Entertainment
Edem’s debut album gets praise from Sarkodie
Ghanaian rap star Sarkodie has celebrated fellow artiste Edem for his groundbreaking debut album “The Volta Regime”, calling it one of the greatest albums in Ghana’s music history.
In a heartfelt social media post, Sarkodie, whose real name is Michael Owusu Addo, reflected on the first time he heard Edem rap.
He said he was instantly impressed and knew Edem would have a serious impact on the music scene.
“I remember when I first encountered my brother Edem, I came back home to tell one of my hommies that this guy will have a serious impact on the music scene,”
“He was like naa because of the language barrier. I said I don’t hear language, I hear greatness. Big up my brother, you are still on my favourite emcee list.” Sarkodie wrote.
Edem, born Denning Edem Hotor, released The Volta Regime in 2009. The album boldly embraced the Ewe language and featured collaborations with top Ghanaian artists including Tinny, Kwabena Kwabena, and Jeremie Van-Garshong.
Despite initial doubts about how well Ewe rap would perform commercially, the album proved to be a major success and introduced a new wave of local-language hip-hop.
Songs like Bra Fre Me, Nyorvuviade, and the powerful Intro helped establish Edem’s lyrical prowess and cemented his place as a unique voice in the Ghanaian music industry.
At a time when the local scene was dominated by Twi and Ga-speaking rappers, Edem’s success broke barriers and made it clear that talent speaks louder than language.
His impact opened doors for more linguistic diversity in hiplife and hip-hop music across the country.
Sarkodie’s tribute is especially meaningful because both artists emerged around the same period. Sarkodie’s own debut album Makye also dropped in 2009, and the two have long shown mutual respect for each other’s craft.
Today, over 15 years after its release, The Volta Regime continues to inspire fans and artists alike. It remains a symbol of bold originality and cultural pride.
Edem has since released several projects and remains an active voice in Ghanaian music and youth advocacy. His legacy is a reminder that true greatness is not limited by language.
Guinness Ghana has announced a new annual prize package for winners of the Album/EP of the Year category at the Telecel Ghana Music Awards (TGMA), as part of efforts to support the country’s music industry.
The company said beginning from the 27th edition of the awards, the winner of the category will receive a GH¢100,000 cash prize, funding support for a music video for their next project, and a curated album listening experience.
According to Guinness Ghana, the initiative is aimed at promoting creative excellence and contributing to the growth of Ghana’s music ecosystem.
Head of Media and Partnerships at Guinness Ghana, Yaa Amoah-Owusu, said the category represents the highest level of artistic work in the industry.
“The Album/EP of the Year category represents the pinnacle of artistic expression — body of work, storytelling, and sonic identity. This package is Guinness Ghana’s way of recognising excellence and investing in the future of the artist and the industry at large,” she stated.
She added that the company’s support goes beyond recognition on awards night, as it seeks to create long-term value for artistes and the wider creative sector.
Guinness Ghana, a long-time partner of the awards scheme, noted that the initiative will also help increase visibility and audience engagement for the winning artiste’s future projects.
The nominees for the Album/EP of the Year category include Black Sherif for Iron Boy, Stonebwoy for Torcher, Gyakie for After Midnight, Medikal for Disturbation II, Wendy Shay for Ready, and Kweku Smoke for Walk With Me.
Head of Public Events and Communications at Charterhouse, Robert Klah, welcomed the initiative, describing it as timely support for the music industry.
“This is an important intervention from Guinness Ghana. It aligns with our commitment to celebrate and elevate Ghanaian music, while also creating tangible support for artistes,” he said.
He added that the move highlights the importance of albums and EPs as lasting creative works.
The announcement comes ahead of the 27th Telecel Ghana Music Awards, organised by Charterhouse, with Telecel as headline sponsor, media partnership from TV3, and support from Guinness Ghana.
Guinness Ghana Breweries PLC is one of the country’s leading beverage companies and continues to support arts, culture, and community development in Ghana.
By: Jacob Aggrey
GOMOA Central Constituency in the Central Region of Ghana was the place of attraction for this year’s Easter, as Member of Parliament (MP) for the area, Kwame Asare Obeng, affectionately called Aplus staged a four-day carnival.
The event started with a welcome bonfire night, where the people of Gomoa and some dignitaries proceeded through the principal streets of Gomoa Central on Thursday, April 2, 2026.
It continued on Friday with Highlife Night, which saw Kwabena, Bless, Dada Hafco, Kofi Nti, Ofori Amponsah, Samini and others rock patrons.
Saturday started with a walk from Obuasi through Afranse to Ekwamkrom, where a durbar of chiefs was held.
The night erupted with concert at Ekwamkrom headlined by Ghana’s Finest Sarkodie. Sarkodie indeed proved his mettle with back-to-back hit songs and engaging performance.
Patrons also enjoyed mind-blowing performances from Keche, Kuami Eugene, Tinny, Obaapa Christy, Sista Afia and many others.
On Sunday, which was the final day, witnessed packed performances from Patapaa, Kofi Kinaata, Jupitar, Kwaw Kese, Piesie Esther, and Amerado amongst others.
Patrons enjoyed exquisite catwalk on the runway as Smully Wear put together some local designers for a fashion show.
The likes of Aplus, MP for the area, Deputy GTA Boss Gilbert Aggrey (Abeiku Santana), New Media President Eugene Osafo Nkansah and Media Personality Kleff Maxwell Justice (KMJ) were all on the runway as models.
On each day, up and coming musicians had their time on the big stage to enthrall the audience.
Mr Kwame Asare Obeng in an interview with The Spectator expressed his appreciation to the traditional leaders of the area, the constituents, Corporate Ghana and all and sundry for their unflinching support.
He said the success of the maiden edition will lead to even a bigger one next year.
According to him, his constituents who own businesses like hotels, restaurants, other traders and drivers among others were able to cash out from the carnival, which was very satisfying to him.
“Empowering the community to make ends meet to cater for their families was important for me. I have engaged most of them, and they are happy with sales. This makes me very happy,” he said.
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