Pharrell Williams - Inspiration, Motivation, Success

Field wide open as Channel O Africa Music Awards celebrates 10 years!

Johannesburg: Nominations for the 10th Annual Channel O Africa Music Awards were announced today, revealing an open field in the race to claim Africa’s most prestigious music awards.

Nominees in the 14 categories included multiple double nods for over 10 artists, from East, West and Southern African, reflecting the outpouring of world-class music videos on the continent over the past year. It’s now up to fans to vote for their favourites in this public-voted event, with more than two months for the continent’s music fans to have their say.

This year’s nominees list features many longstanding members of the African music scene, among them South Africa’s Oskido (“Tsa Mandebele” for Most Gifted African Southern), Zimbabwe’s Buffalo Souljah (“Basawine” for Most Gifted Ragga Dancehall Video), and Mozambique’s Lizha James (“Vais Rochar” with Anselmo Ralph for Most Gifted Female).

The list of nominees is also bursting with new faces, including the five contenders in the Most Gifted Newcomer category – South Africans Moneoa (“Is’Bhanxa”) and Idols Season 8 winner Khaya Mthethwa (“Move”), Nigeria’s Lola Rae (“Watch My Ting Go”) and Burna Boy (“Tonight”) and Kenya’s Victoria Kimani (“Mtoto”).  And the multiplicity of genres emerging in this highlight category of the 10th Annual Channel O Africa Music Video Awards – from Dance Pop to contemporary Afrobeat and Afro-fusion – provides a brilliant glimpse into the diversity of sounds that currently define Africa’s music scene.

To celebrate a decade of recognising the best African contemporary music talent, the 10th Annual Channel O Africa Music Awards has expanded the prestigious Most Gifted Video of the Year category to 12 nominees, increasing the pressure on nominees in the most fiercely fought category at the awards.

The category again reveals the mix of newcomers and established artists at this year’s event – a signal of the growing maturity of Africa’s music scene.

South African duo Mafikizolo’s “Khona” is up for Most Gifted Video of the Year as well as Most Gifted Dance Video, and Nigeria’s P Square proves their ongoing popularity with the nomination of “Alingo” for the Most Gifted Video of the Year as well as Most Gifted African West. 

But the Most Gifted Video of the Year category also includes hotshot newcomers, among them Kenya’s Xtatic whose track with Priddy Ugly and AKA, “Hit ‘Em Up” is making a strong bid for the title (as well as Most Gifted Duo Group or Featuring). AKA himself is making his presence felt at this year’s awards: alongside his featuring spots with Xtatic and Zeus, his video “Jealously” is in the running for Most Gifted Video of the Year and Most Gifted Hip Hop Video. 

Another nominee in the Most Gifted Video of the Year category is Kenya’s STL whose “Stella Stella Stella” has also put her in contention for Most Gifted Female where she’s up against Lizha James (Vais Rochar”), South Africa’s Zonke (“Feelings”) and Toya DeLazy (“Heart”)as well as Nigeria’s Tiwa Savage (“Without My Heart” featuring Don Jazzy).

Most Gifted Male includes Botswana’s Zeus featuring AKA and Tumi, “#Datswasup” (also in the running for Most Gifted Video of the Year) along with Nigeria’s Iyanya (“Flavour”) and Wizkid (“Azonto”), South Africa’s Donald (“Over The Moon”) and Tanzania’s Ay featuring Marco Chali (“Party Zone”).

Whether it’s in the heavy hitting categories, or the genre and regional categories, there’s no doubting that the 10th Annual Channel O Africa Music Video Awards have all the makings of a thrilling affair when the LIVE event takes place on Saturday, 30 November at Walter Sisulu Square, in Kliptown Soweto.

Just who will win Africa’s biggest awards on the night is now in the hands of fans! Voting opens tonight at 00:00am and closes on Thursday, 21 November at midnight and can be done on three different platforms - via sms:  artist voting code to the number +2783142100415. Standard SMS rates apply on the web and WAP at www.channelo.tv

Follow us on twitter @ChannelOTV and the 2013 Channel O Africa Music Video Awards official hashtag is #CHOAMVA.

Voting is available on these platforms:

SMS: artist voting code to the number +2783142100415. Standard SMS rates apply.

Web and WAP: www.channelo.tv

Channel O is available on DStv Channel 320 as well as on DStv Mobile.

