Ghana Month: Top 30 Ghanaian musicians of all time

The rich and vibrant tapestry of Ghanaian music is woven with threads of tradition, innovation, and cultural pride. From the soulful melodies of highlife to the infectious rhythms of hiplife, from the uplifting harmonies of gospel to the rebellious spirit of reggae and dancehall, Ghana’s music scene reflects the diversity and dynamism of its people.

At the heart of this musical journey are the artists who have shaped and defined Ghana’s sound, leaving an indelible mark on the nation’s cultural landscape. These musicians, both past and present, have not only entertained audiences with their catchy tunes and captivating performances but have also used their platforms to address social issues, promote unity, and celebrate Ghanaian identity.

Here is a list of top 30 Ghanaian musicians of all time. 

1. E.T. Mensah: E.T. Mensah is one of Ghana’s finest highlife musicians back in the 1950s and 60s. His hit songs ‘All For You’ and ‘Ghana Freedom’ are still very popular songs.
2. Jerry Hansen: Jerry Hansen is also a highlife pioneer who led the Ramblers International Band, one of the most popular Ghanaian bands of all time. He has over 200 songs including hits like Ama Bonsu, Onua Pa Due, Nyame Mbere to his name.
3. Nana Ampadu: He is one of the most decorated story tellers with his story-telling style of music. Born Kwame Ampadu, he came to be known as ‘Nana’, the title of a chief in the Akan-speaking parts of Ghana, after winning a nationwide competition to be crowned the Odwontofoohene, or “Singer-in-Chief”. Nana Ampadu is known for hit songs like Ebi Te Yie, Agartha, Drivers, Akwantifi Wuo, and others.
4. Ebo Taylor: Being a guitarist, composer, bandleader and producer, Ebo Taylor mastered in highlife and afrobeat music and he even had a collaboration with Nigeria’s Fela Kuti as far back as 1962.
5. Amakye Dede: He began his music career in 1973 with the Kumapim Royals which was led by Akwasi Ampofo Agyei (AAA). He dominated the highlife scene in the 1980s and 1990s creating hit songs like Bebrebe Yi, Iron Boy, Odo Da Baabi, Kae Dabi, Sufre Wo Nyame.
6. J.A. Adofo: Obuoba J. A. Adofo a.k.a. The Black Chinese is a nephew of Nana Ampadu who rose to stardom from his days as a lotto receiver. He is inarguably one of the best live dance band performers with his City Boys Band. His Ankwanobi track is one of his favourite tracks.
7. Daddy Lumba: He begun as a gospel singer in his days in school until he was introduced to highlife after meeting Nana Acheampong in Germany. He has had countless hit tracks with Aben Wo Ha, Tokrom, Sika Asem, and most recently Yentie Obiaa, and Enko Den.
8. Sarkodie: He has been one of the most consistent artistes in the past decades in Ghana and has still maintained his consistency.
9. Shatta Wale: Coming with a hit song back in 2003, Wale has gone on to be one of the most controversial yet relevant musicians in Ghana.
10.  Stonebwoy: Stonebwoy has achieved a lot in a relatively young career winning international awards including the BET. He has projected Ghana’s image with collaborations with some of the worlds best reggae and dancehall musicians.
11. Kojo Antwi: Kojo Antwi also known as Mr Music Man has garnered recognition and success for love songs. The legend has been able to make many women fall in love with his music. He has since not looked back and with hit tracks like Groovy, Densu, Tom And Jerry, Amirika, among others, Kojo Antwi has remained one of the best.
12. Reggie Rockstone: Known as the pioneer of hiplife, Reggie Rockstone is the originator of the fusion of highlife and America’s hip-hop. Somewhere in 1994, Reggie released the first-ever hiplife album, ‘Makaa Maka’. He has since come up with hits like Tsoo Boi, Sweetie Sweetie, Keep Your Eyes On The Road, among others.
13. Obrafour: After Rockstone pioneered the hiplife movement, many youths jumped on board. One of them was Obrafour aka Ghana Rap Sofo whose Pae Mu Ka album released in 1999 is considered as the best ever hiplife album. Obrafour’s rap skills have seen him deliver hits including Oye Ohene Remix, Ako, Heavy and many more.
14. Ofori Amponsah: The ‘Otoolege’ hit maker came unto the music scene in duet album, Wo Ho Kyere with Daddy Lumba. Ofori Amponsah then established himself as a formidable artiste in the 2000s. He released hits like Asew, Sardine, Emmanuela, among others and won many awards.
15. Yaw Sarpong: Just like many formidable gospel musicians during his era, Yaw Sarpong was at his peak. His ‘Wo Haw Ne Sen’ hit was one of the fastest selling records ever when it was released in 1999. He later came up with a lot of timeless hits including Awurade Na Aye, Dua Esi Asubonten Ho, Se Yehowa Hyira Wo A, among others with his Asomafo band.
16. Lord Kenya: Back in his days, he had the biggest following and gave some of the craziest stage performances ever. Just as Shatta is today, Lord Kenya was Hiplife Shatta Wale. He would have undoubtedly been a top artiste even now had he not died.
