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AFRIMA 2019: Nigeria’s Burna Boy, Davido, Wizkid, Others Battle For Continental Honours

By Chuks Nwanne

31 August 2019   |   4:29 am

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As stakeholders in the entertainment industry gear up for this year’s All Africa Music Award (AFRIMA), it’s now confirmed that Nigeria’s Burna Boy, Davido and Wizkid will battle Aminux (Morocco), Daphne...

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As stakeholders in the entertainment industry gear up for this year’s All Africa Music Award (AFRIMA), it’s now confirmed that Nigeria’s Burna Boy, Davido and Wizkid will battle Aminux (Morocco), Daphne (Cameroon), Diamond Plantnumz (Tanzania), Tamer Kaybee (Egypt) Nasty C and Prince Kaybee (South Africa) for Artiste of the Year award.

Regarded as the most prestigious of all the AFRIMA categories, rave of the moment Burna Boy was nominated for his song Gbona, while Davido was listed for his track Wonder Woman. Wizkid, on the other hand, made it to the list for his hit single, Fever featuring Tiwa Savage. Meanwhile, South Africa’s prolific rapper and producer Nasty C, Davido, Burna Boy and Northern Africa’s brilliant showman, Tamer Hosny have scored high nominations released by the International Committee of AFRIMA.

The Nominees’ List comprising the 26 Continental Award Categories is coming few days after the 6th AFRIMA Regional Categories comprising the Best Female and Best Male artistes within each of the five African regions were unveiled by the International Jury of AFRIMA during the World Media Conference held on August 14, in Lagos, Nigeria and broadcast live around the world on Africa Independent Television (AIT), RayPower Radio and Kennis FM.

The Continental categories are made up of the different genres of African music from Hip-Hop, Jazz, R’n’B, Pop and Reggae, Ragga & Dancehall to other coveted categories such as ‘Song of the Year’, ‘Album of the Year’, ‘Producer of the Year’ and ‘Best African Collaboration’ among others.

Over 200 songs have been nominated from a variety of artistes in the Continental and Regional categories cutting across a host of African talents and creative living on the continent and in the diaspora.

Leading the 6th AFRIMA nominations scorecard is South Africa’s Nasty C with nine nominations in the following categories; Best Male Artiste in Southern Africa, Artiste of the Year in Africa, Song of the Year in Africa, Producer of the Year in Africa, Best African Rapper/Lyricist, Best African Collaboration, Best Artiste, Duo or Group in African Hip-Hop, Songwriter of the Year in Africa and Best Artiste, Duo or Group in African R’n’B & Soul.

Following closely is Davido with six nominations, which include; Best Male Artiste in Western Africa, Artiste of the Year in Africa, Song of the Year in Africa, African Fans’ Favourite, Best Artiste, Duo or Group in African R’n’B & Soul, and Best African Collaboration for Blow My Mind with Chris Brown.

Burna Boy will be competing in five different categories, which are Best Male Artiste in Western Africa, Artiste of the Year in Africa, Song of the Year in Africa, Album of the Year in Africa and Best African Collaboration with Killin Dem featuring Zlatan’.

Egyptian artiste, Tamer Hosny copped four nominations in the following categories; Best Male Artiste in Northern Africa, Artiste of the Year in Africa, Song of the Year in Africa, and Songwriter of the Year in Africa.

Other artistes with multiple nominations include Diamond Platnumz, who accrued four nominations (Best Male Artiste in Eastern Africa, Artiste of the Year in Africa, Best Artiste, Duo or Group in African Pop and Best African Dance or Choreography category), and South Africa’s seasoned producer and DJ, Prince Kaybee with five spots (Artiste of the Year in Africa, Song of the Year in Africa, Producer of the Year in Africa, Best Artiste, Duo or Group in African Electro, and Best African Collaboration with Banomoya featuring Busiswa & TNS.

Meanwhile, public voting to stand a chance to win the 23.9 Carat Gold-Plated AFRIMA trophy commences on September 1 on the AFRIMA voting platform www.afrima.org Fans and followers of African music can access the online voting pages through the links on AFRIMA social media platforms or directly on the landing page on www.afrima.org. Voting closes at midnight CAT on November 22.

Speaking on the release of the 6th AFRIMA final Nominees’ List, Mr. Delani Makhalima, a member of the International Jury of AFRIMA representing Southern Africa, said, “As with each year, the musicians never cease to amaze us with their incredible talent. As jurors, we are impressed with the quality of work being produced. We are confident that the nominees’ list presented this year is a true reflection of world-class African talent and each year it gets harder and harder to judge and grade the standard, as all regions on the African continent continue to surprise us by what we see and hear.”

He continued: “It is encouraging to also see how the music lovers and fans are growing in record numbers to support the music. We are enthusiastic to see this wave of appreciation transcend across the border and overseas. We would like to encourage more musicians, songwriters, and producers to keep submitting and spreading the word of AFRIMA so that we can celebrate together the progress and pinnacles of where African music is reaching.”

The 2019 AFRIMA Call for Entry, which opened worldwide on May 15, exceeded the 2018 submissions by 148 entries. Of the 8,157 entries submitted this year, Western Africa led the pack with 38 per cent of the total entries followed by Southern Africa with 24 per cent. Eastern Africa, Central Africa, and Northern Africa have 20 per cent, 14 per cent, and 4per cent respectively. The 13-man International Jury of AFRIMA sat in Lagos, Nigeria from Wednesday, August 7, 2019, to Tuesday, August 14 for screening, assessing, grading and selecting nominees into the 36 different Regional and Continental awarding categories of AFRIMA.

The main awards event scheduled for November 20 to November 23 will span four days packed with activities, which include the 6th AFRIMA Welcome Soiree, the 6th Africa Music Business Summit (AMBS), the 6th AFRIMA Music Village, a Guided Tour of the Host City, the exclusive 6th AFRIMA Nominees Party and the 6th AFRIMA Main Awards ceremony.