Samini
Encyclopedia
Emmanuel Andrews Samini known in show business as Samini (formerly Batman Samini), is a musical artist.
Samini hails from the town of Wa
in the northern part of Ghana. He is Ghana’s biggest musical star at the present time. His genre of music is a melodious mixture of highlife
, dancehall
, reggae
and hip-hop. He terms his brand of music as the “African dancehall”.
He started singing in a church choir at the age of 14 and became a professional musician after a musical collaboration with another musician in 1999. His debut album, Dankwasere released in 2004, topped the local music charts for weeks and won two awards at the Ghana Music Awards. The track Linda from the album was a popular hit. He has shared the stage alongside Sean Paul
, Akon
, Kevin Little
, Shaggy
, Wayne Wonder
, Damien Marley, Bennie Man, Jay-Z
, Chaka Demus & Pliers
, Culture
(of Blessed Memory) and Steel Pulse
. He collaborated with Steel Pulse and Etana
from Jamaica
. He has received international recognition and toured the UK
,[ Germany], Italy
, Canada
, and Holland.
He received international recognition when he was nominated and won the best African musical act at the MOBO Awards
in the United Kingdom in September 2006. His second album was Samini for which he won three awards at the 2007 Ghana Music Awards, and in February 2008, won the Best African Artist Award at the Hip Hop World Awards in Nigeria. His third album, Dagaati, was released in 2008.
Samini hails from the town of Wa
Wa, Ghana
Wa is the capital of the Upper West Region of Ghana and is the main city of the Wala people. The majority of the inhabitants are Muslim. It is the seat of the Wa-Na, the Paramount Chief of the Wala traditional area. Features of the town include several mosques, the Wa-Na Palace, a museum and a...
in the northern part of Ghana. He is Ghana’s biggest musical star at the present time. His genre of music is a melodious mixture of highlife
Highlife
Highlife is a musical genre that originated in Ghana in the 1900s and spread to Sierra Leone, Nigeria and other West African countries by 1920...
, dancehall
Dancehall
Dancehall is a genre of Jamaican popular music that originated in the late 1970s. Initially dancehall was a more sparse version of reggae than the roots style, which had dominated much of the 1970s. In the mid-1980s, digital instrumentation became more prevalent, changing the sound considerably,...
, reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
and hip-hop. He terms his brand of music as the “African dancehall”.
He started singing in a church choir at the age of 14 and became a professional musician after a musical collaboration with another musician in 1999. His debut album, Dankwasere released in 2004, topped the local music charts for weeks and won two awards at the Ghana Music Awards. The track Linda from the album was a popular hit. He has shared the stage alongside Sean Paul
Sean Paul
Sean Paul Ryan Francis Henriques , who performs under stage name Sean Paul, is a Jamaican pop rap and reggae singer.-1973–1996: Early life:...
, Akon
Akon
Aliaune Damala Badara Thiam, better known as simply Akon , is a Senegalese American R&B recording artist and songwriter.According to Forbes, Akon grossed $21 million in 2010, $20 million in 2009 and $12 million in 2008. He rose to prominence in 2004 following the release of "Locked Up", the first...
, Kevin Little
Kevin Little
Kevin Little is a former American athlete, who specialized in sprints. He won the 200 meter race in the 1997 IAAF World Indoor Championships in Paris, France. He won bronze in the same event in the 1989, 1993, and 1999 IAAF World Indoor Championships.Little graduated from Ankeny High School in 1986...
, Shaggy
Shaggy (musician)
Orville Richard Burrell , better known by his stage name Shaggy, is a Jamaican-American reggae singer and rapper. He is perhaps best known for his 1995 single "Boombastic" and 2000 single "It Wasn't Me"...
, Wayne Wonder
Wayne Wonder
Wayne Wonder is a Jamaican reggae fusion artist...
, Damien Marley, Bennie Man, Jay-Z
Jay-Z
Shawn Corey Carter , better known by his stage name Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and occasional actor. He is one of the most financially successful hip hop artists and entrepreneurs in America, having a net worth of over $450 million as of 2010...
, Chaka Demus & Pliers
Chaka Demus & Pliers
Chaka Demus & Pliers are a Jamaican reggae duo made up of deejay Chaka Demus and singer Pliers, best known for their hit "Tease Me".They had more commercial success with mainstream pop fans after their collaboration in the early 1990s, that either ever had in their solo careers.-Career:Both artists...
, Culture
Culture
Culture is a term that has many different inter-related meanings. For example, in 1952, Alfred Kroeber and Clyde Kluckhohn compiled a list of 164 definitions of "culture" in Culture: A Critical Review of Concepts and Definitions...
(of Blessed Memory) and Steel Pulse
Steel Pulse
Steel Pulse is a roots reggae musical band. They originally formed at Handsworth Wood Boys School, in Birmingham, England, composed of David Hinds , Basil Gabbidon , and Ronald McQueen .-History:...
. He collaborated with Steel Pulse and Etana
Etana (musician)
Shauna McKenzie known commonly as Etana is a reggae singer from Jamaica. Her debut album "The Strong One" was released in June 2008.-Biography:...
from Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
. He has received international recognition and toured the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
,[ Germany], Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, and Holland.
He received international recognition when he was nominated and won the best African musical act at the MOBO Awards
MOBO Awards
The Music of Black Origin Awards, established in 1995 by Kanya King MBE and Andy Ruffell, are held annually in the United Kingdom to recognise artists of any ethnicity or nationality performing black music....
in the United Kingdom in September 2006. His second album was Samini for which he won three awards at the 2007 Ghana Music Awards, and in February 2008, won the Best African Artist Award at the Hip Hop World Awards in Nigeria. His third album, Dagaati, was released in 2008.
Awards
- 2006 MOBO AwardsMOBO AwardsThe Music of Black Origin Awards, established in 1995 by Kanya King MBE and Andy Ruffell, are held annually in the United Kingdom to recognise artists of any ethnicity or nationality performing black music....
- Best African Act - 2009 MTV Africa Music AwardsMTV Africa Music Awards 2009The 2nd MTV Africa Music Awards were held on October 10, 2009 at the gymnasium of the Moi International Sports Centre complex in Nairobi, Kenya and were hosted by Haitian-American artist Wyclef Jean.- Performers :There were several performers, such as:...
- Best Performer
Nominations
- 2006 MTV Europe Music Awards 2006MTV Europe Music AwardsThe MTV Europe Music Awards were established in 1994 by MTV Networks Europe to celebrate the most popular music videos in Europe. Originally beginning as an alternative to the American MTV Video Music Awards, the MTV Europe Music Awards is today a popular celebration of what MTV viewers consider...
- Best African Act - 2008 MTV Africa Music AwardsMTV Africa Music Awards 2008The first annual MTV Africa Music Awards took place on November 22, 2008 in Abuja, Nigeria at The Velodrome. The show was hosted by Trevor Nelson. The nominees were announced on October 7, 2008.-Artist of the Year:* Aṣa* D’Banj* P-Square* HHP* Seether...
- Best Performer