Don’t put us in a box –Urban Gospel acts on TGMA new category
THE recent introduction of the Urban/Contemporary Gospel Music category at the prestigious Telecel Ghanaian Music Awards (TGMA) has generated interesting conversations among musicians of the genre.
While some have welcomed the move as a victory for the music style, others are sceptical and fear it could come with attendant problems which might limit their creative freedom and mainstream appeal.
In separate interviews with Graphic Showbiz, they argued that the new category, though well-appreciated could be a double-edged sword.
According to Obed Psych, a member of Preachers group, one of the pioneers of Christian Hip-Hop, even though he was excited about the category, he’s been wondering about the benefits of the category to artistes.
“To start with, as a pioneer of Christian Hip-Hop, I was excited about it, but I couldn’t help but wonder if this will actually help us, or it will just box us in.”
“Back in 2016, Preachers got three nominations when this category did not exist. That was history. But the question is, ‘Gospel already has its own category, so where do we draw the line?” he asked.
Obed explained that the Best Urban/Contemporary Gospel category was clearly not just for known Gospel rappers, Dancehall or Afrobeats artistes such as Preachers, Kingzkid, Kobby Salm, Evans Scott among others.
However, he was sure to include contemporary gospel singers such as Joe Mettle, MOG Music and Cwesi Oteng, who will be great competition for core urban gospel artistes.
“Even before we jubilate, let’s be careful to think it’s an opportunity for Urban Gospel artistes to get nominated and win. It’s only hard work and determination that can get us a TGMA.”
“All I can say is that, we should give it some time and see how this goes. It’s like when Chris Brown got nominated for Best African Music Song and Africans were like, “Wait… huh?!” But all in all, let’s stay positive about it and hope for the best,” he added.
The organisers define Best Urban / Contemporary Gospel Song as the song adjudged by the Academy, Board and General Public as the most popular Urban/Contemporary Gospel song (music that combines gospel with elements of R&B, Hip-Hop, and other Pop genres), commercially released in the year under review.
The song must have generated the most public excitement and enjoyed a lot of patronage from the general public.
Only songs performed by Gospel artistes are eligible for this category.
Kobby Salm expressed enthusiasm for the new Urban/Contemporary Gospel Music category, stating that it was long overdue.
He commended the organisers of the awards scheme for this initiative, noting that Urban Gospel music is the future of the genre.
“The Urban Gospel sound is the now and the future of Gospel music. If you check Gospel music globally, you can attest to the fact that one of the fastest-rising genres is the Afro-Gospel genre which falls under Urban/Contemporary Gospel. So for the scheme to give it this highlight exposes the scheme to the global market and also helps maximise the genre in our part of the world.”
“Although I think there is a lot more the industry and the whole ecosystem can do to support the genre and help make it more visible, I think this step by TGMA is a very good one and needs to be applauded,” he stated.
Describing the new category as “best good news” to start the year, Evans Scott, who has been a strong advocate for proper recognition of Urban Gospel music, shared similar views with Obed Psych.
However, he was quick to add that he hoped to see the new category achieve its purpose of throwing the spotlight on core Urban Gospel artistes, adding, “There are a lot like me and some even better than me. I’m just privileged to be on the frontline.”
