Ohemaa Mercy Celebrates 10 Years in Music Ministry

So soon, it's been 10 years since gospel diva Ohemaa Mercy stepped foot on the gospel music turf and by God's grace has held an anniversary celebration.

March 8, 2014 marked the10th anniversary of Ohemaa Mercy in her journey as a mainstream gospel musician. A program which was held at the Trinity Baptist Church opposite University of Professional Studies at Madina in celebration of this anniversary saw a huge audience that filled the auditorium to its capacity.
   

Ohemaa 'the Singing Mercy,' as called by many, put up a splendid performance in entertaining the audience at the programme. So were a lot of colleague musicians including secular ones who came to support Ohemaa Mercy to celebrate her 10th anniversary. The likes of Gifty Osei, Uncle Atto, Opiesie Esther, Ceccy Twum, Mama Afia Owusua, Trigmatic and a lot more graced the occasion.
  

Ohemaa Mercy came into limelight with her debut album titled 'Made Meho' and later came out with 'Fefeefe,' 'Wobeye Kese,' 'Ntwetwede' and now 'Wofiri Mu'. She has won a lot of awards to her credit. She's won Gospel Artiste of the Year and Album of the Year in Ghana Music Awards and some international awards as well.
  

Ohemaa Mercy is undoubtedly one of the very best gospel brands in Ghana. On a day like this, Ohemaa Mercy must be commended for her tremendous contribution to the Ghanaian gospel music industry. She has impacted greatly on so many gospel musicians and her songs have healed the sick and saved the oppressed.

Stephen K. Nakujah

Sack Some VGMA Board Members!

Ghana Music Awards, though instituted by an individual and ran by the individual's private company is not the sole property of the owners but the entire music fraternity. Because of this, every stakeholder and fans of music has the right to suggest to the organizers how they think things should go as far as getting together the awards is concerned.

Even though I would always commend the organizers for doing their best in organizing Ghana Music Awards, sometimes they take things for granted and that is affecting their work. In the first place, the process of nomination, especially that of this year's, is riddled with flaws. A critical analysis of most of the songs in the nomination shows that they don't qualify to have been nominated. If the descriptions of the various categories have been changed for this year, the organizers should have made it known to the public because the public also vote to decide (as we've been made to believe) who wins the public voting categories.
 

What is GMA's definition for 'song release'? They had said that the moment a song is released onto radio, TV or the internet it is OFFICIALLY released. But the question is that 'who monitors when a song is released'? There is no mechanism to show when a song was put out onto the music market. This is why every musician who wants their songs to gain nominations would lie about the time of release of their songs so they could gain nomination.
   

I am sure by now someone would say it would be too big a work for the organizers to have a system or software that will determine when a song is released, just as they responded when I said unregistered songs should not be nominated. The fact is that no one forced anyone to organize awards for a group of people but if it must be done, it must be done expertly well. You cannot create an awards scheme, devise category descriptions to it and not have any means of checking if the songs being nominated are either truly the property of the supposed owner or whether the said date of release is really true. And when one suggests that songs that have not been registered are not nominated, people start comparing GMA to some award schemes elsewhere, forgetting that this is Ghana and we solve Ghanaian problems with Ghanaian solutions. We have been overly indoctrinated to the extent that we cannot think on our feet to solve problems our own way.
  

Let to me alone, the Academy or the Board should seriously monitor songs and their time of release. They should take records of when songs are released so that if someone comes to lie about their release dates, they are able to cross check. Recently, I read that Mark Okraku had on Happy FM, defended the inclusion of Kumi Guitar who per the VGMA category descriptions don't qualify for the New Artiste of the Year that, the new artiste of the year description for the year 2014 had been reviewed.
 

On Rainbow Radio, I heard Nii Ayite Hammond of Charterhouse say that the category descriptions had not been changed. The contradictions in what these Board members say tell clearly that all is not well with the VGMAs. To me, some of the Board members need to be changed. There are some Board members who have gone rancid while others owing to their long service on the Board have arrogated activities of the awards to themselves as though it belongs to them. This is why some musicians have found themselves in categories they don't qualify for.
  

