Africa's most gifted set to take flight with 2010 Channel O Music Video Awards

 

 

Africa's most gifted set to take flight with 2010 Channel O Music Video Awards

 

 

Africa's most gifted musicians are set to take flight with the just-announced nominations for the 2010 Channel O Music Video Awards, sponsored by MTN.

 

Like the pan-African vision of the channel that spawned the awards the nominees in this year's Channel O Music Video Awards are confirmation of the exceptional music talent that is being created in so many parts of Africa . From Hip-Hop to Dancehall; from Kwaito to Afro Pop; from Ghana to Angola ; from Namibia to Kenya - and so many other countries and music genres! - it's impossible not to be impressed by the nominees in this year's event and what they say about the healthy state of Africa's contemporary music scene.

 

"What's especially pleasing this year is the reach of the nominees," says Yolisa Phahle, Channel Director of M-Net's Special Interest Channels. "It's great to see a country like Angola make its presence felt and there is a strong showing by artists from Ghana and Kenya as well. It's now up to the artists and fans to mobilise in order to secure votes for the music videos that they believe deserve the honour of a Channel O Music Video Award. In the end, it's the fans who decide who walks away with the statuette."

 

In total, the 2010 Channel O Music Video Awards are spread across 14 categories – with five nominees in each category, except Most Gifted Video of the Year which features six nominees. After his high profile in the recent 2010 FIFA World Cup it's no surprise that Somalian-born rapper, K'Naan, is one of the leading nominees this year with three nods. His video for "T.I.A." has earned him a nomination in the Most Gifted Video of the Year category as well as for Most Gifted Hip-Hop Video and Most Gifted Male Video. The latter category is likely to be hard-fought and alongside K'Naan, it features Nigeria's Wande Coal ("Bumper To Bumper"), Nigeria's Banky W ("Strong Thing"), Botswana's Zeus ("Champagne Music") and South Africa's Black Coffee (with the video for "Juju" featuring Bantwini).

 

Also notching up three nominations is Nigeria 's M.I. whose video with Djinee – "Safe" – has ignited the continent-wide career of the rapper. Alongside Most Gifted Video of the Year, "Safe" sees M.I. in the running for Most Gifted Newcomer and Most Gifted Duo, Group or Featuring. Watch out too for Djinee, M.I.'s collaborator on the track, who is also a contender for Most Gifted Newcomer with the video "Overkilling". Other nominees in this closely-watched category – designed to honour Africa's emerging talent – is Mozambique's Gabriela with "Mina Nawena", and two new South African talents: Octave Couplet and Hydro with "Do Ur Thang" and L-Tido and T-P's "Calling".

 

Mozambique features strongly in this year's nominees list with Gabriela and Dama Do Bling ("Casar Com Outra") up for Most Gifted Southern Video. Their compatriot Lizha James represents Africa 's gifted female artists in the Most Gifted Video of the Year nominees list and her song with Loyiso – "Vou Te Atacar' – has also earned the Mozambican a nomination for Most Gifted Female Video.

 

Most Gifted Female Video additionally has Nigeria 's Mo'Cheddah featuring Othello ("If You Want Me"), South Africa 's Thembi Seete ("Free"), Kenya 's Witness ("Attention Please") and Nigeria 's Kenny Saint Brown featuring Da Grin (Turn Me Around"). In a poignant confirmation of his rising talent, the late Nigerian rapper, Da Grin – who was tragically killed in a car accident in April this year – also features as a nominee in the Most Gifted West Video category with his hugely popular song "Pon Pon Pon".

 

Ghana's D-Black and Kwaku-T are another leading contender with their video "Breathe". It's up for Most Gifted Video of the Year and Most Gifted Hip Hop Video. Samini also represents the West African country in the category Most Gifted Ragga Dancehall Video with the video "Sweet Mistake" whilst Ghana 's Jon Germain is in the running for a Most Gifted R&B Channel O Music Video Award with the video "In My Head".

 

Another nominee for Most Gifted R&B is Anselmo Ralph whose "Domesticado" flies the flag for Angola along with Big Nelo whose "Hoje E Surra" is up for Most Gifted Dance Video.

Alongside these nominees, there are plenty of others who have earned multiple nods including Kenya 's Nameless whose collaboration with Hadiba "Sunshine" is up for Most Gifted Afro Pop and Most Gifted East Video.

 

The 2010 Channel O Music Video Awards are set to take place on Thursday 4 November at the Sandton Convention Center , Johannesburg in South Africa .

 

Voters can have their say by voting via SMS [SMS the artist code to the number [+27 83 920 8406], on the web (www.mva.channelo.tv) or on their mobile phones [channelo.tv or on MXiT]. 

 

Ends.

