VGMA unsure of Dancehall Music

Charter House, organizers of the Vodafone Ghana Music Awards (VGMAs) has, once again, refused to fully acknowledge the presence of Dancehall genre as a force that merits a standalone category for the event.

Artistes’ works in both the Reggae and Dancehall genres in Ghana under the calendar year – from January 1 to December 31 2013 – would be screened and placed under the same category for this year’s music event.

Though some entertainment pundits and patrons of both genres have drawn clear distinctions between Dancehall and Reggae music in Ghana, the organizers of VGMAs insist Dancehall is new in Ghana and not yet fit to be in a separate category of its own.

“When we identified, for example, last year, that there was a lot of Dancehall rhythms that came up, we then had a Reggae/Dancehall category and it is the same thing that is happening this year because what we try to do is that the moment there is a trend, you don’t just go ahead to create a category, no! You will have to look 3 or 4 years whether that trend is sustainable,” Nii Ayittey Hammond, Director of Productions of Charterhouse, told NEWS-ONE after the press launch of the event.

According to Mr Hammond, “Until we are convinced as a board that that music form is here to stay, the best thing to do is to monitor it for a period of time and that is what we are doing,” he said.

Dancehall music in Ghana has, over the years, proven to be a genre which has a massive following comprising of both young and old. An array of fairly good artistes like Kaakie, Jupiter, Stonebwoy, Samini, Sonni Bali, Shatta Wale, Yoggy Doggy ,General Marcus among others have held the front for this genre making sure that they raise the flags Ghana high in that area.

It came as a surprise to most Ghanaian Dancehall music lovers when it was announced during the press launch of the 15th edition of the music festival that the genre will be paired with Reggae music at this year’s VGMAs.