Current highlife artistes are lazy – Nero X

Highlife musician Nero X has described as "case of laziness" on the part of his fellow highlife artistes and himself not being able to develop highlife genre further.

“Dancehall has taken over because there is no seriousness in whatever highlife artistes do…we used to enjoy highlife more but now it’s changed,” he lamented in an interview with Joy News’ MzGee.

Some decades ago, the Ghanaian music industry was characterized by some great highlife hits from highlife greats. The likes of Daddy Lumba, Amakye Dede, Ben Brako, A. B. Crentsil and Kojo Antwi.

In recent times, Kwabena Kwabena, Kwaisey Pee and Bisa Kdei all have made names for themselves with the genre highlife.

However, other genres of music – dancehall, hiplife and hiphop - have given highlife music a run for its money. Highlife is clearly not as popular as the latest genres have been in the past few years.

According to the ‘Osey’ hit star, highlife in recent times has lost its touch of quality in Ghana which has paved way for Nigeria to pick it, rebrand it and serve it back to Ghanaians.

Nero X, known in real life as Joseph Nkrumah Buabeng, added that aside laziness, lack of investors adds to the woes of the highlife industry. He also believes the industry has become monopolized.

“The industry has become kind [of] ‘one-way’. As you can see these awards always recognise the same people, but we have talents out there. Go to Takoradi and listen to their songs, better highlife songs, but no investors to push them,” he said.

The highlife musician was of the opinion that modern day highlife musicians are living on past glories.

The Takoradi-born and bred star says this is a wake up for highlife artistes to step up to be the plate, to industry players he says the time to harness new talent is now and for Ghanaians to appreciate Ghanaian music more.

Big stories this week you need to know of

The week has come to a close and I must say this week has been a consuming one with a lot happening on social media and traditional media.

Ghana got talking to a host of issues ranging from politics, sports, education, sex, fashion and other topical issues.

The biggest story that got Ghanaians talking was Ghana's lost to Cameroon and a poor show in the game. What infuriated Ghanaians the most was the fact that the goalkeeper insulted them even before the game.

However, in this article, our focus will be limited to the entertainment industry and the various topical issues for the week and the focus will be on Ghana.

1. Ara B sent to the cooler

One issue that got the whole country talking was the arrest of Ara B by Shatta Wale's baby mama, Shatta Michy. Ara B in a post on Facebook alleged that Shatta Michy is a lesbian and an unfaithful woman who sleeps with friends of Shatta Wale. The Dancehall Prince was arrested after his post but was later released after spending the night in the cooler.

2. Kwabena Kwabena's wife divorces him

Reports had it that wife of highlife sensation, Kwabena Kwabena had divorced him because he was having an affair with another woman who he 'claims' is his manager. His wife Abena according to reports is asking for the highlife singer's house, car, and custody of the two children they have.

Any award to a Media Excel artiste questionable – Silky Sweet

Ernestina Afari also known as Silky Sweet, a regular entertainment pundit on Onua 95.1 FM’s entertainment talk show Anigye Mmre, has said VGMA awards to any gospel artiste under Media Excel Productions record label are questionable.

George Quaye, who is the Head of Communications at Charterhouse, organizers of Vodafone Ghana Music Awards (VGMA), accused some gospel artistes of bribing him. “I have been offered bribes by Gospel artistes, if I could or anybody on the board could alter results, some of the bribes are very lucrative and because it is impossible we are unable to take it.”

The statement did not go down well with some persons within the creative arts industry. This included gospel musician Cwesi Oteng, who first took to Twitter and described the statement as “stupid”.

He also urged fellow Gospel musicians to boycott the Ghana Music Awards until the people who offered bribes were brought to book since the comment was a total disrespect to gospel musicians.

A member of the panel of the show on which George Quaye made the allegation was Kwesi Ernest, the Chief Executive Officer of Media Excel Production, a record label known for investing in gospel music.