 

FINAL
1	MOST GIFTED MALE VIDEO		SMS CODE
	WANDE COAL	BUMPER TO BUMPER	1A
	BANKY W	STRONG TING	2A
	ZEUS	CHAMPAGNE MUSIC	3A
	BLACK COFFEE FT.ZAKES BANTWINI	JUJU	4A
	K'NAAN	T.I.A	5A
2	MOST GIFTED FEMALE VIDEO
	WITNESS	ATTENTION PLEASE	1B
	KENNY SAINT BROWN FT DA GRIN	TURN ME AROUND	2B
	MO'CHEDDAH FT.OTHELLO	IF YOU WANT ME	3B
	THEMBI SEETE	FREE	4B
	LIZHA JAMES FT. LOYISO	VOU TE ATACAR	5B
3	MOST GIFTED  NEWCOMER
	OCTAVE COUPLET FT. HYDRO	DO UR THANG	1C
	DJINEE	OVERKILLING	2C
	L - TIDO FT.T-P	CALLING	3C
	GABRIELA	MINA NAWENA	4C
	M.I. FT. DJINEE	SAFE	5C
4	MOST GIFTED  DUO, GROUP OR FEATURING
	M.I. FT. DJINEE	SAFE	1D
	TUMI FT.BRICKS & TRACY LEE	BAMBEZELA	2D
	OBITA FT.LOYISO	EVERYBODY DANCE	3D
	P SQUARE FT.J-MARTINS	E NO EASY	4D
	DEEP LEVEL	WE RUN THIS CITY	5D
5	MOST GIFTED DANCE VIDEO
	DJ CLEO	MZIMBA SHAKER	1E
	BIG NELO	HOJE E SURRA	2E
	BIG NUZ FT.DJ TIRA	UMLILO	3E
	DJ VETKUK VS MAHOOTA/PROFESSOR	BAYETE	4E
	LIQUIDEEP	FAIRYTALE	5E
6	MOST GIFTED  RAGGA DANCEHALL VIDEO
	GENERAL PYPE FT.NAETO C,VECTOR, SASHA, DA GRIN & GT	CHAMPION (REMIX)	1F
	SAMINI	SWEET MISTAKE	2F
	BUFFALO SOULJAH	TOO MANY OF ME	3F
	WYRE	UPRISING	4F
	KWELA TEBZA FT. VARIOUS ARTISTS	BETTER DAY (REMIX)	5F
8	MOST GIFTED  AFRO POP
	D'BANJ	FALL IN LOVE	1G
	NTANDO	NGIYOSEBENZA	2G
	NAMELESS & HABIDA	SUNSHINE	3G
	ANOGIRI	OYIBO	4G
	JOZI	PARTY TIME	5G
9	MOST GIFTED  RNB
	JON GERMAIN	IN MY HEAD	1H
	TOLUMIDE	MY LOVE	2H
	GELLY	MZURI	3H
	URBAN REIGN	ADDICTED	4H
	ANSELMO RALPH	DOMESTICADO	5H
9	MOST GIFTED  KWAITO
	GAZZA	SHUKUSHA	1I
	BIG NUZ/DJ TIRA	UMLILO	2I
	FISHMAN FT GAL LEVEL	LET'S HOOK UP	3I
	MZAMBIYA/HOWZA	BADALA	4I
	TKZEE	SDUDLA	5I
10	MOST GIFTED  HIP HOP VIDEO
	K'NAAN	T.I.A	1J
	J.R FT. HIP HOP PANTSULA	SHOW DEM (MAKE THE CIRCLE BIGGER)	2J
	D-BLACK & KWAKU-T	BREATHE	3J
	NAETO C	AKO MI TI POJU	4J
	TEARGAS	GO AWAY	5J
10	MOST GIFTED  SOUTH VIDEO
	BUFFALO SOULJAH	EZANDHLA PHEZULU  (HANDS UP)	1K
	PROVERB FT. HIP HOP PANTSULA	BREADWINNER	2K
	DAMA DO BLING	CASAR COM OUTRA	3K
	BIG NUZ FT. DJ TIRA	UMLILO	4K
	PRO	SEKELE	5K
10	MOST GIFTED  EAST  VIDEO
	WYRE	UPRISING	1L
	AVRIL	MAMA	2L
	NAMELESS & HABIDA	SUNSHINE	3L
	OBITA/LOYISO	EVERYBODY DANCE	4L
	SHAA	ZAMU YANGU	5L
11	MOST GIFTED  WEST VIDEO
	2 FACE	IMPLICATIONS	1M
	BECCA/SAMINI	FIRE (REMIX)	2M
	DA GRIN	PON PON PON	3M
	J-TOWN	GUNS & ROSES	4M
	SASHA FT.NAETO C/SAUCE KID	MAKING MONEY (REMIX)	5M
14	MOST GIFTED VIDEO OF THE YEAR
	TEARGAS	PARTY 101	1N
	D-BLACK & KWAKU-T	BREATHE	2N
	LIZHA JAMES FT. LOYISO	VOU TE ATACAR	3N
	M.I. FT. DJINEE	SAFE	4N
	TKZEE	DIKAKAPA	5N
	K'NAAN	T.I.A	6N