Having studied the nominations carefully, it is clear that the Board members had favoured some people for nomination because probably these musicians have representatives on the Board. I say it again that Joey B and Kumi Guitar are not new artistes and that their nominations for the new artiste category should be revoked. The lies must stop. The organizers of GMA should come out and tell the public the real truth and stop the machinations. The nominations have too many mistakes in them so should be re-worked on.
  

There are thousand and one wiser music buffs in music industry that can do the job better job for the Board. It is about time those who have gone stale on the Board are supplanted. With that, there will be new flavor to the whole awards scheme and the 'string pulling' by the Mugabes on the Board will stop.

 Elvis R Baidoo

Respect The Young Ones In The Entertainment Industry

If you are an old or successful 'showbizer' who looks down on beginners, put a stop to that because it may affect you someday. We wonder why people become so arrogant and condescending when they accede higher level in the showbiz industry. When they climb to the top, they don't respect those who are of lower pedigree to them.

These old or successful showbizers don't respond well to the wannabes or up and coming ones when they approach them. Doing this will not add anything to their respect. People rather earn more respect from the younger ones when they give them good reception. Most old showbizers fear to be nice to the up and coming ones because they think if they allow them to be closer to them, they might take some of their fortunes and ride on their association with them to step on to stardom.
  

It is only a selfish person who wouldn't be happy to see someone below their standard, or someone they have mentored and advised soar higher. One needs to be happy if it happens this way. However 'abro ne beyie nti' they won't smile to them. It pertains to music, acting, radio, television and all the other sects of showbiz. When Obuor and his Musicians Union of Ghana (MUSIGA) leadership founded the Ageing Musicians Welfare Fund, most people lauded the initiative and the old musicians were beside themselves with joy. This was a young president, who under his tenure thought it wise to do something to cushion the lives of old musicians.
  

It tells that at a point in time somebody will definitely need someone else in this entertainment industry. The industry is too big but very small. It is cyclical. You loathe somebody today and tomorrow you regret it. If you are a radio presenter who treats wannabes badly, change for the better because, one day some of these wannabes could become your programmes managers. You may be at their beck and call. Such is the world.
  

There are some old musicians who were missing from the system but got their music careers rekindled when from no where they were featured on songs by the new artistes. Others would also be languishing in poverty and oblivion because there is no one to help them come out with albums again. For all you know while they were at their peak, they thought they were most important than any musician in the world, thus, despised the then younger ones who are today's leaders and musicians of the moment.
  

Let us learn to respect people and stop prejudicing them anytime they express opinions that may be scathing. For if you behave too bossy and you disregard the young ones, what do you gain? 

 Elvis R Baidoo

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Socrate ''Fights'' Okraku Mantey Over Kumi Guitar

Anytime Charterhouse unveils the nomination list of the Vodafone Ghana Music Awards, it comes with so much controversy and this year's nomination list is no exception. The award category that is creating the most controversy is the New Artiste of the Year which has Akwaboah, Joey B and Kumi Guitar vying for that award as well as a brand new car.

With respect to the New Artiste of the Year brouhaha, Movie Producer Socrate Safo has registered his displeasure and total disappointment at Mark Okraku Mantey with respect to his stance on the New Artiste of the Year category of the VGMA for which his (Mark Okraku Mantey) artiste, Kumi Guitar has been nominated.
 

Socrate Safo recounted that when the President of FIPAG, Mr. Hackman appointed him as his Spokesperson which generated so much controversy, it was Mark Okraku Mantey who advised him as a good friend would do to resign from the position. However he finds it very difficult to understand why Mark Okraku Mantey was not principled enough to stay off the VGMA Board entirely and advised against the nomination of Kumi Guitar.
  

