It is worth mentioning that not all the numerous musicians in Ghana could come out of their shelves.
Below is the list of Ghanaians artistes who came on top in their songs, music videos and other verifiable metrics compared to other acts.
In no particular order, these are the top ten Ghanaian artistes in 2021.
Stonebwoy
Dancehall act Stonebwoy has been consistent with his craft since he broke out into the limelight over a decade ago.
Stonebwoy has produced many singles this year, including hits like ‘1Gad’, ‘Ariba’, ‘Greedy Men’ and many others. Stonebwoy shot and released music videos for almost all his songs this year, performing exceptionally well on streaming platforms and the airwave.
Nonetheless, Stonebwoy is one of the most featured Ghanaian acts this year. He was featured on the records of D-Black, Hajia4 real, Jesse Royal, Sean Paul, Obibini, among others.
He also performed on a tall list of concerts in Ghana and abroad. Stonebwoy marked the first anniversary of his ‘Angloga Album’ with a concert in the United Kingdom, where he pulled a massive crowd to the 02 Academy in Islington, London. He also stole the show at The Afro Jam Show in the UK. His annual Bhim concert will be coming off this December.
2021 did not bring enough ambassadorial deals for Stonebwoy, but he still maintained brand influencer for Tecno Mobile Ghana.
Sarkodie
Rapper Sarkodie has paid his dues when it comes to showbiz this year despite the imposition of Covid-19 restrictions. His ‘No Pressure’ album came in handy to make him relevant.
His top songs like ‘No Fugazy’, ‘Saara’, ‘Rollies and Cigars,’ and ‘Non living Thing’ are all from the album released on July 20, 2021.
Sarkodie featured songstress Efya, Kwesi Arthur, Wale, Benerl, Vic Mensah, Giggs, Medikal et al on his sixth studio album.
On Youtube, most of his videos are gaining traction, but the new acts have successfully overshadowed him this time around.
The much-awaited RapperHolic Concert is on this December, as announced by the rapper. Before then, Sarkodie performed at the Ghana Party in The Park in the UK and a few places in Ghana.
Sarkodie secured a lot of endorsement deals in 2021 alone. He signed contracts with Vume, Ayoba, Malta Guinness, Standard Chartered Bank, Airtel-Tigo, Fanmilk, Samsung Electronics, and Pepsodent.
Black Sherif
Black Sherif should come on the list of the top Ghanaian acts this year -- a breakthrough year that has brought him a lot of attention and money.
After his ‘First Sermon’ went viral, Black Sherif returned with the ‘Second Sermon’ that also caught fire. The ‘First Sermon’ and ‘Second Sermon’ music videos have a combined stream figure of over 10 million views.
‘Goldigga’ and ‘Abotr3,’ which he featured on, are all gaining traction just a few weeks after the release.
Black Sherif has thrilled patrons of concerts he was billed to perform. He has performed at the Karaoke With The Stars, Medikal Live Concert, UPSA, Fameye’s Family Live Concert, GIJ, etc.
Black Sherif is the brand ambassador for HD Decoders.
Wendy Shay
Wendy Shay has fought against all odds to play the game to her advantage strategically. Her ‘Shayning Star’ album contained all her top songs this year.
‘Heat’ and ‘Break My Waist’ seems to have found the room in the hearts of the people. She didn’t do a lot of features except with Burkinabe singer Razben’s song ‘Katiana’.
‘Heat’ is her best performing song on YouTube this year, with over 1.5 million views.
Wendy Shay has performed at concerts like Mr Drew’s Seley Concert and Ghana to The World concert in New York City.
Wendy Shay was unveiled this year as a brand ambassador for Pinnamang cosmetics.
Diana Hamilton
The gospel musician has enjoyed the best year so far in her music career that spans over a decade. She won the overall Artiste of the Year for the first time at the 2021 Ghana Music Awards, becoming the first female gospel singer to achieve this feat.
This year alone, Diana Hamilton has released records like ‘Victory Praise,’ ‘Wani Ku Me Ho,’ and ‘Awurude Ye.’
The music videos of the records, as mentioned above, are doing well on online streaming platforms and the airwaves. Her banger ‘Awurude Ye’ tops it all.
Diana Hamilton has graced the concerts such as MTN Stand in Worship 2021, Nabaya 2021, and Aloud Mega Praise. Enterprise Life signed Diana Hamilton as their brand ambassador this year.
Medikal
Since Medikal gained recognition, he has been so consistent each year. Either his singles become hits or his features.
This year, Medikal authored songs like ‘The Target,’ ‘Jah Guide,’ ‘Accra,’ ‘The Professor’ and others. He has also featured on songs with Sarkodie, Mr Drew, Shatta wale, Pappy Kojo, Show Working and others.
Medikal warmed the stages of concerts, including his own dubbed Medikal-Shatta Wale Concert in Kumasi, Taabea Tacuum concert, and Fameye’s Family Live Concert.
Mr Drew
Mr Drew has the most hit songs in Ghana at the moment. The Highly Spiritual artiste began the year with ‘Mood’, which was received well.
He also out-doored ‘This Year’, which featured rapper Medikal. The two again dropped ‘S3k3,’ which is everywhere now. Mr Drew also recruited Kidi for ‘Sheperu.’
‘This Year’ is his best song with over 2.7 million views.
Apart from his Seley Concert, he has also performed at the Ghana Party in the Park in the Uk.
Mr Drew landed a deal with digital satellite company HD Plus Ghana.
KiDi
Another Ghanaian act that had a great year is KiDi. Everything he touched turned to gold. He was adjudged the overall Artiste of the Year at this year’s 3 Music Awards but missed out on the coveted award at the Ghana Music Awards.
‘Touch It’, ‘Mon Bebe’, ‘Spirtual,’ and ‘Send Me Nudes’ are his best songs in 2021, all from his ‘Golden Boy’ album, which featured Patoranking and Kuami Eugene.
‘Touch It’ is his best performing video, having over 15 million views.
Kidi held a mini-concert for his Golden Boy album and hosted Serenade Virtual concert. He followed with another show and performed at the MTN Hitmaker Allstar concert.
Kuami Eugene
This year, Kuami Eugene kept his head high amid controversies and produced numerous songs. With countless hit songs like ‘Bunker,’ ‘Dollar On You,’ ‘Shaker,’ Kuami Eugene had them rotated everywhere.
He also featured Okyeame Kwame, Kwame Yogot, Kidi, 4x4 and Pappy Kojo.
‘Dollar On You’ is his best song this year, with over 3 million YouTube views.
Kuami Eugene successfully hosted The Rockstar concert, headlined his Thank You, and performed at the VGMA Experience concert, KiDi’s album concert and others.
Kuami Eugene landed a big contract with itel mobile within the year.
Sefa
Sefa has had a better year in her music career. Her biggest song is ‘E Choke’, in which she featured Mr Drew.
She also did some featured with Gambo and Skonti. ‘E Choke’ is her best career song, with over 2.5 million Youtube views.
Sefa performed at Sarkodie’s No Pressure album live concert, Mr Drew’s Seley Concert, and Ghana Party in the Park.