DJ Sly, Sarkodie, Gyakie and more nominated in 2021 AFRIMA

The Multiple award-winning Ghanaian disc jockey and producer, Gideon Alorgbey, popularly known as DJ Sly has been nominated in the Best African DJ category, for the 2021 All Africa Music Awards (AFRIMA).

DJ Sly over the past years has extended his tentacles across Africa with UDS Music, a record label he owns which has seen him venturing into music and featuring acts like Teni, Skales, Ice Prince and East Africa's top singer Eddy Kenzo.

The DJ who recently linked up Grammy award-winning singer, Angelique Kidjo, has also worked with other top musicians like Stonebwoy, Skales, Wendy Shay, Fameye, Daphne, VVIP and more.

Among the nominees announced, DJ Sly who is the only Ghanaian in his category has been nominated together with other DJs from Nigerian, Algeria, Angola, Tanzania, South Africa and Cote d'Ivoire.

This year's award ceremony will be broadcast live from Lagos on 84 TV stations in 109 countries from 19th to 21st November 2021.

See some of the nominees for some of the major categories in the list below which features Stonebwoy, KiDi, Davido, Gyalie, Yaw Tog, Wizkid among others.

Artist of the Year

• Aya Nakamura (Mali)
• Blaq Diamond (South Africa)
• Burna Boy (Nigeria)
• Davido (Nigeria)
• Diamond Platnumz (Tanzania)
• Fally Ipupa (DR Congo)
• Focalistic (South Africa)
• Makhadzi (South Africa)
• MHD (Guinea)
• Omah Lay (Nigeria)
• Wizkid (Nigeria)

Best African Rapper or Lyricist

• A-Q (Nigeria)
• Dip Doundou Guiss (Senegal)
• Elow’n (Ivory Coast)
• Khaligraph Jones (Kenya)
• Ko-C (Cameroon)
• Ladipoe (Nigeria)
• Nasty C (South Africa)
• Nata (Sierra Leone)
• Sarkodie (Ghana)
• Vector (Nigeria)

Best Male Artist in West Africa

• Burna Boy ( Nigeria)
• Davido (Nigeria) 
• Djodje (Cape Verde)
• Iba One ( Mali)
• KiDi (Ghana)
• MHD (Guinea)
• Nelson Freitas (Cape Verde)
• Stonebwoy (Ghana)
• Wizkid (Nigeria)

Best Female Artist in Western Africa

• Aya Nakamura (Mali)
• Djelykaba Bintou (Guinea)
• Gyakie (Ghana)
• Josey (Ivory Coast)
• Manamba Kanté (Guinea)
• Niniola (Nigeria)
• Soraia Ramos (Cape Verde) 
• Tems (Nigeria)
• Teni (Nigeria)
• Tiwa Savage (Nigeria)
• Yemi Alade (Nigeria)

Best African Acts in the Diaspora (Male)

• Abir ( Morocco/US)
• Aya Nakamura (Mali/France)
• Ms Banks (Nigeria/ UK)
• Naomi Achu (Cameroon/ US)
• Nata (Sierra Leone/ US)
• Rimon (Eritrea/ Netherlands)
• Shaybo (Nigeria/UK)

Best African Acts in the Diaspora (Female)

• Nelson Freitas (Cape Verde/ Portugal)
• Dave (Nigeria/UK)
• Double S (Uganda/UK)
• Headie One (Ghana/UK)
• Jae5 (Ghana/UK)
• MHD (Guinea/ France)
• Rotimi (Nigeria/US)
• Tayc (Cameroon/France)
• Tion Wayne (Nigeria/UK)

Best African Collaboration

• ‘Cash App’ by Bella Shmurda ft. Zlatan and Lincoln (Nigeria)
• ‘Kua Buaru’ by Calema ft. Pérola, Soraia Ramos and Manecas Costa (Sao Tome and Principe,Angola, Cape Verde & Giunea Bissau)
• ‘Waah’ by Diamond Platnumz ft. Koffi Olomide (Tanzania and DR Congo)
• ‘Yaba Buluku (Remix)’ by DJ Tarico ft. Burnaboy, Preck and Nelson (Mozambique and Nigeria)
• ‘Ke Star (Remix)’ by Focalistic & Davido ft. Vigro Deep (South Africa & Nigeria)
• ‘Forever (Remix)’ by Gyakie ft. Omah Lay (Ghana and Nigeria)
• ‘Feeling’ by Ladipoe ft. Buju (Nigeria)
• ‘Ya habibi’ by Mohamed Ramadan ft. Maitre Gim (Egypt and DR Congo)
• ‘Number One’ by Nandy ft. Joeboy (Tanzania and Nigeria)
• ‘Où est le mariage’ by Shan’L ft. Fally Ipupa (Gabon and DR Congo)
• ‘Essence’ by Wizkid ft. Tems (Nigeria)

Best Global Act

• Faouzia (Canada)
• Drake (Canada)
• Doja Cat (US)
• H.E.R (US)
• Bruno Mars (US)
• Ed Sheeran (UK)
• Olivio Rodrigo (US)
• Beyoncé

Breakout Artist of the Year

• Aveiro Djess (Cameroon) 
• Bells Shmurda (Nigeria)
• Blaq Diamond (South Africa)
• Djelykaba Bintou (Guinea)
• Focalistic (South Africa)
• Omah Lay (Nigeria)
• Remy Adan (Ivory Coast)
• Tems (Nigeria)
• Yaw Tog (Ghana)
• Zochu (Tanzania)

Most Promising African Artist

• Ayra Starr (Nigeria)
• Blxckie (South Africa)
• Buju (Nigeria)
• Ckay (Nigeria)
• El Grande Toto (Morocco)
• Iss 814 (Senegal)
• Lojay (Nigeria)
• Rebo (DR Congo)
• Ruger (Nigeria)
• Xenia Manasseh (Kenya)

Song of the Year

• ‘SummerYoMuthi’ by Blaq Diamond
• ‘Fem’ by Davido
• ‘Waah’ by Diamond Platnumz ft. Koffi Olomide
• ‘Yaba Buluku(Remix)’ by DJ Tarico ft. Burnaboy, Preck and Nelson
• ‘Ke Star (Remix)’ by Focalistic & Davido ft. Vigro Deep
• ‘In My Maserati (Remix)’ by Olakira ft. Davido
• ‘Infinity’ by Olamide ft. Omah Lay
• ‘Abule’ by Patoranking
• ‘Number One’ by Rayvanny ft. Zuchu
• ‘Le Gout De’ by Remy Adan
• ‘Essence’ by Wizkid ft. Tems

Songwriter of the Year

• Nikita Kering (Kenya)
• Nasty C (South Africa)
• Adekunle Gold, Lucky Daye and Marcel Akunwata (Nigeria)
• Bensoul (Kenya)
• Iba One (Mali)
• Kelly Khumalo (South Africa)
• Tiwa Savage, Mystro and Vitoralli (Nigeria)
• Fally Ipupa, Julio Masidi, The Guest and Dadju Nsungula (DR Congo)
• Vector, BY LINX and GoodGirl LA (Nigeria)

Best African DJ

• DJ Moh Green (Algeria)
• Black Coffee(South Africa)
• DJ Cuppy (Nigeria)
• DJ Impossible (Angola)
• DJ Kaywise (Nigeria)
• DJ Mix Premier (Ivory Coast)
• DJ Sinyorita (Tanzania)
• DJ Sly (Ghana)
• DJ Soinall (Nigeria)
• Major League DJz (South Africa)