Please find full list of nominees below:

MOST GIFTED MALE VIDEO
DONALD    -    OVER THE MOON	1A
ZEUS FT AKA & TUMI -  #DatsWasup	1B
WIZKID    -    AZONTO	1C
AY/MARCO CHALI    -    PARTY ZONE	1D
IYANYA    -    FLAVOUR	1E
MOST GIFTED FEMALE VIDEO
ZONKE    -    FEELINGS	2A
LIZHA JAMES FT ANSELMO RALPH   -   VAIS ROCHAR	2B
STL    -    STELLA STELLA STELLA	2C
TIWA SAVAGE FT DON JAZZY    -    WITHOUT MY HEART	2D
TOYA DELAZY - HEART	2E
MOST GIFTED NEWCOMER
MONEOA    -    IS'BHANXA	3A
LOLA RAE    -    WATCH MY TING GO	3B
KHAYA MTHETHWA    -    MOVE	3C
VICTORIA KIMANI    -    MTOTO	3D
BURNA BOY    -    TONIGHT	3E
MOST GIFTED DUO, GROUP OR FEATURING
TEARGAS  - WAKE UP	4A
XTATIC/AKA & PRIDDY UGLY - HIT 'EM UP	4B
MICASA - CAN'T GET ENOUGH	4C
EME - BADDEST BOY	4D
NAETO C FT D'BANJ  -  TONY MONTANA (BAD PASS) REMIX	4E
ZONEFAM - CONTOLOLA	4F
MOST GIFTED RAGGA DANCEHALL VIDEO
BUFFALO SOULJAH   -   BASAWINE	5A
KAAKIE    -    TOO MUCH	5B
JESSE JAGZ    -    MURDER DEM	5C
P-UNIT FT COLLO    -    YOU GUY (DAT DENDAI)	5D
RADIO & WEASEL    -    CAN'T LET YOU GO	5E
MOST GIFTED  HIP HOP VIDEO
AKA - JEALOUSY	6A
JAYSO & SARKODIE    -    PIZZA & BURGER	6B
REASON    -    DO IT LIKE I CAN	6C
IFANI FT BLAKSUGA - CHOCOLATE VANILLA	6D
E.L./M.ANIFEST    -    HALLELUJAH	6E
MOST GIFTED  R&B VIDEO
BANKY W    -    YES/NO	7A
VICTORIA KIMANI/M.I.    -    OYA	7B
ANSELMO RALPH - CURTICAO	7C
DANNY K    -    BROWN EYES	7D
CHASE    -    LONELY	7E
MOST GIFTED AFRO POP
THE SOIL FT ZAKWE - IINKOMO	8A
SAUTI SOL    -    MONEY LOVER	8B
2 FACE IDIBIA    -    IHE NE ME	8C
THE MUFFINZ    -    UMSEBENZI WENDODA	8D
DAVIDO  -  GOBE	8E
MOST GIFTED DANCE VIDEO
KCEE    -    LIMPOPO	9A
MAFIKIZOLO    -    KHONA	9B
FUSE ODG FT WYCLEF JEAN    -    ANTENNA	9C
DJ MALVADO FT PETTY  - JAMAICA	9D
DJ GANYANI  FT FB   -    XIGUBU	9E
MOST GIFTED KWAITO
L'VOVO DERRANGO FT PROFESSOR     -    PALESA	10A
PROFESSOR ft Oskido & Charactor    -    FINGER PRINTS	10B
EES   -   WOZA DECEMBER	10C
KABELO - IMPILO	10D
DJ TIRA FT BIG NUZ & JOOCY - SUMMERTIME	10E
MOST GIFTED  AFRICAN WEST
D'PRINCE - GOODY BAG	11A
ICE PRINCE    -    ABOKI	11B
R2BEES    -    LIFE (WALAAHI)	11C
D-BLACK/JOEY B    -    VERA	11D
CHIDINMA/ ILL BLISS/ THA SUSPECT  -   EMI NI BALLER	11E
P SQUARE  -    ALINGO	11F
MOST GIFTED AFRICAN EAST
P-UNIT/COLLO    -    YOU GUY [DAT DENDAI]	12A
SAUTI SOL    -    MONEY LOVER	12B
RADIO & WEASEL    -    MAGNETIC	12C
AY/MARCO CHALI    -    PARTY ZONE	12D
NAVIO    -    KATA	12E
MOST GIFTED AFRICAN SOUTH
DAMA DO BLING   -   MY EISH	13A
OSKIDO    -    TSA MANDEBELE	13B
BLACK COFFEE  FT ZAKES BANTWINI  -    TAKE IT ALL OFF	13C
PAUL G FT FABULOUS   -   GET CONTROL	13D
DJ DIMPLEZ FT L - TIDO & ANATII -    WE AINT LEAVING	13E
KHULI CHANA    -    HAZZADAZMOVE	13F
MOST GIFTED VIDEO OF THE YEAR
AKA    -    JEALOUSY	14A
MAFIKIZOLO    -    KHONA	14B
STL    -    STELLA STELLA STELLA	14C
P SQUARE    -    ALINGO	14D
FUSE ODG FT WYCLEF JEAN    -    ANTENNA	14E
XTATIC/AKA & PRIDDY UGLY    -    HIT 'EM UP	14F
ZEUS FT AKA & TUMI -  #DatsWasup	14G
WIZKID    -    AZONTO	14H
PAUL G FT FABULOUS   -   GET CONTROL	14I
REASON    -    DO IT LIKE I CAN	14J
R2BEES    -    LIFE (WALAAHI)	14K
ICE PRINCE    -    ABOKI	14L

