I love music brewed in the northern pot and would do anything to promote it. So it is difficult for someone to pick my phone and not find northern music on it.
People who understand languages spoken in the northern part of the country listen to the songs from there not just for pleasure but as a source of teaching moral lessons. This is due to the fact that, musicians from here make good use of proverbs and other interesting phrases that teaches moral lessons.
I have lived in the northern, upper east and upper west regions of the area and have listened to their songs and I must say, they are great tunes and if people invest in the guys here, you will not regret you did. In this article am going to talk about ten musicians to look out for in 2017 especially from the upper west region and am doing this in no particular order.
Cypher
This act is signed onto TaDaaHigh entertainment label in Wa. He is a rapper but sometimes he does a bit of dancehall tunes. He has a few hit tracks to his credit and if he is supported in the form of some music lessons and also proper management he will cause trouble both in upper west music and at the national stage. He has good stage craft as well.
CTY (Catch them young)
This is one bad versatile artiste from the region. He is currently a student at the Islamic University College in Accra but a good artiste in the making. His track *Nkulenu*is blazing on various radio stations in the region and a party is not complete in upper west without Nkulenu being played.
He is signed onto the KingShip Music record label. What he needs is exposure at big events and I bet he will blow the audience away.
He is a singer and a rapper and has a few collaborations with acts within the upper west region and outside. He is currently the reigning new artiste of the year at the Upper West Music Awards.
Ojay Things
Another KingShip Music act who is able to sing in both Waale and Twi. His hit track ECG released during the Dumsor crisis is still a hit in the Upper west region. He has good stage craft and if pushed to the big stages he won’t disappoint. His latest track Gbainla is blazing at parties and on radio stations.
Stunner
An artiste who just joined the train in the rap zone of the music industry. His rap skills is the talk of town. He is signed onto the FreeKing Music Label and his hit track Sombo Daa (Sombo Market) is a favourite at clubbing sessions. He only needs to combine his act with various languages or do collaborations to get that appeal from people who do not understand his native Waale language.
GameBwoy
One of the most controversial acts in the region signed onto the BJ Music label. He is noted for his signature Nwaii or Rambo style. He is a dancehall act who sings in both his native Waale and English.
His new management is working on rebranding him to ensure he is not headlining controversies in the industry. If it goes on well I won’t be surprised he gets some collaborations from some notable dancehall acts in the country.
Wiz Malik
His currently the man of the year as he says in his bangs Man of the year. He is a rapper and a singer who is good in Waale,Twi and Dante. His latest banger Ungrateful features Koo Ntakra of MTN Hitmaker fame and is getting a lot of airplay in the region. He is expected to do more collaborations with act from the southern part this year hence I won’t be surprised if he breaks into the scene this year.
Yung Ghali
A sound engineer, a dancer, a rapper and a singer who started in a very humble way. He currently has several hit tracks to his credit. He creates his beats on his own and mixes them on his own. His latest hit track is Logolope is an anthem for a lot of people as it talks about how we should shun negative comments from people. He is signed onto Team Work Records and his stage craft is still a wonder to many. With hard work I believe he will break into the limelight this year.
Mr. Wab
He is a dancehall general in the upper west region and his focus is often on societal problems. He has released a track on bleaching and another one on immorality which are both doing well in the region. He has his own label Mr. Wab Music. He only needs a push financially to get to the height. He also needs to work on his confidence level especially meeting with people who can push his act to that next level.
Nashberry
He just entered the music scene but his hit song Nima to Kambali is making waves in the region. He however needs to work on his singing and audibility before he can make a headway. However with the collaborations he is currently working on, he will be a guy to watch this year.
HadjiMusic
One act to watch closely due to his versatility. He combines English (Patois) and his native Sissali to do his dancehall stuff. He is currently on the Spears Record Label and he holds the highlife song of the year with his Future Queen Track. He promises to hit the nation so hard this year so people must watch out for him.
There are other acts who will be making an announcement for themselves this year and though I have tipped these guys above, I believe more and more guys will prove themselves.
Next time I will talk about the bane of upper west music.
