Nigeria is Africa's Best in Music at 2010 MAMA with Airtel
· As 2Face, P-Square, Mo'Cheddah, Sasha leads Nigeria's dominance of music in Africa in 2010
· Fally Ipupa, Liquideep, & Eminem win big
· Airtel says awards reflect rich vein of talents in the continent
Lagos, Nigeria; Saturday, December 11th, 2010: Nigeria, last night continued its reign as the king of the music scene in Africa with a commanding victory of several of its artistes at the 2010 MTV Africa Music Awards with Airtel (MAMA), the continent's biggest awards event in the entertainment industry.
Classy Hip pop star, 2Face led three other Nigerian artistes including Rhythm & Blue duo, P-Square, female vocalist, Sasha, and rising star, Mo Cheddah to put the country firmly on top of the awards chart at the highly impressive ceremony put together in Lagos by the global music channel, MTV and giant telecommunications company, Airtel.
The show was held in Lagos, Nigeria on Saturday, December 11, 2010, a year after the event was held in Nairobi, Kenya's capital city.
2Face who also sang his way to the hearts of many music lovers with a scintillating performance at event, won both the Artist of the Year and Best Male trophies. The dancing sensation and popular pair, P- Square further ensured Nigeria's dominance of the continent the music prize chart by emerging winner of the Best Group of the year.
Another artiste, Sasha won the Best Female award, becoming the first Nigeria's first ever winner in the category that has been dominated by Kenyan music arts over the years while budding superstar, Mo Cheddah notched up her first win in the hotly contested Brand New Artiste category which recognises rising stars tipped by MTV for success.
Nigeria with four prizes was followed by South Africa with three awards. The country's good showing was aided by the South African pop/R&B outfit, Liquideep clinching the Song of the Year award with their hauntingly lovely 'Fairytale'. The New MAMA award category, the Best Performance prize was won by the trio group, Big Nuz while the MAMA Legend trophy was by taken by the late music celebrity, Miriam Makeba.
Other African countries that featured in the awards list included the Democratic Republic of Congo, Angola and Kenya. The sensational Congolese artist, Fally Ipupa, took home two trophies at the music awards ceremony, the Best Video (“Sexy Dance”) prize and the Best Francophone act award.
Cabo Snoop nicked Angola's ever trophy at the MAMA, winning the Best Lusophone act prize while the Kenyan Gospel breakthrough artist, Daddy Owen won the inaugural Best Anglophone award.
Daddy Owen's victory is the first by any gospel artist at the MAMA.
The prestigious Best International act was received by Eminem who accepted the award via satellite from the USA.
The 2010 MAMA awards opened with an explosive performance by Hip Hop heavyweight, Rick Ross, and closed with an unforgettable rendition of “Win” featuring T-Pain, Rick Ross, Da LES and 2Face – a world first. In keeping with the tradition of the awards, the show featured an array of electrifying collaborations between artists from different parts of the continent, mixing up music genres, language and cultures in a unprecedented extravaganza of African talent. Among the collaborations were Nigeria's 2Face who hooked up with South African rock outfit The Parlotones. The performance of Banky W's “Lagos Party” saw South Africa's Big Nuz, Angola's Cabo Snoop and Paul G and DRC's Barbara Kanam rocking the house with the first ever truly pan-African version of the hit track.
Speaking at the ceremony, Alex Okosi, Senior Vice President & Managing Director, MTV Networks Africa, said “Tonight's MTV Africa Music Awards with Airtel was a joyful and uplifting celebration of African youth culture and music. It brought together the best talent from across Africa to showcase the incredible music that Africa has to offer to the world. It is amazing to see the collaborations between the artists as it fosters a spirit of camaraderie and creative exchange that takes their music to a new level.”
In his remarks, Andre Beyers, Chief Marketing Officer, Airtel Africa, said “The diversity and talent of the performances this evening was a reflection of the vast and rich talent pool that Africa has to offer. We at Airtel are proud to partner with the MTV Africa Music Awards as it is a platform for the youth and young at heart in Africa, enabling them to showcase their talent to a global audience. Music is an important way to connect with Africa as we relaunch the Airtel brand on the continent. It will support Airtel's mission of giving the youth a means to express themselves and the freedom to do more.”
Among the performers at the 2010 MTV Africa Music Awards with Airtel were: 2Face (Nigeria), Banky W (Nigeria), Barbara Kanam (DRC), Big Nuz (South Africa), Cabo Snoop (Angola), Daddy Owen (Kenya), Diamond (Tanzania), Eve (USA), Fally Ipupa (DRC), J. Martins (Nigeria), Jozi (South Africa), Liquideep (South Africa), Lizha James (Mozambique), Mo Cheddah (Nigeria), Paul G (Angola), P-Unit (Kenya), Public Enemy (USA), Radio & Weasel (Uganda), Rick Ross (USA), Sarkodie (Ghana), Sasha (Nigeria), T-Pain (USA), Teargas (South Africa), The Parlotones (South Africa), Wande Coal (Nigeria).
Guest presenters and celebrity guests included Ba Ponga, Dama do Bling, Lizha James, Daniel Amokachi, Oluchi, Julius Agwu, Genevieve Nnaji, Muthoni, Nneka, MTV VJs Vanessa Mdee & Sizwe Dhlomo, Tatiana, JoJo and fashion designer Lisa Folawiyo.
Rollcall of winners at the MAMA 2010 WINNERS
Best Anglophone – Daddy Owen (Kenya)
Best Francophone – Fally Ipupa (DRC)
Best Lusophone – Cabo Snoop (Angola)
Artist of the Year- 2Face (Nigeria)
Best Female – Sasha (Nigeria)
Best Male – 2Face (Nigeria)
Best Video – Fally Ipupa (DRC): “Sexy Dance”
Best Group – P-Square (Nigeria)
Brand New Act – Mo'Cheddah (Nigeria)
Best Performance – Big Nuz (South Africa)
Song of the Year – Liquideep (South Africa): “Fairytale”
MAMA Legend – Miriam Makeba (South Africa)
Best International – Eminem (USA)
The MTV Africa Music Awards with Airtel premieres on MTV base (DStv Channel 322) on Saturday 18 December at 19:00 CAT, with repeats on Sunday 12 December at 08:00 CAT and 14:00 CAT.