Award-winning highlife artiste and songwriter Kofi Kinaata sparked a major debate after stating that he would have won the VGMA Artiste of the Year and Most Popular Song of the Year titles if the coronavirus pandemic had not disrupted the awards ceremony.
Speaking with Amansan Krakye on Radio Central in Cape Coast (circa April 2020), Kinaata argued that his body of work and impact in 2019 made him the clear choice for the top honours.
He explained that he delivered more than any other musician that year with hit songs, multiple ambassadorial deals, countless performances, and being named the most influential youth.
Kofi Kinaata was particularly insistent about his 2019 hit, “Things Fall Apart,” deserving the Most Popular Song of the Year award.
When asked whether Sarkodie’s hit track “Oofeetso” posed a threat, Kinaata offered an analogy that emphasized the song’s universal reach: He compared “Oofeetso” to Bailey’s, an expensive drink found mainly in nightclubs. And compared “Things Fall Apart” to Coca-Cola, an affordable drink found everywhere – nightclubs, churches, mosques, and even places like Saudi Arabia where alcohol is restricted.
He concluded that “Things Fall Apart” achieved that level of widespread presence, which is the true definition of a most popular song.
