Nominees announced for 2017 Vodafone Ghana Music Awards

The list was teased gradually on the social media accounts of Charterhouse Ghana, hourly, from noon to the opening of the event by 7pm.

Rapper Sarkodie leads the list with three nominations. Okyeame Kwame, winner of the Artist of the Year award in 2009 and 2016, is nominated for two awards: Hip-Hop Song of the Year and the Music Video of the Year. Other artists with two nominations include Stonebwoy, M.anifest.

After the controversy surrounding the exclusion of Mr Eazi from last year's awards, the Nigerian artist is on the list this year. He is, however, up for VGMA's "foreign" category, African Artist of the Year. Other nominees in the category include Runtown, who scored a hit in both Nigerian and Ghana with 'Mad Over You', dancehall artist Patoranking, and 'Pana' hitmaker Tekno. 

The VGMAs will be held on 4 April 2017 at the Accra International Conference Centre by 8pm.

Full list of nominees below:

Reggae/Dancehall Artiste of the Year Stonebwoy Ras Kuuku Samini Ebony Rudebwoy Ranking MzVee   Highlife Artiste of the Year Bisa Kdei Becca Kofi Kinaata   Gospel Artiste of the Year Joe Mettle Piesie Esther Sonnie Badu Jeshrun Okyere Nacee   Hiplife Song of the Year Guru - Samba feat. Singlet Donzy - Club feat. Piesie and Sarkodie Flowking Stone - Go Low Sarkodie - RNS Criss Waddle - Bie Gya feat. Stonebwoy Kofi Kinaata - Sweet Pie VVIP - Alhaji feat. Patoranking   Afro-pop Song of the Year E.L - Kaabu Ame Eugy - Dance For Me feat. Mr Eazi Article Wan - Solo Joey B - U x me Medikal - Too Risky feat. Sister Derby Adina - Too Late Vision DJ - Grind feat. A.I   Hip-hop Song of the Year Manifest - god MC Sarkodie - Trumpet feat. Tee Phlow, Koo Ntakra, Strongman, Pappy Kojo, Donzy, & Medikal E.L - Lalafalama Medikal - Confirm remix feat. Sarkodie Edem - Egboame remix feat. Tee Phlow, Cabum, Gemini, Ayat, Mac M, Medikal, Darko, & Bebelino Okyeame Kwame - Tension feat. Cabum, Medikal & Sister Derby   Best New Act Medikal Nii Funny Fancy Gadam Article Wan Feli Nuna Ebony Rudebwoy Ranking Eugy   African Artist of the year Patoranking Mr Eazi Runtown Tekno Nathaniel Bassey   Record of the year Nacee - Me ne wo aa Akwaboah - Hello feat. Sarkodie Adina - Too late Joey B - U x Me Trigmatic - Motromodwo feat. A.I   Best Female Vocalist Adina - Tool Late Becca - Beshiwo MzVee - Nobody Else Piesie Esther - Agye won nsam Petrah - My Man   Best Male Vocalist Ogya Mensah - Get Serious Afriyie - Here to Stay Joe Mettle - Onwanwani Akwaboah - Hello Sonnie Badu - Still You Reign Ernest Opoku - Yewo Nyame a yewo adze   Best Music Video of the Year Wiyaala - Leno Okyeame Kwame - Small small feat. MzVee Nacee - Yewo Nyame a yewo adze feat. Ernest Opoku Flowking Stone - Rapping Drums M.anifest - W'ani aba feat. Bisa K'Dei Edem - Nyedzilo feat. Rekaado Banks   Songwriter of the Year Joe Mettle - Onwanwani Kill Beatz - Too Late Kofi Kinaata - Confession Nacee - Yewo Nyame a yewo adze   Hiplife/Hip hop artiste of the year Guru EL Flowking Stone Medikal Sarkodie M.anifest Joey B   Best Rapper of the Year Flowking Stone - Fire Bon Dem RMX EL - Love God Meidkal - Connect Yaa Pono (Ponobiom) - Mind on Money M.anifest - 100% Sarkodie - Fire Bon Dem RMX   Artist of the Year EL

Sarkodie

Stonebwoy

Joe Mettle

MzVee

Medikal   Song of the Year Christy – Dobble

U x Me – Joey B

R N S – Sarkodie

Solo – Article Wan

People Dey – Stonebwoy

Kaabuame – EL

Bie Gya – Criss Waddle ft. Stonebwoy

Sweetie Pie – Kofi Kinaata

Alhaji – VVIP ft. Patoranking

Yewo Nyame a Yewo Adze – Nacee Ft. Ernest Opoku

Go Low – Flowking Stone   Album of the Year CounselorNacee

Bar 3 – EL

Nowhere Cool – M.anifest

Gifted – Flowking Stone

Sounds of Africa – Sonnie Badu   Best Collaboration of the Year Alhaji – VVIP ft. Patoranking

Yewo Nyame a Yewo Adze – Nacee ft. Ernest Opoku

Confirm Rmx – Medikal Ft. Sarkodie

Bie Gya – Criss Waddle ft. Stonebwoy

Nwansina – Ras Kuuku ft. Luther

Samba – Guru ft. Singlet   Best Group of the Year VVIP

R2Bees

Dunsin

Gallaxy   Reggae/Dancehall Song of the Year People Dey – Stonebwoy

Nwansina – Ras Kuuku Ft. Luther

Gborgborvor – Gallaxy Ft. Stonebwoy

Kupe – Ebony

Yonnah – Samini ft. Luther

Pain Dem – Rudebwoy Ranking

Arostor – Kaakie Ft. Yaa Pono   Highlife Song of the Year Jwe – Bisa Kdei

Confession – Kofi Kinaata

Beshiwo – Becca ft. Bisa Kdei

Mintse Bo – Wisa Greid

Christy – Dobble

Bokor Bokor – Kill Beatz ft. Mugeez & Fuse ODG   Unsung Artiste Kwame Eugene

AJ Lyricx

Afezi Perry

CJ Biggerman

Eshun

Deon Boakye

Cina Soul   Gospel Song of the Year Yewo Nyame a Yewo adze – Nacee ft. Ernest Opoku

Change Over – Mary Agyemang

Mewo Jesus – Mabel Okyere

Still You Reign – Sonnie Badu

Healing Stream – Jeshrun Okyere Ft. Nathaniel Bassey

Agye Won Nsam – Piesie Esther