17. Terry Bonchaka: Although his music career span just two years, Terry was one of Ghana’s finest hiplife artiste and super talented. He managed to come up with many hits even in his short music career and would have been a music gem currently if death had not laid its icy hands on him.
18. K.K. Fosu: His hit albums titled “Sudwe”, “Anadwo Yede”, “6’oclock”, Akonoba” and “Toffee” were a banger during the early 2000’s. He worked with artistes like  Obrafour, Obuor, Reggie Rockstone and many others. K.K Fosu joined Soundz Unlimited Jazz Band, a platform he used to launch his musical career back in the day and has still remained relevant in the industry.
19. Castro: He entered the musical scene with his 2003 hit song “Sradenam”. He had features on the hip-life group 4×4 hit track and has since released hits back to back. Castro is a formidable force in the industry and won the hearts of many with his melodious voice.
20. Samini: Samini started singing in a church choir at the age of 14 and became a professional musician after a musical collaboration with another musician in 1999. He is one of Ghana’s finest Reggae Dancehall musician and his name will continue to ring a bell when we talk of Reggae Dancehall in Ghana. His hit songs Linda, Sweet Mistake will always reverberate Ghanaians.
21. Kwabena Kwabena: He is one of Ghana’s highlife sensation and best vocalist the music industry can boast of. He burst onto the scene in 2004 with his hit song ‘Aso’ and has since been the ‘Lover Boy’ he is till now. Kwabena Kwabena is the go-to musician for love and romantic songs and has repeatedly established his name for that.
22. Becca: Gaining recognition through TV3’s mentor, Becca went on to release hits like African woman and U Lied to me in 2013 and 2007 respectively. Another vocalist in the industry and one on Ghana’s finest female singers.
23. Efya: Her collaboration with Sarkodie has always been a banger. Initially wanting to be a film director, Efya has captivated the hearst of many Ghanaians with her vocal prowess. she has been awarded the best female vocalist for four consecutive times at the Ghana Music Awards beginning 2011.
24. MzVee: In 2012 , MzVee joined a girl band , Lynx Entertainment and was the lead singer where they released hit singles such as ‘ Good Girls Gone Bad’ and ‘ Gyani Gyani. She later released her singles Daavi, Sing My Name, I Don’t Know and Come And See My Moda all of which became a banger and won several wards at the Ghana Music Awards.
25. King Promise: His music genres include R ‘n’ B , Afrobeats , Highlife , and Hip-hop . Other hit songs include ‘ Selfish ‘ , ‘CCTV’ , ‘Oh Yeah ‘ among many others. King Promise released his first single ‘Oh Yeah’ in early 2018 which gained popularity in the local music scene, becoming one of the biggest hits of the year. His recent hit song ‘Terminator’ has gone worldwide establishing the singer’s name as one of Ghana’s biggest musician.
26. Kofi Kinaata: He started his career in 2012 as a rapper and released his first single ‘Hallelujah”. He is known as the master of Fante rap. Kinaata is a very talented musician and has been commended severally for his ability to relate societal issues with his music. he has produced hit songs such as ‘Confession’, ‘Single and Free’, ‘Thy Grace’ and others. He is also a four-time VGMA songwriter of the year.
27. Kidi: Kidi began his career as a songwriter for Richie Mensah’s Lynx Entertainment. He wrote for some of the label’s biggest artists, including Efya and Mzvee. Kidi has since established himself as a formidable force in the music industry and has produced several hit songs and won many awards.
28. Black Sherif: Blacko as he his affectionately called, is one of Ghana’s sensation raising the flag high currently. Although he came to the scene not long ago, Black Sherif has managed to earn for himself a global recognition including winning the 2023 BET Best International flow Hip Hop awards. He’s been featured by the likes of Davido, Burna Boy, Wizkid and Omah Lay.
29. Gyakie: Growing up with a musician father, Gyakie was influenced and harnessed her father’s talent. Gyakie’s career began to take off in 2019 when she released her single “Sor Mi Mu” which quickly went viral on social media. This led to her signing a record deal with Mr Eazi’s emPawa Africa in 2020 and releasing her debut single “Forever”. She has since produced several hit songs like “Rent Free”, ‘My Mind Dey For You’ and ‘Something’.
30. Kuami Eugene: As a Ghanaian High-life and Afrobeat singer, Kuami Eugene signed to Lynx Entertainment in 2016 and went on to release his first single ‘Angela’ which became a hit. The singer and songwriter has since won many awards and produced hit songs including his recent ones “Monica’ and ‘Abena’.