Once Again, the MAMA’s shine like a million star

Once Again, the MAMA’s shine like a million star

The MAMAs may have finally come and gone, but the memories of Africa’s most spectacular awards event still linger on in our memories. It was really a night of excellence and class as the whole of Africa and some of the world’s best artistes converged under one umbrella to witness the Africa’s best award night. At 8pm, the entrance of the venue which was the prestigious Eko Hotel and Suites was already filled with cars of different varieties struggling to find their way into the hotel. After what seemed like eternity, I was finally able to park my car and make my way into the lobby of the hotel. I must admit that the organization of the event was close to perfect right from the parking lot to the main hall of the event. And the security arrangement was so intact just like the organizers promised.

How it all started

The night began at the red carpeted pool side of the venue, where guests present were treated to special cocktail with more than enough to eat and drink. It was also an opportunity for people to meet one another and effectively network. The awards night proper began at the main hall of the event at about 9pm with Eldee and Ikechukwu taking center stage as the first hosts of the night. The duo did a great job by setting the mood right for the night. The first performance of the night was by the heavily bearded U.S rapper, Rick Ross who got the already anxious crowd going nuts. It was the first time the huge rapper was making any appearance in Nigeria and it was really a memorable one. For once I never knew that the Miami based rapper had huge followership here in Africa but after his first performance that night, I was more than convinced when I heard virtually everyone rapping along with him. The shouts even got weirder when beautifully dressed American female rap sensation, Eve, appeared. The first lady of the rap group, Ruff Ryders, was particularly amazed by the reception she got when she came on stage. She was the main host for the night.

The biggest winners

The two biggest winners of the night were Democratic Republic of Congo’s Fally Ipupa and Nigeria’s 2face Idibia who both carted away two awards each. Fally Ipupa who got the highest nomination of the whole night with a total of 4 outstanding nominations, was the first to receive an award for the night as he beat Nigeria’s own P-square and Banky W in the category of the best video award of the year while also beating Ivory Coast’s DJ Arafat to claim the best Francophone track of the year with his hit track, Sexy Dance. 2face on the other side showed why he is still regarded as the best artiste in the whole of the Africa as he won both the best male artiste award as well the artiste of the year award beating the likes of Jozi(South Africa), Fally Ipupa, P-square, Black Coffee(South Africa) and Wande Coal to both awards.

The surprise winners of the night were both Daddy Owen (Kenya) and Mo’Cheddah who both bagged the awards of the best Anglophone song of the year and brand new act of the year respectively. It was an emotional night for Daddy Owen who happens to be the first ever gospel artiste to win a MAMA award that have spanned for three years now while Mo’Cheddah was simply stunned when her name was announced. Other winners of the night includes Liquideep (South Africa) for the song of the year category, Cabo Snoop (Angola) for the best Lusophone song of the year category, Sasha for the best female song of the year category and P-square for the best group of the year.

The best international artiste of the year went to the ever consistent US based rapper, Eminem who was unavoidably absent at the awards night. He was nominated alongside the likes of Rihanna, Rick Ross and Drake all from the U.S. The MAMA legend award went to South Africa’s Mariam Makeba for her role in South Africa’s fight to freedom as well as her melodious tracks.

The best performance

The night witnessed top class performances from the best of African artistes as well as other guest artistes and groups. After Rick Ross’s performance, it was the turn of Banky W and you can always trust him to give a good account of himself as he produced a brilliant performance with the support of five other top African artistes, next was Teargas, Sasha and Eve who gave out a five star performance in their stage. Then came the performance by Mo’Cheddah, Sardokie, Jojo and a member of old time US based rap group, Public Enemy in a rap collaboration. I was particularly delighted with Mo’Cheddah and the 15year old Gabonese sensation, Jojo, and although they where the youngest performers of the night, they still exhibited a touch of class. Wande Coal also performed as well as P-unit, Diamonds,

But I must admit that I was really surprised when it was announced that the best performance for the night was Big Nunz (South Africa). They had barely left the stage after their performance when Eve called them back to receive the award. From my own point of view, I thought that the award should have gone either to T-pain who got the crowd going wild with incredible performance amidst well coordinated choreography, Fally Ipupa who thrilled us with his Makosa dance steps that even Eve herself begged to learn, Banky W, who with the Nigerian flag high in the sky, made a cool African remix of his Lagos Party track with 5 other top African artistes or even 2face who had himself lifted high by the crowd while simultaneously performing his hit track Implication.

As the remarkable awards event leaves the shores of Nigeria, I begin to wonder where next year’s edition will be hosted. But one thing I know for sure is that no matter where the next edition is hosted, you can trust MTV to always bring the best and most organized awards event in the whole of Africa. Thumbs up to the organizers, the crew, the sponsors, the artistes and all those who came in from far and wide to witness the best of Africa music.