HIP HOP WORLD AWARDS PREVIEW

....I'm watching Entertainment World with Isis on Silverbird TV,and guess who just popped up on the screen ? It's the koko-master himself D'Banj having an appetising full body massage executed by a gorgeous kokolet.Ol'Boy I envy these hip-hop stars no be small....



....Tommorrow I head to Veniveci ( I'm always getting the spelling and pronounciation wrong) ,a damn good spa at the Eti-Osa area.Last time I went there was like two years back and the memory still lingers. So sister Arin,now that I own a blog ( a whole blog by myself !)I hope you will treat me like a star - that is to say just forego the charges....



So much much for digressions !



I want to write about the Hip Hop World Awards. I've always felt that hip hop music is a dominant genre in Nigeria today due to the foresight and sacrificial efforts of two institutions:

Kennis Music and Ayo Animashaun's Hip-Hop World Magazine which blazed the trail when hip hop was a non- starter subdued under the dominance of reggae music ages ago.If I had my way,I'll ask each and everyone of these jeep-riding hip-hop stars of today to record a song in honour of Ayo Animashaun.He deserves no less.



I was at the maiden edition of this event some 2 or 3 years back ( courtesy of invaluable assistance from an admirable young man,Ayeni ),and immediately was impressed by the organisation and sheer splendour of it all.I commented that it certainly was not going to be a one-off event,and I've been proved right.



The list of nominees for this year's awards has just been given to me, and I can easily predict that this will be the most keenly contested so far.I also want to tease the judges by evaluating the nominees and predicting the likely winners.It's proving a good antidote for a missed shot at a valentine date!



.Lyricist : Mode 9 was hot,but I thought Ruggedman upped his already phenomenal writing skills in his latest album, and showed that life is not only about dissing fellow rappers.His live duet with Eidris Abdulkareem at The Vault was also one of the memorable happenings of 2007.He wins.



.Hip Hop Revelation: None of the nominees can really be described as revelations in the true sense of the word,but I'll give it to Sasha on the strength of her style.



.Next Rated:I enjoyed Ebutte-Metta ( a la Umbrella), but I'll give this to Wande Coal.



.Vocal Performance (female):There's little to differentiate between TY Bello,Lara George ,Asa and Niyola,so I do a ballot.......hmmm............TY Bello !



.Vocal Performance (Male): Whatever happened to Tu Face's True Love? Faze we all know can sing,but I'll pick Wande Coal's performance of Ololufe for this category.



.Best Rap Single: Stylee was the song that brought rap back to the top.No question about that. Jimmy Jatt wins.



.Collabo: All the nominees were awesome, but when it comes to the basics,and for a collabo too, Stylee was extraordinary. Stylee,Stylee,Stylee......"

Excerpts:


I reside in Lagos,the city of hustlers
Everybody is in a hurry
Traders and customers
...If you no strict
you go part with your cellular....
....This Lagos wey we dey so
Na our own !


Wait oh, could this be influenced by my being a Lagos Boy ?Who cares !



.Best Rap Album: I know Nigerian girls loved El Pluribus Unum,but personally I enjoyed First Lady the most (what am I saying?). So who wins ? Mode 9 has the bigger reputation, and will more likely nick it.



.Best R'n'B/Pop Album: Game Over had Do me and two other great tracks; Independent was a one song wonder until the videos dropped and two other tracks came alive.However, if we're talking about an album full of hits (video or no video), it doesn't come any better than Grass 2 Grace. Tu Face Wins.



.Reggae/Dancehall: The true story is that Timaya rejuvenated a fading genre. Julius Agwu, am I lying? Tell them. Timaya for award.



.Best Video: I don't understand why Yahoozee is not on the short list, but I easily appreciate the fact that there were so many quality musical videos in 2007 that one may be excused for overlooking such a splendid effort. For Professors looking to research on how a well-directed video can positively influence the sales of an otherwise average song, I recommend P Square's Do Me. Jude Okoye wins.



.Producer of the Year: ID Cabasa , not for Ruggedy Baba, but for the lethaly infectious Kolomental which for a moment turned all of us into near psychiatric cases.



.Recording of the Year: If production skills,creativity and overrall musical desterity is what

counts here, then I'll give this to Asa, no wait...TY Bello's Greenland..... no ,Asa . Asa wins , but only just.



.Song of the Year: Yahoozee brought novelty,Do Me took the entire Christmas, but Kolomental had the rest of the year. Faze wins.



.Album of the Year: You know,don't you? Grass 2 Grace.



.Artiste of the Year: 2007 belonged to the kokomaster - ask all the kokolets ! D'Banj, without rival.



.Who Did I Miss? Award : Freestyle and Sip Easy,Koffi and Green Is My Home,Style Plus ,and of course Sauce Kid's Sambaribobo.Warning:These category will not be presented at the Hip Hop World Awards!



Please join MTN in supporting Ayo Animashaun,Nigeria's Grandmaster of Hip Hop at the 3rd Hip Hop World Awards come March 15 in Lagos.Thereafter you score my predictions.







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