BASS AWARDS 2014

"Bass Awards" has been officially launched this year by  Rackus Production in partnership with Bullhaus Entertainment and Solid Multimedia, on Friday 30th May 2014,  at a media and stakeholder event held at the Z-Bar, World Trade Centre. Bass Awards is an annual awards scheme specially designed to reward and celebrate Reggae and Dancehall musicians in Ghana  who have excelled in the year under review and also serves as an annual gathering of lovers of Reggae and Dancehall.  It’s certainly a good time for Ghanaian Reggae and Dancehall music as well as artists, who have for the last year dominated the Ghanaian music scene, headlining almost all the major shows, from concerts to awards shows. Reggae and Dancehall currently rules!In its second year, and this  year’s edition of the Bass Awards is under the theme “Turn It Up”. This years launch does not do away with the usual controversy surrounding award shows in Ghana. After the declaration of this year’s nominees for the awards slated for August 30th, none of High Grade Family’s dancehall artistes was nominated despite Samini’s artiste of the year nomination at 2014 Ghana Music Awards. Organizers of the show has revealed that High Grade Family which houses dancehall artistes such as Samini, Kaakie and Jam Master Jay pulled out of the event, hence their exclusion from the nomination list . The General manager and head of communications at Rackus Production, Gabriel Boateng in an interview with Brain Stormer on Radio Universe said “High Grade Family made it clear that they don’t want to be part of BASS awards this year and we cannot begrudge them, we cannot force them.” He added that the music group opting out of the awards did not affect the event because “no singular artiste is bigger than the reggae/dancehall genre” “They just opted out without giving a reason but there are many reasons that go into someone pulling out from an award’ "Mzvee" who is obviously a new artist who just got into the Reggae/Dancehall music has been nominated for "Best Female Vocale Artist" and "Best Video" but was not nominated for "Discovery Of The Year". This is a surprise and a shame to the organizers of the show. What criteria and people do they employ to make these nominations. Mzvee is certainly a new discovery of the year and she should have been put in that category. This is just like "Joey B" been nominated for Discovery of the Year at the just ended Ghana Music Awards and going ahead to win when obviously, Joey B has started doing music since 2011 and even had a hit song "Strawberry Ginger"  ft D - Black in the year 2012. How can this person be nominated for Discovery Of The Year in 2014 when he has been doing music since 2012 and is known by the Ghanaian audience. These grave hitches in nominations for Award Shows should be checked and  curbed. Professionals should be hired to do these nominations and not just anyone. The nomination list has to be reviewed over and over again before it is released to the public. Ghana is a great nation and this kind of disgraceful actions cannot and should not continue in our entertainment world. The list of nominees for the various categories for the 2014 Bass Awards was also announced at the launch event. Radio presenter and musician, Blakk Rasta, Ras Kuuku and Shatta Wale were amongst the musicians with the highest nominations. It is of no surprise though that Shatta Wale headlines the list of nominees since this last year was a great year for him. He is the current Artiste of the Year in Ghana and received the highest amount of awards at the just ended VGMA's and it is of no doubt that history will repeat itself even though he has got great contenders.  Fans can vote for their favourite artists in the public voting categories via SMS from Monday 16th June 2014 and the winners will be celebrated at the Awards Night on Saturday 30th August 2014. Check out the list of nominees below; 1. DANCEHALL ARTISTE(S) OF THE YEAR Stonebwoy – Give it to them Shatta Wale – Enter the Net Jupitar – Freaky girl 2. REGGAE ARTISTE(S) OF THE YEAR Ras Kuuku – Father Blakk Rasta – Iyawata Iwan – Chant a song 3. BEST ALTERNATIVE REGGAE/DANCEHALL SONG (GOSPEL) Akesse Brempong – Crazy love Nii Soul – Count it all joy Jay Shady – Bestest friend Jael Wiafe – Don’t give up the fight 4. ARTISTE OF THE YEAR (KWAME NKRUMAH AWARD) Shatta Wale, Stonebwoy, Jupitar Blakk Rasta Ras Kuuku 5. DANCEHALL SONG OF THE YEAR Episode – Turn up Fuse ODG – Badder than bad Shatta Wale- Enter the net Stonebwoy – Give it to them Jupitar – Freaky girl 6. REGGAE SONG OF THE YEAR Buk bak - Mama cry no more Blakk Rasta - Iyawata Iwan – Chant a song Jah Wadada – Loving you Konkarah - Rise Ras Kuuku – Father Tinny - Mi love you Tsidifari – Ghana Gyadu-Blay Ambolley – It doesn’t Matter 7. BEST COLLABORATION OF THE YEAR (REGGAE) Blakk Rasta/Lami - Iyawata Kiki Jail/Shatta Rako – Me and You Papa Jingo/Jeron Tempo – Yen ye Baako Lingua Kat/Jah Amber - Makooma Ras Kuuku/Norris man – Give thanks 8. BEST COLLABORATION OF THE YEAR (DANCEHALL) D2/Shatta Wale – Fever Edem/Stonebwoy – Go harder Episode/Edem – Circumstance Method Ranking/Stonebwoy – Wind up Sarkodie/Banky W – Pon di tin Shatta Wale/D Black – Ina the Party Trade Mark /Natural Face – Mi Girl Nie Wiyaala/Jupitar – Rock my body 9. RECORD OF THE YEAR (YAA ASANTEWAA AWARD) Blakk Rasta – Eager to see Mandela Papa Jingo – Yen ye baako Episode - Mandela Na U – Kudos Ghana. Tsidifari – Ghana 10. PRODUCER OF THE YEAR Dakay Genius selection Infectious 11. MUSIC VIDEO OF THE YEAR (REGGAE) Na U – Believe in me Konkarah – Rise Ras Kuuku – Father Jon Germain – Still here Blakk Rasta- Iyawata 12. MUSIC VIDEO OF THE YEAR (DANCEHALL) Jupitar – Money Box Shatta Wale – Like my thing Sarkodie/Banky W – Pon di tin Wiyaala/Jupitar – Rock my body Mz Vee - Borkor Borkor 13. BEST MALE VOCAL ARTISTE OF THE YEAR Buk Bak – Mama cry more Jah ambar – Eye Wunkuaa Luther - Judge not Nature – Chameleon love Tsidifari– Ghana 14. BEST FEMALE VOCAL ARTISTE OF THE YEAR Mz Vee - Bokor Bokor Wiyaala – Rock my body 15. LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD Samson Quaye (Poncho) Consular Hayes Simple Man Kante 16. DISCOVERY OF THE YEAR Jah Wyz – My life A K songtress – The Empress Buju Stingo – Badder than them 17. RIDDIM OF THE YEAR Smirnoff and Guinness Riddim Kulcha Riddim 18. BEST PERFORMER OF THE YEAR Shatta Wale Stonebwoy Ras Kuuku Jupitar 19. ALBUM OF THE YEAR (REGGAE/DANCEHALL) Blakk Rasta – Ancestral Moon Splash 20. BEST SONG WRITER OF THE YEAR Buk Bak – Mama Cry no more Konkarah – Rise Ras Kuuku – Father Tsidifari – Ghana Ras Bomber – Danqua Circle 21. BEST AFRICAN ACT OF THE YEAR Wyre Jesse Jagz Alpha Blondy