From a layman’s perspective, it seems utterly unfair that King Paluta’s ‘Makoma’, considered one of the biggest hits of the year, did not make it to the 2025 TGMAs nominations.
However, after going through this analysis, one might better understand some of the technical reasons why the TGMAs board chose not to include ‘Makoma’ in the list of nominations, despite it being seen by many as a standout track.
It is indisputable that ‘Makoma’ performed exceptionally well during the year under review.
It topped the charts, trending as number one on #BoomplayAfricaTop100 for three consecutive weeks, raking in millions of streams during its first week of release, reaching number one on Apple Music’s Top 100 in Ghana, accumulating 3 million views on YouTube, and dominating weekly local charts for an extended period.
With all these accomplishments, fans naturally expected their favourite song to earn a nomination.
Not to mention, the song was everywhere on the airwaves, at parties, and even being consistently used by politicians at campaign platforms during the 2024 general elections.
King Paluta and his fans absolutely have every right to be frustrated about this particular song not receiving nominations.
But the core issue here is why the song wasn’t nominated in the categories it was submitted for.
King Paluta filed ‘Makoma’ for four key categories: Songwriter of the Year, Hiplife Song of the Year, Record of the Year, and Most Popular Song of the Year.
Yet, the board deemed it unfit for any of these categories.
Let’s break down the categories King Paluta placed ‘Makoma’ in, the criteria that scrutinised it, and how this possibly led to the song’s exclusion from the nominations.
Record of the Year
The ‘Record of the Year’ category places a strong emphasis on the quality of production rather than purely commercial success.
In fact, many of the songs that have won this category in the past are known for their high standards and the skill of songwriting.
According to the TGMAs, the songs that make it into this category are not required to be commercially successful but must feature high-quality production values.
“Record of the Year’ is adjudged by the Academy and the Board as the most outstanding artistic song commercially released in the year under review. The record may not have enjoyed commercial success, but it must have quality production values,” Charterhouse disclosed.
Since 2020, the artistes who have won this category include:
Kuami Eugene’s “Money”
Adina’s “Daddy’s Little Girl”
Amaarae ft. Moliy and Kali Uchis’s “Sad Girls Luv Money”
Gyakie’s “Forever”
Stonebwoy’s “Manodzi” featuring Angelique Kidjo
This year’s 2025 contenders for ‘Record of the Year’ include:
Ayisi’s “Can I Live”
Berima Amo ft. Pat Thomas’ “Okyena Asem”
Kofi Kinaata’s “Auntie Ama”
Black Sherif ft. Smallgod’s “Fallen Angel”
Kweku Smoke’s “Holy Ghost”
Kwabena Kwabena ft. Obaapa Christy’s “Fakye Me”
Looking at the list of nominees, it’s possible that ‘Makoma’ was excluded from this category because, although it was popular, it might have lacked the production quality required.
The song’s production could have been questioned, especially considering that its lyrics may have been viewed as profane.
Song writer of the Year
The TGMAs scheme has explained that the ‘Songwriter of the Year’ category is determined by the Academy and Board.
According to the scheme, songwriters (authors and composers) are selected based on the best-written songs, which include strong lyrics, content, composition (arrangement and song structure), and commercial release during the year under review.
It was also noted that while the song may not have enjoyed commercial success, it must possess significant artistic value.
This category has been consistently won by Kofi Kinaata with songs like “Susuka”, “Things Fall Apart”, “Behind the Scenes”, “Thy Grace”, and others.
Stonebwoy’s “Manodzi”, which won Record of the Year in 2024, also won Songwriter of the Year at the same awards.
Akwaboah Jnr. also won ‘Songwriter of the Year’ at the 2010 Ghana Music Awards for the song “Daa Ke Daa”, which he wrote for Becca.
For 2025, the nominees for Songwriter of the Year include:
Ayisi’s “Can I Live”
Kofi Kinaata’s “Saman”
Okyeame Kwame’s “No Competition”
OlivetheBoy’s “Asylum”
Team Eternity Ghana’s “Defe Defe”
Given this strong list, it’s possible that Makoma was not nominated for this category because it may not have met the rigorous songwriting standards required to compete alongside these established tracks.
Best Hiplife song of the Year
Although King Paluta was nominated for the Best Hiplife/Hiphop artiste, his Makoma song did not make it to the Hiplife category.
According to the TGMA scheme, the Best Hiplife Song is the song adjudged by the Academy, Board, and the general public as the most popular Hiplife song (fusion of Hip-hop and Ghanaian rhythms), 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.
The argument here is, did Paluta incorporate all these elements in ‘Makoma’, which made it a complete, typical Hiplife song?
Perhaps, with the definition given, the board did not consider the song as the best Hiplife song because of the necessary elements.
Critics have also argued that the song leans towards Highlife more than Hiplife.
Nominees for this year’s Hiplife Song of the Year category are; Eno Barony ft. King Paluta – Soja Go Soja Come
Black Sherif – Rebel Music
Tulenkey ft. Beeztrap KOTM – Bad Feeling
Okyeame Kwame ft. Kuami Eugene – No Competition
Sarkodie – No Sir
Lyrical Joe ft. Kuami Eugene – Enter.
Most popular song of the Year
This is the category where fans have most strongly argued that King Paluta deserves recognition, as his song “Makoma” was undeniably one of the top tracks of the year under review.
According to the category definition from the TGMAs board, “Most Popular Song of the Year” is awarded to the song adjudged by the Academy, Board, and the general public as the most popular song commercially released during the year under review.
According to them, “The song must have generated the most excitement, enjoyed significant patronage, and made a major cultural impact”.
The argument is that “Makoma” fits all of these criteria, yet it was still snubbed.
Interestingly, King Paluta’s other song, “Aseda”, was nominated for this category, possibly because the board considered “Aseda” to be more popular than “Makoma”.
The nominees for the 2025 ‘Most Popular Song of the Year’ category are:
OlivetheBoy – “Asylum”
KiDi ft. Black Sherif – “Lomo Lomo”
Lasmid – “Puul”
King Paluta – “Aseda”
Black Sherif – “January 9”
King Promise – “Paris”
Team Eternity – “Dede Dede”
Stonebwoy – “Jejereje”
By Elsie Lamar