SP Kofi Sarpong, Joyce Blessing, Rose Adjei, Bernice Offei and Abena Ruthy are among artistes produced by Media Excel.

Silky Sweet said Kwesi Ernestshould have spoken against George Quaye for the comments. She told host Christian Agyei Frimpong that all the awards picked by artistes under the record label Media Excel are questionable.

Michael Boateng, popularly known as Mike 2, who is the Public Relations Officer (PRO) for Concerned Radio Presenters, in a statement has called for George Quaye and the board members of the prestigious awards scheme to resign and, subsequently, investigated over the bribery allegation.

Source: Onua FM

Lifestyle: Waist beads: An exposé into the trend among modern Ghanaian Women

Waist beads are very common accessories in Ghana. If you are a lady you may have worn them a few times and if you are a guy you may have seen them around family members or your female significant other .

Waist beads are usually small, colourful pieces of pierced glass, wood or plastic strung together to serve as adornment for the waist. Since time immemorial, several tribes in Ghana notably Ewes, Krobos, Ga-Adangbes and Ashantis have used waist beads to shape children and women and also used these beads as accessories.

For some tribes, waist beads are worn for both male and female children but the male child removes his beads when he is 12 to 36 months while the female continues to wear it through to adulthood. Krobos and Ga-adangbes especially associate with this kind of tradition.

While tradition remains the primary reason for ladies who wear waist beads in the 21st century, some people have quite interesting and unusual motivations for keeping this custom alive in modern day Ghana. I hosted a series of interviews with Ghanaian women of all ages, to learn more about this trend and the results may just shock you.

OLD WOMEN (over 50years)

Not surprisingly, women within this age group motives are definitely traditional. Aunty Marvel, a 53 year old Ewe woman, explained that waist beads give shape to children and also serves as an accessory. She added that waist beads are used to shape both the waist and calf of the kids. “As the babies grow, the beads press in on the flesh and give the desired shape.”

MIDDLE AGE WOMEN(30-49)
Women of this age wear waist beads to attract the opposite sex. Akosua 36, recalled that when she was in high school several years ago, the headmistress banned waist beads because the girls would attract the men in the school as well as husbands of the teachers. To her, men cannot get enough of a woman who wears waist beads especially when it shows through their school uniforms and this caused the headmistress and female teachers to fear for their marriages.

Jessica 32, says that her boyfriend cannot get his hands off her waist beads and he might probably be the only reason why she still wears the beads. “there will be war the day I remove it…hmm” she said.

YOUNGER WOMEN (18-29):

This age group had more varied reasons for wearing waist beads. Korkor 24 wore them for cultural reasons. She said she grew up knowing that Ga-Adangbes and waist beads were inseparable. She admitted that she didn’t know the reason behind this “rule” but is not curious enough to find out.

A few ladies claimed that waist beads give them a nice shape and that is why they wear it (think of it as a natural waist trainer if you will) while a few think it is just an accessory for the waist. One lady also said she does not like waist beads but just like Jessica, she only wears it to please her boyfriend but removes them when she is not with him. Looks like waist beads war is not a joke after all.

One lady had a rather weird reason for wearing waist beads. “I just like the sparkles of the crystal beads when I am in the dark” was Ama Safowaa’s response when I inquired about why she wears beads.

Whatever your reasons for wearing waist beads, they are certainly a symbol of our proud Ghanaian heritage, history and culture and I hope we millennials pass down this powerful emblem and its significance to future generations.

This is the picture of Razak Braimah and his wife Ghanaians can't stop talking about

A picture of goalkeeper Razak Braimah and his wife is current being circulated on various socal media platforms and is receiving massive attention from users of social media.

In the picture, the under fire goalkeeper is seen wearing the same fabric with the woman who is a foreigner, with both of them looking good together.

