The Vim Views & Versions - Blogs of a MIghTy African

After working on a Generation X list of greatest Ghanaians, I had to look at the millenials, like me. I like emails and texts :-) Here is the  Millenial list  - 1981-1996 DOBs. According to AI :-)  Positive  characteristics of millenials include: being technologically savvy , well-educated, collaborative, optimistic, socially conscious , adaptable, curious, and value-driven , with a strong focus on work-life balance and a desire for meaningful work ; they are also often seen as being comfortable with technology, open to new ideas, and good communicators. In this list, I am  picking people I have actually met , spent time with and can vouch for their greatness any day. Bright Simons I went to Presec with Bright , he was my senior by 2 years. As an SRC executive, he defended and helped lots of Presecan ninos/form ones/juniors with our rights. He has proven to be a genius since Presec, well-sought after, well-read and influential. You have to read his pieces on his...

I have been calling a number of people - one of my top 10 greatest Ghanaians currently for a while. Once I sat down to blog this, I realised I should do this by age ranges. Here is the Generation X list - 1965-1980 DOBs. According to AI :-) Positive characteristics of Generation X include: strong work ethic, valuing work-life balance, self-reliance, adaptability to technology, entrepreneurial spirit, practicality, flexibility, strong problem-solving skills, and a focus on quality over quantity in their work, often prioritizing efficiency over long hours. In this list, I am picking people I have actually met , spent time with and can vouch for their greatness any day. Bernard Avle Many of you would have heard Bernard Avle refer to people on the Citi Breakfast Show as "Biiiiig Man". He's one of them. I really love what he has done with the #CitiCBS. I told him that it is becoming Solution Radio alongside what the Omni Media team is doing with Citi 97.3 FM and Channel One...

It's been a while since I did this. I figure I should do this before the next Ghana Music Awards :-) Ekow Fisho posted on Facebook asking "Your favorite song to listen to this year was ….." I posted a non-Ghanaian song (I would leave you to guess that). I attended the #MQF DMV End-Of-Year Soiree last weekend. I then told Fisho that my top Ghanaian song of choice for 2024 was " Sisi Fiaa ". This and some other songs have been living Rent Free in my head in 2024.  Before we get into this, see a list from 15 years ago when I also spent some good time in the DMV area. Here are the starting eleven songs, in no particular order or formation. #MusicWeDeyFeel indeed.  Defe Defe by Team Eternity Ghana ft Naana Asiedu I am blogging this on a Sunday. It started trending and you could not pass anywhere without hearing about this song. I said I would listen to more gospel this year and this jam defeated all the others. Lomo Lomo by Kidi feat Black Sherif Do you know th...

In line with listening to more gospel music in general in 2024, I tuned in to Trace Gospel on Sunday, September 15, 2024. They played a long list of Joe Mettle songs. Great stuff. Great gospel music. Inspirational inside. Positivity. It made me think about gospel songs that especially have positive vibes, and vim. Just like the other #MusicWeDeyFeel   Starting Eleven , I have formed another team. This time, let's play the common winning formation, 4-3-3.  Lean On Me (1998) Kirk Franklin (USA) Goalkeeper, Number 1 I am here. You don't have to worry. I can see. I can see your tears. Your tears. I'll be there in a hurry when you call. Yes I will. Friends are there to catch you when you fall. Here's my shoulder. Here's my shoulder, you can lean on me We need a very reliable goalkeeper to lean on. I really love the  movie of the same name . Yes, the one with Morgan Freeman. The man many says is God in the movies. I had seen this movie on TV in Ghana. Miraculous saves....

In December 2023, I started blogging about some of my favorite musicians. I created a tournament squad of 23 musicians . There are some songs I really like, some of which are not by these 23. They are positive songs. Songs that drive me, make me feel good, ambitious, proactive, productive, in my element, etc. I present to you - this eleven songs that can take any football field and win any game!  We are playing a 4-4-2 formation. I am old school but a millenial. I am not Gen Z. The second striker is the maestro like Abedi Pele.  The Man Aloe Blacc (USA) Goalkeeper, Number 1 Stand up now and face the sun Won't hide my tail or turn and run It's time to do what must be done Be a king when kingdom comes Well you can tell everybody Yeah you can tell everybody Go ahead and tell everybody I'm the man, I'm the man, I'm the man Yes I am, yes I am, yes I am Aloe Blacc. I had to google his name to see what it means. His birth name is Nathaniel. He calls himself Aloe because h...

