ENCORE MUSIC AWARDS - CONTINUED

BEST FEMALE ARTIST
Nominees:
Lira
Beyonce
Nelly Furtado
Simphiwe Dana
Mary J. Blige

Winner:
Beyonce


Ms. B is hands down the hardest working woman in show business. Her energy and passion is translated into her chart-topping hits and her sold-out shows across the world.

BEST MALE ARTIST
Nominees:
Kanye West
DJ Cleo
Hip Hop Pantsula
Moreira
T.I.

Winner:
Kanye West


The Louis Vuitton don had a killer season, sans the loss of his beloved mother. His third album sold 960 000 copies in the first week, an anomaly in this piracy/download ridden music environment. As icing on the cake, British GQ named him the International Man of the Year. The Grammy panel put a bigger grin on Kanye's face with 8 nominations garnered for 'Graduation'.

PRODUCER OF THE YEAR (LOCAL)
Nominees:
Omen
DJ Cleo
Bongani Fassie
Nyambz
Thaso

Winner:
DJ Cleo

Cleo has paid his dues in the music business. Producing for big superstars such as Mandoza, Kabelo, Skwatta Kamp, Brickz, Brown Dash and Mzekezeke has cemented his place in the Kwaito Hall of Fame. Last year, he went a step further by producing more bangers for his multi-platinum selling Eskhaleni dance album.

PRODUCER OF THE YEAR (INTERNATIONAL)
Nominees:
Kanye West
Swizz Beatz
Just Blaze
Will.i.am

Winner:
Swizz Beatz



Need we say more. Swizzy The Monster had a crazy year; gigantic hits for the likes of Eve, Gwen Stefani, Cassidy, T.I. ensured that his name stayed on everybody’s lips. His biggest accomplishment though was through Beyonce’s B’Day album on which he produced half the hits.

HUSTLER OF THE YEAR
Nominees:
50 Cent
Sbu Leope
Jay-Z
Slikour
Zola

Winner:
Jay-Z


Selling an 8 year-old clothing label for $204 million in cash should easily ensure Jigga a victory in this category. But he also flexed his business muscles by opening a 24 000 square feet 40/40 club in Las Vegas, by buying a hotel in New York City for $50 million and by purchasing another clothing label, Artful Dodger, for an estimated $15 million. Don’t front, your boy has got a PHD in Hustlenomics!

HUMANITARIAN AWARD
Nominees:
Common
Zola
Sbu Leope

Winner:
Zola



Zola’s work with his community based TV show and for UNICEF makes him the most philanthropic local music star. The bad publicity aside, Zola did put his money where his mouth is in 2007. I wish other celebrities could follow suit instead of wasting all their loot on cocaine.

BEST HIP HOP ALBUM
Nominees:
Common – Finding Forever
Tumi – Music From My Good Eye
Kanye West – Graduation
Jay-Z – American Gangster
Talib Kweli – Eardrum
Jozi – Muthaland Crunk

Winner:
Kanye West - Graduation


Stronger. Can’t Tell Me Nothing. Flash Lights. I Wonder. Good Morning. Barry Bonds.
There’s nothing else to say about this category. Kanye thwarted his competition with creative ingenuity.

BEST KWAITO ALBUM
Nominees:
L’Vovo – Derango
Trompies – Can’t Touch This
Kabelo – Exodus

Winner:
L’Vovo – Derango

L’Vovo’s debut album ushered a new era in Kwaito music. His catchy lyrics mixed with infectious beats and entertaining dance moves left everybody nodding with approval.

BEST HOUSE ALBUM
Nominees:
DJ Fresh – Definition of House 3
Oskido – Church Grooves – the 6th Commandment
DJ Sbu – Y-Lens Vol. 2
DJ Cleo – Eskhaleni 4

Winner:
DJ Cleo – Eskhaleni 4

DJ Cleo’s Eskhaleni album produced big monster summer hits that captivated dance floors across the country. The fact that he produced his album in its entirety also meant that he had one more up on the other nominees.

1ST ANNUAL ENCORE MUSIC AWARDS - PART 1

Welcome ladies and gentlemen to the 1st Annual Encore Music Awards. Cue to the standing crowd, clapping excitedly. Cue to the VIP area, where Kanye, Jay-Z and Mary J. Blige mingle with DJ Cleo, Kabelo and Freshlyground. Cue to the large podium designed in an overwhelmingly splendid fashion and the host for the evening, while Loyiso Gola, is ready to introduce the first performer for the evening. The viewers at home, 66 million in total and watching from 57 countries across the globe are excited at the spectacle that is about to unfold before their eyes.