The First 24 Hours of Responses to Kendrick Lamar's "Control" Verse

Kendrick, Kendrick, you done did boy, has the rap game shaking like a leaf in the wind. When someone attacks your city - the best way is to fight back and these MCs below did just that but not all attacks are great attacks but hey what the hell.

Joell Ortiz "Outta Control"

Mood: Excited.

Low blows: None.

He just threatens Kendrick metaphorically, and mentions that Kendrick said he was honored to meet him once. All his punches are pulled when he asks Dr. Dre for a job midway through, though.

Best Shots At Kendrick:

"Little homie you ain't the king of New York
You the next thing on my fork.
The messenger with all them rings on that horse
Carrying king's heads 'til I kick you in the chest and you cough
And fall into a bottomless pit
Homie, you know how many bodies that fit?
When we met you said, 'It's an honor man, the Yaowa can spit.'"

Better Than Kendrick: Nah.

Rating: 46 out of 108 Mics.

B.o.B. "How 2 Rap"

Mood: Defensive.

Low Blows: He seems more interested in cataloging the common criticisms lobbed at his career than scoring any points against anyone specific. Then he decides he finds rap "boring" (!?) and plays guitar for the rest of the track.

Best Shots at Kendrick: "Consider this tax for the swag that my city has given you niggas" is the closest to a real shot, if you think maybe he's sending shots at Kendrick for largely ignoring Atlanta's contributions when Kendrick listed his primary competition. Although Andre was mentioned, so this is kind of a reach.

Better Than Kendrick: Nah.

Rating: .038 out of 108 Mics.

Lupe Fiasco "SLR 2"

Mood: Perpetually aggrieved.

Low Blows: He sorta tries to get under Kendrick's skin by saying he raps like Wayne. Not sure why that's a diss, since it's not like Kendrick sounds that much like Wayne. Not sure there are any real lyrical body blows here.

Best Shots: "He's so crazy, look at the little baby

Nigga you ain't Nas, nigga you ain't Jay-Z

You will respect me, you will reject me

But I've done so much, no matter how far you go, you will reflect me."

Better Than Kendrick: Nah.

Rating: Not sure this can be properly rated, as we haven't been to Harvard and don't speak German, so translating from Lupe to English would take too long. There are probably 'levels' to this we don't get, although the tiresome meta explanations ("That was Adolf, reacting to my new shit") don't really make such an exercise seem fruitful. The parts where he explicitly jabs at Kendrick sound insecure about his own place in hip-hop and don't ring particularly true.

Rating:We're going to slap 54 out of 108 Mics on this, mostly in deference to the first "SLR."

Mickey Factz "South Park"

Mood: Just happy to be here.

Low Blows: He makes a sly Lady Gaga reference but it doesn't really land like a body blow. Sometimes being too clever makes it feel like a pulled punch.

Best Shots: Comparing him to Omar Epps in Juice is kind of funny.

Better Than Kendrick: Nah.

Rating: One, this guy doesn't have much traction right now as is, so it's hard to see him on Kendrick's level. Two, it's hard to open your verse with "Where I've been at, what I'm up to/Nobody cares," and still expect your rhymes to land with any authority.

Rating:24 out of 108 Mics.

Astro "KONY"

Mood: Like he's reading a teleprompter.

Low Blows: "You better chill with that Napoleon syndrome." Ha! Kendrick is kinda short!

Best Shots: See: Low Blows. His other disses are solely focused on not disrespecting legends while admitting that "ain't nobody repping [NYC] right, they scared, all talk." Hard to argue that he shouldn't claim king when no one else can.

Better Than Kendrick: C'mon.

Rating: 36 out of 108 Mics.

King Los "Control (Remix)"

Mood: Inspired.

Low Blows: None. In fact, he ends the verse praising every rapper mentioned in the original control. ("This nigga Drake nice on the mic and act/So many hits he fucked around and brought lightskin back.")

