a guitar he never touched, and assuring his audience, with extra stress on his r’s, that “I made this song right here in Ghana”,  so rock music can be made in Ghana!! FOI performed their hit single, “One More time”. Kevin Beats, artiste with the most number of nominations for the night, performed his hit single, “Three-headed Beast”. The lively crowd definitely enjoyed him, singing along and chanting. Zigi, was the next act and the prelude to his appearance on stage was a video on the wars in the world, and a search for the next legend (to resolve the issues?) and this legend was…zigi! Three cheers for Zigi! He began with pieces of his hits, “Amanda”, and “U sey Wetin”, which definitely had the whole crowd up on their feet, doing various forms of the azonto. As if by magic, when he went into his third performance, a song of a much slower pace, in which he sang soulfully, complete with usher-like moves, the crowd returned to their cool seats. The seats were only left again when he went back to another azonto track, saying, “If you look at me, I would dance like a butterfly”.

Trigmatic’s act was the only society-conscious act for the night. He asked his audience for a moment of silence for the victims of the recent floods in Ghana. A touching video was shown of a father who lost his son. Trigmatic then appears on stage to remind his audience, “Me fre Ghana”, which has a beat similar to Will Smith’s “Switch”, and two other tracks. The FOKN boys finally found the Conference Centre and came on stage to rap to the beat, “tu tu tw3 tu tu tw3, nufu, nufu,nufu”. Reaction can definitely be imagined! 4x4 performed their single, “Waist and Power, with Fresh Prince serenading the beginning of the song. Nice voice, wrong reaction for a crowd that just wanted to groove.

VIP, repping from the Republic of Nima, roused the sleeping crowd, sending them back to the 90s with their tracks like “Odo mbra”, then progressed over the years with “Besin” and “Change Position”, Promzy, as always, taking off his shirt to show off his abs and tattoos. This provided a great opening for BukBak, who are booking back into the industry, reminding their listeners why they were the top dogs of their time with tracks like “Chingilingi” and “Kelewele”.

RnM

Stay J performed his hit tracks, “Yenko nkoa” and Suee”. However, his attention was effortlessly stolen from him by a serious fight happening right in the middle of the Conference Centre. A group of about four guys dragged a man they claimed had stolen a phone and beat him up mercilessly in front of everyone, creating a huge circle of space. Conveniently, all stewards and bodyguards vanished into thin air. Funny, because there were two stewards each at the entrances into the VIP section which were in the middle and end sections of the Conference centre right amongst the crowd. Well, maybe, they had been called out to go work out or something, you never know.

Sarkodie commanded the dispersed attention back onto the stage and, as expected he had both girls and guys screaming their lungs out. That man has some charisma!

The Winners for which this night was celebrated are below:

Overall Best Video Becca – African Woman

Best Group Video 4×4 – Waist & Power

Best Photography Man Sing Angel – Imagination

Best Hiplife Video Asem – No More Kpayor

Best Hilife Video George Darko – Lucky Star

Best African Act D’Banj – Mr Endowed remix

Best Gospel Video Cwesi Oteng – Mercy

Best Directed Bra Kevin Beats – Three Headed Beast

Best Storyline Eazzy feat. Richie – One Gal

Best Male Video Okyeame Quame feat. Bertha – Faithful

Best Reggae Video Samini – Dadiekye

Best Special Effects Obour – Back 2 Obour

Best Chorography Richie – Asa Fofro

Best Female Video Becca feat. King Ayisoba & Trigmatic – Push

Best Collaboration R2Bees, Sarkodie & Nana Boroo – Ajiee

Discovery of the year Bra Kevin Beats – Three Headed Beast

Best Editing Sarkodie feat. Jayso & Sway – Lay Away

Best Hiphop Sarkodie feat. Sway & Jayso – Law Away

Living Legend Award Ernest Addoquaye

Becca with Samad Davies (right)

Many argued that some awards were not given to the right people nad accused 4syte as being fraudeulent. Awards such as Best Choreography which went to Richie, and actually had the audience booing at him as he came up for his award, and Best Overall Video, which was given to Becca’s “African Woman” were the most controversial of the night.