Vodafone Ghana Music Awards release 2018 nominations

The list, which was made public on 3 March, consists of several names familiar to Ghanaian music fans, including Stonebwoy and Sarkodie.

But it is the inclusion of Shatta Wale to the list that has caused the most commentary. The controversial artist made disparaging remarks about the awards years ago, and was banned, his work failing to appear at four editions of the awards ceremony.

Rather than a low-profile nomination to mark his return to the VGMAs, Shatta Wale has returned at the highest level, receiving a nomination in the Artist of the Year category, the most coveted prize at the event. He will compete with last year’s winner, Joe Mettle, favourites Sarkodie and Stonebowy, and the late songstress Ebony.

Local media had speculated that Shatta Wale and Ebony were frontrunners for the award. The latter’s death appeared to have thrown the speculation out, but organisers Charterhouse Ghana said she was eligible for nomination.

Elsewhere, the Kofi Kinaata song 'Last Show' is up for the Songwriter of the Year Award, an honour he has received on two different occasions, only this time it is Willis Beatz credited as songwriter. In the Song of the Year category, ‘One Corner’, the song that spurred a dance craze across West Africa, will face off against Shatta Wale’s ‘Ayoo’ and ‘Taking Over’ as well as Ebony’s ‘Sponsor’, among other songs.

The African Artist of the Year category is dominated by Nigerian acts. Davido, Wizkid, Tiwa Savage and Olamide are up against each other, as well as against Togolese group Toofan and South African acts Cassper Nyovest and Nasty C.

Full list of nominees below:

Highlife Song of the Year

• 'Dream' – Kumi Guitar
• 'Bronya' – Wutah
• 'Odo' – Kidi
• 'Angela' – Kuami Eugene
• 'Over' – R2bees
• 'Hustle' – Ebony

Gospel Song Of The Year

• 'Boot 4 Boot' – Joyce Blessing
• 'Obi Nyanime' – Patience Nyarko
• 'Efatawo' – Nacee
• 'Adom' – Gifty Osei
• 'Jehovah' – Ceccy Twum

Hiplife Song of the Year

• 'Total Cheat' – Fancy Gadam ft Sarkodie
• 'Boys Boys' – Nacee F Guru
• 'Obi Agyi Obi Girl' – Captain Planet ft Kofi Kinataa
• 'Ayoo' – Shatta Wale
• 'One Corner' – Patapaa

Hip Pop Song of The Year

• 'State of The Art' – Teephlow
• 'Light It Up' – Sarkodie
• 'Grind Day Remix'– Kwesi Arthur
• 'Pen and Paper' – Kojo-cue and Shaker
• 'Dear God' – B4Bonah

Reggae/Dancehall Song of the Year

• 'Until The Dawn' – Efya
• 'My Own' – Samini
• 'My Name' – Stonebwoy
• 'Maya Burn Dem' – Article Wan
• 'Rewind' – Mzvee
• 'Dem Confuse' – Shatta Wale

Afro Pop Song of the Year

• 'Makoma' – Adina
• 'Oh Yeah' – King Promise
• 'Say You Love Me' – Kidi
• 'Sing My Name' – Mzvee
• 'Jennifer Lomotey' – Kurl Songz
• 'Sponsor' – Ebony
• 'My Baby' – Magnom
• 'Come From Afar' – Stonebwoy

Gospel Artist of the Year

• Joyce Blessing
• Patience Nyarko
• Joe Mettle
• Celestine Donkor
• Nacee
• Gifty Osei

HighLife Artist of the Year

• Wutah
• Kidi
• Kuami Eugene
• Becca

Reggae Dancehall Artist of the Year

• Shatta Wale
• Ebony
• Stonebwoy
• Mzvee

Songwriter of the Year (singer in brackets)

• Kumi Guitar – 'Dream' (Kumi Guitar)
• Joe Mettle – 'Bo Noo Ni' (Joe Mettle)
• Bullet – 'Maame Hw3' (Ebony)
• Willis Beatz – 'Last Show' (Kofi Kinaata)
• Samini – 'My Own' (Samini)
• Stonebwoy – 'My Name' (Stonebwoy)

Best Music Video of the Year (director in brackets)

• 'Dream' – Kumi Guitar (Abass)
• 'Selfish' – King Promise (Vertex)
• 'My Girl' – B4Bonah (Nicol Sey)
• 'Wedding Car' – Opanka (Bra Shizzle)
• 'Obi Agyi Obi Girl' – Captain Planet (Gyo-Phamous Filmz)
• 'Pen and Paper' – Kojo Cue and Shaker (E Kumodzi)

Record of the Year

• Dream – Kumi Guitar
• My Own – Samini
• Glory – Sarkodie
• State Of The Art – Teephlow

Hiplife/hip hop Artist of the Year

• Ponobiom
• R2bees
• Captain Planet
• Kwesi Arthur
• Sarkodie
• VVIP

Best Male Vocal Performance

• Joe Mettle – 'Bo No Nii'
• King Promise – 'Selfish'
• Kidi – 'Odo'
• Kuami Eugene – 'Angela'
• Mugeez – 'Over'
• Samini – 'My Own'

Best Female Vocal Performance

• Adina – 'Makoma'
• Nana Yaa – 'Don’t Leave Me Alone'
• Efya – 'Love'
• Mzvee – 'Bright Lights'
• Becca – 'Summuy3'

Best Group of the Year

• VVIP
• R2bees
• Wutah
• Coming Up Now at 4pm

Best Rapper of the Year

• Eno Barony – 'Fear No Man'
• Teflon – 'Phlowducation'
• Sarkodie – 'Light It Up'
• Shaker – 'Pen and Paper'
• Kojo Cue – 'Pen and Paper'
• Strongman – 'Transformer'

Best Collaboration of the Year

• 'Bo Noo Ni' – Joe Mettle ft Luigi Maclean
• 'Sing My Name Remix' – Mzvee ft Patoranking
• 'Jennifer Lomotey' – Kurl Songs ft Sarkodie
• 'Pain Killer' – Sarkodie ft Runtown
• 'Taking Over' – Shatta Wale ft SM Militants
• 'Obi Agye Obi Girl' – Captain Planet ft Kofi Kinata
• 'Na Wash' – Becca ft Patoranking

African Artist of the Year

• Davido
• Wizkid
• Too Fan
• Cassper Nyovest
• Nasty C
• Tiwa Savage
• Olamide

Best New Artist of the Year

• King Promise
• Kurl Songz
• Kidi
• Kuami Eugege
• Magnom
• Kwesi Arthur
• B4Bonah

Unsung Artist of the Year 2018

• Kelvyn Boy
• Dope Nation
• Dhat Gyal
• OBK
• Real MC
• Christian

Album of the Year

• Epistles Of Mama – Stonebwoy
• Highest – Sarkodie
• Daavi – Mzvee
• Bonyfied – Ebony

Song of the Year

• Joe Mettle – 'Bo No Nii'
• Shatta Wale – 'Ayoo'
• King Promise – 'Oh Yeah'
• Sarkodie ft Runtown – 'Painkiller'
• Patapaa – 'One Corner'
• Ebony – 'Sponsor'
• Kuami Eugene – 'Angela'
• Kidi – 'Odo'
• Shatta Wale ft The Militants – 'Taking Over'
• Fancy Gandam ft Sarkodie – 'Total Cheat'
• Magnom – 'My Baby'
• Captain Planet ft Kofi Kinaata – 'Obi Agi Obi Girl'
• Wutah – 'Bronya'

Artist of the Year

• Joe Mettle
• Ebony
• Shatta Wale
• Sarkodie
• Stonebwoy