I hear you laughing… wow, dream on fellas you say. True, it’s a dream for now but here's the reality: the esteemed Encore panel sat down for a number of days and deliberated on the issue of which artists deserved a statuette for the inaugural Encore Music Awards in the various categories. As is always the case with bestowing recognition on individuals, many are about differ with the opinions offered. So if by any means you feel that you feel that we haven’t done justice to a particular category feel free to leave a comment and we shall publish it.

Alright, here goes. Part 1:

BEST CROSSOVER ARTIST
Nominees:
Hip Hop Pantsula
Freshlyground
Danny K
Kanye West
Gnarls Barkley

Winner:
Hip Hop Pantsula


Winning the Strictly Come Dancing competition is arguably the best thing that has ever happened to Jabba’s career. After waltzing his way through the different rounds and capturing the lucrative prize, HHP ensured that his brand would be as recognizable in the white markets as it would with abo’darkie. Translation: more market appeal equals more moola. HHP headlined the Cape Town Jazz Festival, the Oppikoppi and Klein Karoo Festivals in 2006 as a result.

BEST MUSIC VIDEO
Nominees:
Morafe – Lekwalo to Motswako
Freshlyground – Pot Belly
Fergie – Glamorous
Prokid - Bampa Bampa
Jozi - Muthaland

Winner:
Fergie - Glamorous


There was a notable improvement in the quality of SA videos. Jozi, Prokid and Freshlyground produced some of the best, but the budgets that international artists work with means their end-product will more likely than not be ten times better. Fergie’s Glamorous video confirms this.

WTF (WHAT THE FUCK MOMENT) OF THE YEAR
Nominees:
Somizi Mhlongo - for groping a male passenger that he picked up on the road
50 Cent – for not retiring as promised after being beaten by Kanye in a sales race
Kelly Khumalo – for flashing her private parts to a stunned crowd
Channel O Awards – for being the worst organized awards in history

Winner:
Kelly Khumalo


Should I say more? Flashing private parts in public in a deliberate and conscious manner is really outrageous and hands down wins this prestigious category. What the Fuck?

BEST COLLABORATION
Nominees:
50 Cent, Justin Timberlake & Timbaland – Ayo Technology
Kanye West & T-Pain – The Good Life
HHP, F-Eezy & Amu – Ra di Busa
P-Diddy & Keyshia Cole – Last Night
Ne-Yo & Rihanna – Hate That I Love You

Winner:
Kanye West & T-Pain – The Good Life


Who ever thought T-Pain’s manipulated voice would sound dope alongside Kanye’s humorous and impassioned lyrics? I know I didn’t, but Kanye as a producer has the ability of making anyone sound dope on his songs; remember Syleena Johnson on ‘All Falls Down’? HHP, F-Eezy and Amu’s 'Ra di Busa' comes a close second though; this remix/update of Thebe’s classic joint leaves me with goose-bumps every time I listen it.

BREAKTHROUGH ARTIST/GROUP OF THE YEAR
Nominees:
Jozi
Corinne Bailey Rae
F-Eezy
Lungelo
J-Holiday

Winner:
Jozi


I must be honest, I wasn't too fond of these boys when they first came out. But after savoring their debut album, I’m a believer. These immensely talented dudes hit the industry like a snow storm last year; Bongani Fassie finally proved his worth as a producer.

MOST ANNOYING (OVERPLAYED) SONG OF THE YEAR
Nominees:
Sean Kingston – Beautiful Girls
Alicia Keys – No One
Chomee – Dlala nge figure
Will.i.am – You got it from your mama

Winner:
Chomee – Dlala nge figure


Arthur’s protégé is probably the most talentless singer out there. Chomee, who should have stuck to dancing, produced a song that is largely irritating and unmoving. If it wasn’t for her provocative dancing, her video wouldn’t be getting any airplay on video channels.

STEP YOUR GAME UP AWARD
Nominees:
Chomee
Kelly Khumalo
Arthur Mafokate (honorary mention)
Skwatta Kamp
Danny K

Winner:
Skwatta Kamp


I dig these cats, but their 'Bak to Kampus' album left me largely unimpressed. These guys need a new game plan and new lyrics while they’re at it; rapping about chicks’ asses and the sizes of their penises doesn’t cut it anymore.

THE “MY GAME HAS IMPROVED” AWARD
Nominees:
Lil Wayne
Loyiso Bala
Ishmael (of Jozi)
Kanye West


Winner:
Lil Wayne

The 24 year-old New Orleans rapper has been in the rap game since he was 14 years old. His time in the game started to show dividends about 2 years ago as he spat hot fire on every track that he featured on. He is officially known by many (including Jay-Z) as one of the best rappers living.

Check out Part 2 of these awards tomorrow.