I met Kwame Nsiah-Apau and interviewed him in 2008. I came away very impressed. He was working towards his Bachelor's Degree at KNUST. Really smart dude. Time has proven that he is a really smart dude. Growing up in Ghana, we say the smartest folks become the doctors. He calls himself the Rap Doctor.  He helped popularize Wear Ghana and has become one of our best #MadeInGhana ambassadors. More on this later.  He and Okyeame Quophi helped popularize hiplife through Akyeame, one of the first great duos. His successful solo career took hiplife to another level. Mesan Aba is one of my all-time favorites, and his rap on this track is legendary. Word play be what. However, we're talking about his solo hits . He called himself the best rapper alive. I started this series with Obrafour and ended with Okyeame Kwame, it's apt - they have some small history together. I think Okyeame Kwame challenges him for best Ghanaian lyricist ever . Let's listen to the music. Woso (2009) T...

 While the likes of Angelique Kidjo were making lots of money playing to foreign and mostly white crowds, P-Square was also making serious money playing to Nigeria, African and black crowds on the continent and beyond. They were the first African act doing popular youthful African music to really go global, alongside 2Face Idibia. And they could perform! I once went to  their concert  in Oakland, California and they were worth every price of admission. They released a string of hits in the first decade of the 21st century and continued to remain at the top. They have many classics to choose from. Here are my top 3. No One Like You (2007) One of the best African wedding songs ever.  The video is spectacular. P-Square is probably the biggest African act ever and tracks like this prove their standing. Their use of Pidgin English and regular English is great and the lyrics to this song is great too. The song starts off really well in my opinion, "Hello how you doing; My ...

One cannot talk about Ofori Amponsah without talking about Daddy Lumba, methinks. DL aka Daddy Lumba aka Da Legend released some songs at the turn of the century featuring Mr All4Real. A couple of years down the line, he became the biggest musician in Ghana. He led the Contemporary Highlife genre, in tow with my buddy Kofi Nti, helped ragga become part of mainstream Ghana music through his features with Barosky.  Ofori Amponsah became born-again (which makes me think about Lord Kenya's song of the name and Lord Kenya's story as well). He never quite had popular gospel songs. His highlife songs are classics and they live on. His music features heavily in Ghanaian weddings too. His songs feature in my favorites .  Otoolege (2005) I believe Otoolege is one of the top five songs ever from Ghana. Apart from it being well-written, well-composed and well-sung, this song ended the dominance of hiplife from 2001 to 2004 at the Ghana Music Awards. I love singing this song in the shower...

The last time I saw Sarkodie perform was at the #PresecBonfire night in 2022. I was chatting with some Odadees and all of a sudden, people stopped chatting and started paying attention to the stage. You Know What Time It Is ! It was Sarkodie who had appeared on stage and everyone had to listen to him, see him perform, and sing or rap along. He thoroughly deserved to be crowned the artist of the 2010s decade in Ghana. People believe he is the true torchbearer who took over from Obrafour. Sarkodie has been freestyling for ages in Tema and releasing mixtapes that went viral. He's become very commercial, but why shouldn't he? He deserves his success in my opinion.  Haa baako y ɛ  10K! I just love the way he reps Tema . One day, we shall find a way to bring Sarkodie to Barcamp Tema , that's a dream. SarkNation is a thing. It's not just the music, it's the aura, it's the concerts, it's the songs he drops with the pulse of the people. Truly, an artist. I am going...

In this tournament squad of musicians , this spot came down to Usher & Ne-Yo . Or this post for that matter. Usher won because he sang about waakye. I am lying? Have you seen this meme or clip before? There is a TikTok trend about this too o! I love American R&B and Usher is one of the all-time best. He even came to Ghana to perform at the Global Citizen Festival . No, I have not met him before. I have not even tried to go to any concert he is performing at. iTunes was good for me, YouTube is the ish. Let's enjoy the music, or the groove, if you wanna move.  U Remind Me I heard this song in 2001 before I went to the US to attend MIT. This song makes me think about fleeting crushes, women I saw and thought were cute and never really got to meet. "Yo, I ain't seeing you in a minute, but I got something to tell you, listen" "You remind me of a girl, that I once knew. See her face whenever I, I look at you. Won't believe all of the things she put me ...

Buei!!! Samini was the first young Ghanaian musician to really cross our borders as a superstar. VIP is a group, they did theirs too. I went to him in Dansoman in Museke 's early days. He was a feeling brother! Since then, we have spoken a number of times, and he even joined a Konnect group! If you didn't know Samini was the GIMPA SRC President once, then you should look at him in a better light o. Akye saaa! He's one of the best live performers from Africa, maybe on a global scale too. Breaking News!!!!? You should see him perform live. Or watch this video .  He makes serious music, timeless music, danceable music, lovable music, the kind of music hits you and you feel no pain. There are so many top songs from Emmanuel Andrews Samini to go to bat with. Man! He should be knighted in the music industry. Batman  aka Dankwansere aka Samini has a Midas touch. Bam bili woy! Where My Baby Dey - 2009 Nsem pii. Hmmmm.  I was so excited to hear this song. How can you not shout ...