Razak Braimah came under serious criticism after an audio of him insulting Ghanaians leaked online. In the audio, the goalkeeper is heard using several unprintable words against Ghanaians who he thinks have been critical of the Black Stars although they are putting in their best to make the country proud.

Although ghanafuo.com could not confirm as of the time this report was been filed, we can say that the footballer is blessed with a very pretty foreign wife.

“I want sex, not Bible verses – Pastors wife tells court.

A Zimbabwean pastor’s wife, who has gone seven years without sex, couldn’t withhold her emotions when she appeared before a court and accused her husband, Petros Tshuma, a pastor with Zion Grace International, of starving her since 2010.

Instead, she says he sleeps with other women from his congregation.

“Your worship, I’m sexually abused by this man as he last had sex with me in 2010. If I ask him about the issue he would promise to make up for it but when it’s time for sex he simulates sickness then claims to be feeling pain in his stomach,” she said.

Mary Ngwenya added that her husband would also claim his testicles were swollen but had other partners to sleep with as she literally pleaded for sex in front of the magistrate.

“What I know is that he enjoys sex with three ladies from our church. I have WhasApp text messages to prove that.

“I’m a human being. I don’t survive on Bible verses and I need my husband to sleep with me. Now I lead a pretentious life telling the women I lead that I’m enjoying my marriage while I’m sex starved,” she said in between sobs.

However, Tshuma admitted the blame.

“I love my wife but I have a problem, when I engage in sex my stomach starts to twinge as a result I feel an intense pain and due to that I had to stop. It’s not true that I’m in love with other women. My wife saw text messages from the women who wanted counselling on their marriages, due to that she quickly concluded that I’m in love with them,” he said.

The judge Masuku ordered Tshuma to have sex with his wife and not to emotionally abuse her.sasyghana.com

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Return Gov’t vehicles in your possession if - Randy Abbey, Ade Coker warned

Ace broadcaster, Randy Abbey and the Greater Accra Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Kobina Ade Coker have been ‘warned’ to return government vehicles in their possession.

Brong Ahafo Youth Organiser of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Kwame Baffoe, also known as ‘Abronye DC’ issued the warning to the two on Asempa FM’s Ekosii Sen Programme on Thursday while speaking about government assets in people’s possession in the country.

“We are warning Randy Abbey and Ade Coker to be ready for us and return the government vehicles in their possession…we are coming after them next…,” Abronye DC threatened on the show.

The NPP Youth Organiser confessed on the show that he was the one who led a team of persons believed to be from the National Security, DVLA and the Military to the residence of NDC Organiser, Kofi Adams to seize his five vehicles.

Kofi Adams on Wednesday said that some armed military men, DVLA officials and national security personnel stormed his residence at Golf City in Tema and drove away five vehicles.

The vehicles, he said are three (3) Land Cruisers and two (2) Pick Ups.

Of the five, three of them - a Pick Up and 2 Land Cruisers belonged to him while the other two Land Cruisers belonged to his brother.

                                       Ade Coker - Greater Accra NDC Chairman

And the seizure, Kofi said has affected the daily activities as the vehicles were meant to run various errands for him.

He has since accused the NPP and the Nana Akufo-Addo administration of engaging in acts of lawlessness.

Abronye DC claimed that he and his team have a tall list of government vehicles which are in possession of former government officials, party persons and their cronies.

He said they would continue to pursue such persons until they return the government assets.

“If you claim the vehicles are yours, produce the original documents when we come to you, we would compare that as well…,” he said.

Randy Abbey was said to be very close to former President John Mahama; former Majority Leader, Alban Bagbin cited him as the one had to contact before having access to the former President.

Randy confirmed his love for President Mahama and promised to vote for him during the last NDC rally at the Accra Sports Stadium.

“I have a good relationship with Nana Addo but I choose JM. I am voting for John Mahama”, he declared at the time.

Ade Coker has also been the Chairman of the Greater Accra NDC.

Abronye DC however failed to mention the particular cars in their possession.sassygh.com