This is definitely testament of the excellent work the music industry put in last year leaving music lovers spoilt for choice.

It is also proof of the massive talent pool the country has which if well harnessed will see this nation do amazing things on the international front.

As the day draws closer (just two days away), much of the talk of who wins what has centered on the Artiste of the Year, which is justifiable because it is the topmost award but there are several other categories which are too close to call and we take a look at some of them and who the potential winners could be.

Reggae/Dancehall Song of the Year

Another one to watch is this category. Who would have thought Efya will be in here but she is with Until the Dawn, Samini with My Own, Stonebwoy with My Name, Article Wan with Faya Burn Dem, MzVee with Rewind and Shatta Wale with Dem Confuse.

Samini has the edge in this category with My Own which was well received and proved he was far from spent like others thought. My Name and Faya Burn Dem also have a good chance.

Best Rapper of the Year

This category has always been hot because of the huge rap talent we have in Ghana. Sarkodie has won it a number of times and is here again this year along with the only female rep, Eno Barony, Teephlow, Shaker, Ko-jo Cue and Strongman.

I have a strong feeling Teephlow might just steal Sarkodie’s thunder this year. He is a phenomenal rapper and the praise he has received for his Phlowducation album should be testament of his immense talent.

Reggae/Dancehall Artiste of the Year

This is one category that is also very competitive looking at the contenders, Ebony, MzVee, Shatta Wale and Stonebwoy. Too much has been said of Ebony’s impact on the music scene in the year under review and there isn’t much to be said, MzVee was great, Shatta Wale was large and in charge as well and Stonebwoy was very busy.

The contest is between Stonebwoy and Ebony and here Stonebwoy has the edge mainly because of the impact he had on the international scene and the amazing success of his Epistles of Mama album.

Hiplife/Hip Hop Artiste of the Year

Pono Biom, R2Bees, Captain Planet, Kwesi Arthur, Sarkodie and VVIP are contesting for this prize. VVIP in my opinion were not that active in the year under review so the race is between Sarkodie, Captain Planet and Pono Biom.

The surprise here is Captain Planet who proved that he could be a big solo act outside of 4X4 but Sarkodie may just sneak in the win.

Best Collaboration of the Year

It’s hard to choose from such a talented group which includes Joe Mettle and Luigi Maclean on Bo Noo Ni, MzVee and Patoranking on Sing My Name Rmx, Kurl Songx and Sarkodie on Jennifer Lomotey, Sarkodie and Runtown on Painkiller, Shatta Wale and the SM Militants on Taking Over, Captain Planet and Kofi Kinaata on Obi Agye Obi Girl and Becca and Patoranking on Na Wash.

The strongest of this bunch however are Joe Mettle and Luigi Maclean, Shatta Wale and the SM Militants, Sarkodie and Runtown and Kurl Songx and Sarkodie.

For me, Shatta Wale and the SM Militants might have the edge here because Taking Over was massive although Joe Mettle and Luigi might give them a run for their money.

Best New Artiste of the Year

Never in the history of the VGMA has the Best New Artiste category been so competitive and it is a tough decision choosing from King Promise, Kurl Songx, KiDi, Kuami Eugene, Magnom, Kwesi Arthur and B4Bonah.

King Promise did not only release hits (Oh Yeah and Selfish), he also featured on several lovely tracks like Double Trouble and was one of the most talked about new act on social media.

Kurl Songx’s hit song Jennifer Lomotey was a big track in the year and what can you say about KiDi and Kuami Eugene’s impact?

The fact that Magnom’s song, My Baby has been used by telcos Airtel and Tigo for their merger should tell you the impact it had in the year. For the die-hard rap fans, Kwesi Arthur and B4Bonah were awesome to listen to.

I would pick Kuami Eugene to however win this because Angela was not his only hit but he was all over the place as well doing hit collaborations (Adwenfi and Rewind come to mind).

Afropop Song of the Year

Here too, there is so much to choose from; Makoma by Adina, Oh Yeah by King Promise, Say You Love Me by KiDi, Sing My Name by MzVee, Jennifer Lomotey by Kurl Songx, Sponsor by Ebony, My Baby by Magnom and Come From Afar by Stonebwoy.

Come From Afar, Jennifer Lomotey, Sponsor and Sing My Name are strongest and choosing is difficult but maybe Come From Afar will take it.

Hiplife Song of the Year

This category which has Total Cheat by Fancy Gadam ft Sarkodie, Boys Boys by Nacee and Guru, Painkiller by Sarkodie and Runtown, Obi Agye Obi Girl by Captain Planet ft Kofi Kinaata, Ayoo by Shatta Wale and One Corner by Patapaa ft Ras Cann is tough because all the songs made an impact.

It is however between One Corner, Ayoo, Painkiller and Total Cheat and for me One Corner will be the runaway winner. This song came out of nowhere and with a dance that many regarded as vulgar, managed to take over in a way that many people did not expect.