According to Socrate, so far as Mark Okraku Mantey has been able to confirm that Kumi Guitar's song was featured on Sugartone's compilation about four years ago, that alone disqualifies Kumi Guitar as a new artiste. Socrate has also called for the deletion of Kumi Guitar from the nomination list adding that other artistes like Akwaboah and Joey B who have also been nominated for the New Artiste of the Year award do not qualify for that category.
  

As to whether the criteria for the New Artiste of the Year category had really been changed as Mark Okraku Mantey claims, he expressed shock as to why Charterhouse did not make the changes public knowledge especially during the unveiling of the VGMA nomination list.
   

It needs to be emphasized that the seeming confusion between Socrate Safo and Mark Okraku Mantey started on an entertainment discussion show on Adom TV hosted by the latter.

Ebenezer Narh Affum

Is Praye Still Together As A Group?

When news went viral that hip life music trio Praye made up of Praye Tenten, Praye Tiatia and Praye Honeho were suffering a break up, it was the hope of many Praye fans that it would end up to be a hoax but unfortunately, it was real.

Praye Tenten went away leaving behind Praye Tiatia and Praye Honeho to form the group Praye and the two did not rest despite the break up but released an album which had good songs like “feeling and the night is still young”. Though the songs on the album did not blow as we at Flex newspaper expected, they were enjoyed by true Praye fans who will follow their works despite every situation they find themselves in.
    

Now in an attempt to revive the career of Praye and to activate their brand, team Flex newspaper has been doing everything possible to make the group relevant as much as their image is concerned but as well as we tried, our efforts always went down the drain. We have tried pushing their songs to many DJ`s to support in the promotion including writing and publishing stories that will remind broadcasters especially that the group Praye is alive.
   

The recent one was to book them for an interview on our well listened to entertainment discussion programme on Pluzz 89.9fm called FLEX ON PLUZZ. The first time our producer David Offei Lartey called Praye Tiatia he told him (David) that they will be outside Accra for a gig so we should try the following week.
   

David called again the following week and this time he spoke to the two artistes yet they were not sure of each other`s whereabout. Whilst Praye Tiatia told us  Honeho was engaged on the Akuapem Mountains somewhere on his personal dealings, Honeho also responded that he was not sure if they could come together for the interview. Any suspicion on your side as we are also having here?
   

We only pray it does not really happen that way else, several meanings will be read into their break up including the emergence of Selly`s issues after the Big Brother show. It is our duty to find out what is really happening between them and we are promising readers of Flex newspaper that, it will happen soon.

Elvis R Baidoo

America's Gospel Sensation Fred Hammond Storms Ghana For Freedom Concert

Stand up Ghana, and shout with joy as America's Gospel Artiste FRED HAMMOND storms the country in this year's maiden edition of FREEDOM CONCERT. The concert which will be held on Saturday the 15th of March this year at the Accra Sports Stadium is to commemorate Ghana's Independence Day Celebration, to unite the nation, foster peace and tolerance among Ghanaians.

Ministering alongside Fred Hammond are Ghana's own ministers Cwesi Oteng, Ohemaa Mercy, Mary Ghansah, Joe Mettle, Francis Amo, Soul-Winners and a host of others.
  

The event is the first of an annual Gospel music concert organized under the auspices of Springs of Joy Multimedia to bring the whole nation together to worship, praise and dance to the Glory of God whiles fostering peace, unity and tolerance among the people.
  

The concert promises to be the biggest gospel show in Ghana for 2014. Minister Fred Hammond will treat the audience to some of his best gospel tunes that will shake the foundations of the Accra Sports Stadium.
  

That rich Ghanaian flavor will not miss out as Ghana's Gospel Pop Minister Cwesi Oteng will blend his contemporary music with that of the Gospel Queen Ohemaa Mercy's rich, Holy Ghost brewed sensational tunes. The good old but still very vibrant voice of Mary Ghansah will heal the heart of the nation. Soul-Winners and Joe Mettle will surely minister to bring the heavens kissing the earth. And finally, there will be a benediction of his Grace by Francis Amo.

 Elvis R Baidoo