The Ghana Music Awards has been in existence for the past 21 years. The award scheme was launched in 1999 by Charterhouse Productions. The very first awards event was organized in 1999 and it came off each and every year up to this year 2020, as winners emerge.
The very award category that is valued by most musicians is the Artiste of the Year award. It is the biggest award of the night giving whoever wins it the bragging right to hit his or her chest that he’s the best among the best in the year under review.
This category has been dominated by male musicians. However, this jinx was broken by Rufftown Records former signee Ebony Reigns who won the awards posthumously after her death on February 8, 2018.
Below are the winners of the Artiste of the Year category of the Ghana Music Awards from 1999-2020.
1999-Akyeame (Quophi Okyeame and Okyeame Kwame)
2000-Daddy Lumba
2001-Kojo Antwi
2002-Lord Kenya
2003-Kontihene
2004-VVIP
2005-Obour
2006-Ofori Amponsah
2007-Samini
2008-Kwaw Kese
2009-Okyeame Kwame
2010-Sarkodie
2011-VVIP
2012-Sarkodie
2013-R2Bees
2014-Shatta Wale
2015-Stonebwoy
2016-EL
2017-Joe Mettle
2018-Ebony
2019 – Annulled (because of the fracas that happened between Shatta Wale and Stonebwoy on that very night. This made Ebony to reign for 2 years a Artiste of the Year.)
2020 – Kuami Eugene