It seems like just yesterday when the 1st Edition of the MAMA awards hit our screens.
One of my fondest memories of that edition was Kelly Rowland and D’banj’s duet: the ‘Koko master’ sprinkling some ‘Yoruba flavor’ on the Destiny Child’s song.
Another memorable moment at that edition was when Dr.Dre’s protégé, The Game brought a young fan on stage to perform alongside him. That award ceremony was a sealed success when an emotional tribute was paid to an Icon and African legend– the late Fela Kuti.
The MAMA’s then graced the shores of Nairobi the following year and then returned to Nigeria in 2010.That year the show was hosted by the self-proclaimed Pit bull in a skirt & the first lady of the renowned Ruff Ryders posse, Eve. With pulsating performances by the ‘big boss’ Rick Ross, T-pain and 2face Idibia, this edition did not fail to live up to expectations – Lagos was lit!
After a four year hiatus, the award series returned to the ICC Durban Arena, South Africa. This edition has surely been my personal favorite to date as my fortunes transformed from watching from the comfort of my couch to attending the prestigious festivities.
My fondest memory of the 2014 edition was Ladysmith Black Mamabazo captivating the continent with their sweet harmonies. Trey Songz gave the ladies something to drool about while Bad boy French Montana posed on the red carpet with Khloe Kardashian.Marlon Wayans was the host of the night who told a collage of jokes dipped in controversy. It was an unforgettable night of bright lights, interviews with successful stars and enjoying this precious gift called ‘life’.
I returned to my couch at home to experience the 2015 edition while MTV went back to Durban to host it.Yemi Alade gave an epic performance as her search for ‘Johnny’ continued. One of the highlights of that award was D’banj dedicating his evolution award to his former producer, Don Jazzy which left fans in dreamland of a re-union.
Today, the 22nd of October marks the 2016 edition of the MAMA awards and I will not be watching from the comfort of my favorite couch! Instead, I will be reliving the sweet memories of the 2014 edition and in the process, be part of a historic moment as this will be the first time it will be hosted in Johannesburg.
Yesterday was the prelude to the main event: the press conference took place at the Hilton hotel in Sandton.In attendance was some of Africa’s shiniest music Industry diamonds in Wizkid, Patoranking, Sarkodie, Yemi Alade, Simi, Uhuru, Falz the bad guy, Sauti Sol, AliKiba and Ycee.Ofcourse, the big news of the day was that Bonang Matheba is replacing ill comedian Trevor Noah as host.”I got the call at 8:30 p.m. on Thursday.
The reason I said yes is because I never back down from any challenge,” said one of Africa’s most talented media personalities. It was also announced that Yemi Alade and Nomzamo Mbata will be sharing hosting duties with Bonang.”Don’t believe the saying that black people can’t swim. Bonang, Yemi and I will give you a good show,” Nomzamo light-heartedly assured the media fraternity in the room.
Let’s see if our last minute hosts are up to the task. Hopefully, Future has remembered to board his flight from the United States. Hopefully, this edition will be the best we have ever seen – we are just a few hours away from finding out.