Mohammed Tawffik

Top 10 dazzling musicians in Ghana the world must know

Much more than the region that brought you the nationally recognized “Simpa” genre, the Northern Region of Ghana, Tamale is a home to a variety of music styles and fusions, with a lengthy array of artists to discover. Here, we compile the first ten dazzling musicians from Tamale you need to know.

The arrangement is in no specific order and any of the under-listed artists could be listed at any point on this article, that being said we introduce to you the number one on the list;

1. Wiz Child

Wiz Child is basically a singer, records in multiple languages including English and native dialects Dagbani and Hausa. Wiz Child is an award-winning artist who is at the forefront of the Afropop movement, known for his infectious single ‘Adaha’, his music has hints of Afrobeat, hip hop and dancehall. He has a number of records with so many other renowned artist from the Northern region including Fancy Gadam, Maccasio and other celebrated artists in Tamale.

2. Onenira

Onenira as he’s professionally known, Okwara Precious is a Nigerian Tamale based singer known for a variety of hits songs in Tamale including “Jeje”, “InShaAllahu”, “Eze”, “Bad 4 u” and several others. Onenira is an award winning male vocalist who had auditioned on TV3 Ghana’s reality program, the Mentor Reloaded last year. He is under the management of DNEntertainment and Boss Family, he is largely composed in the Nigerian English assent with Dagbani and Yoruba blends.

3. Gaffachi

Gaffachi is mainly a hip-hop recording artist who also has traces of Hip Life, Afropop, Dancehall and other genres in his music. Gaffachi makes the number one artist in the Northern region to have over 120K livestreams of his album on audiomack. He makes the first five lists of Tamale-based hip-hop artists. As one of the most popular artists in the region, he has a large following across the length and breath of the region and some parts of the country. His lyrical prowess makes a lot of entertainment pundits tips him as the Messiah of rap in the Northern region.

4. Fadlan

Often referred to as the YoungBull, Fadlan is one of the youngest but lyrically endowed rappers in the Northern region, he is largely known for a number of rap music and club hits that guaranteed massive airplay for months after their release. Born and raised in Tamale, he largely raps in the Dagbani dialect with blends of English and Hausa. Fadlan finds his musical roots in Zola where he is said to have been ‘adopted and refined’ by Maccasio whom he always refer to as his godfather.

5. Ruff Guy

Known by many for his consistency in making infectious dancehall tunes that are eminently danceable, Ruff Guy is undisputedly one of the upcoming kings of club music in Tamale, his Afro dancehall beats and numerous collaborations with other equally infectious artists in Tamale makes it hard for anyone to doubt his capabilities and the world must watch out for him shortly.

6. Optional King

Optional King is best known as a reality show artist, won the Mentor Reloaded on TV3 Ghana two seasons ago, Optional King has far eclipsed the platform. Combining artistry and poetry, the bold and energetic rapper’s signature is largely Dagbani though he records in other languages including English and the Hausa native dialects. His recent hit “Number one” which featured one of the renowned vocalist who doubles as a producer, Ephraim is currently receiving a lot of airplays and talk about in Ghana.

7. Gonga

Winner of the Artist of the Year category for the just passed Talent House Awards in Accra, Gonga, formerly Lil K produces beautiful and socially conscious songs that reflect on the modern Ghanaian society and all its challenges and problems. As a personality, he is one of the most iconic artists in the Tamale music scene and can often be caught at shows around town, with his ‘skirt and top’ signature.

8. Jemda

Soulful and dreamy, Jemda which translates as ‘worshiper’ finds her musical roots in the church. She’s very well known in Tamale and the Northern regions for a number of spiritual and gospel songs. “Yisa Neeya” as adopted from the Dagbani dialect which translates as “Jesus has risen” for her breakthrough song received massive airplay, a touching song of hers which was highly accepted and played by not only Christians but some Muslims and other faiths. Her self-produced songs are highly original and polished, fully capable of being played on a far larger stage than her native Tamale.

9. De Donzy

Striker De Donzy is a mampurgu by tribe, a mole Dagbani dialect. He is largely based in Tamale and known for a number of infectious and danceable songs. His ability to dance takes him far ahead of his colleague artists in the North East region where he hails from. His mampurgu assent has uniquely identified him which won him a lot of collaborations with other infectious musicians from the Northern region.

10. Don Dee

Don D is a rarity, the style of rap he does is native and very original to the northern region. He is current a reality show artist on a northern based Sagani TV’s ChopDaMic competition who has been tipped by many including Da Hummer of Last Two as the likely winner of the competition because of the impressive performances.