Best Shots: The entire song is no shots unless the line about Pusha T "pushing so long that he defines being a hustler" is a secret diss about his being old.

Better Than Kendrick: Nah, but probably the best/most entertaining effort, from a technical standpoint, on the entire list.

Rating: Los is probably the most underrated rapper on here, but this isn't really an answer record so much as an excuse for Los to show off that he has bars in a traditional sense. So, if you love hearing lines like "They gon have to have me shackled and tackled at tabernacles/While havin' my adams apple detached in a baptist chapel"—and who doesn't?!—then you should check this song out.

Rating: Not a diss song, but a solid 70 out of 108 Mics.

Cassidy "Control Freestyle"

Mood: Someone who's had a lot on his mind. (This song is nearly six minutes long.)

Low Blows: None directed at Lamar, who, he says, got him hype. At a rhetorical target, who is apparently a homosexual dickhead pussy hermaphrodite rookie, though, there are many low blows.

Best Shots: There're no real shots here, although at the end he claims that Kendrick wouldn't be able to shine on him on a song. My favorite line, though, is "I'm not in the best shape like I would like to be/But I exercise every time I lift my pipe to pee."

Better Than Kendrick: Nah.

Rating: Cassidy has always been a pretty strong punchline rapper and it's nice to see him get some clever work in. That said, this is six minutes straight #bars, which is a pretty epic undertaking to listen to when you've already heard this beat as many times as I have now.

Rating:65 out of 108 Mics.

You can achieve

Kendrick Lamar Bodies Rappers

South African rappers take a leaf out of Kendrick Lamar's branch. Unless you have just woken up from a deep coma, freed from jail or just landed from outer space then you know what the buzz is about. Rap was too nice; too I don’t wanna step on toes until Big Sean called up K-Dot to feature on Control.

The Cali native took the track to the cleaners, no one even cares that Jay Electron is also on that track or it’s a Big Sean track (really, he’s on that joint), oh my oh my THAT’S WHAT HIPHOP IS ALL ABOUT!!!! It’s like rap was down and Kendrick came with a defibrillator and shouted clear and all of a sudden there’s life. Don’t take Hustle’s word for it, check out what he says.

Tell Flex to drop a bomb on this shit/So many bombs, ring the alarm like Vietnam in this shit
So many bombs, make Farrakhan think Saddam in this bitch/One at a time, I line 'em up and bomb on they mom while she watchin' the kids/I'm in a destruction mode if the gold exists/I'm important like the pope/I'm a muslim on pork/I'm Makaveli's offspring, I'm the king of New York King of the Coast, one hand, I juggle them both/The juggernaut's all in your jugular, you take me for jokes/Live in the basement, church pews and funeral faces/Cartier bracelets/for my women friends I'm in Vegas/Who the fuck y'all thought it's supposed to be?/If Phil Jackson came back, still no coachin' me/I'm uncoachable, I'm unsociable/Fuck y'all clubs, fuck y'all pictures, your Instagram can gobble these nuts/Gobble dick up 'til you hiccup, my big homie Kurupt/This the same flow that put the rap game on a crutch/I've seen niggas transform like villain Decepticons/Mollies'll prolly turn these niggas to fuckin' Lindsay Lohan/A bunch of rich-ass white girls lookin' for parties/Playin with Barbies/wreck the Porsche before you give 'em the car key/Judgement to the monarchy/blessings to Paul McCartney/You called me a black Beatle, I'm either that or a Marley/I don't smoke crack motherfucker I sell it/I'm dressed in all black, this is not for the fan of Elvis/I'm aiming straight for your pelvis, you can't stomach me/You plan on stumpin' me?/Bitch, I’ve been jumped before you put a gun on me/Bitch, I put one on yours, I'm Sean Connery/James Bonding with none of you niggas, climbing 100 mil in front of me/And I'm gonna get it even if you're in the way/And if you're in it, better run for Pete's sake/I heard the barbershops spittin' great debates all the time/Bout who's the best MC? Kendrick, Jigga and Nas/Eminem, Andre 3000, the rest of y'all/New niggas just new niggas, don't get involved/And I ain't rockin no more designer shit/White T’s and Nike Cortez, this is red Corvettes anonymous/I'm usually homeboys with the same niggas I'm rhyming wit'/But this is hip-hop and them niggas should know what time it is/And that goes for Jermaine Cole, Big KRIT, Wale/Pusha T, Meek Mill, A$AP Rocky, Drake, Big Sean, Jay Electron', Tyler, Mac Miller/I got love for you all but I'm tryna murder you niggas/Tryna make sure your core fans never heard of you niggas/They dont wanna hear not