Ghanaian rapper and singer, King Paluta, has formally written to the board of the Telecel Ghana Music Awards (TGMA), seeking an explanation for the exclusion of his song ‘Makoma’ from key nomination categories for the 26th edition of the awards.
In a letter dated 18 March 2025, King Paluta’s management expressed their dissatisfaction with the omission of ‘Makoma’ from the nominations despite submitting it for four major categories: Most Popular Song of the Year, Record of the Year, Hiplife Song of the Year, and Songwriter of the Year.
Despite meeting the submission requirements, the song failed to receive a nomination in any of the categories for which it was entered.
King Paluta’s team maintains that ‘Makoma’ is deserving of recognition due to its widespread popularity and impact.
“We humbly write to your honourable board to demand some explanations in connection with the snub of ‘Makoma’ by King Paluta — a song we duly submitted for consideration, which we believe remains Ghana’s most popular song released in the year under review, generating the most excitement amongst music lovers to date.”
The letter
King Paluta’s management acknowledged their trust in the competence of the TGMA board but called for transparency in the decision-making process. “We believe in the competence of the TGMA board and trust that a convincing reason will be issued to our team, music enthusiasts, and the general public regarding this unpopular decision of the board,” the letter added.
The management further indicated their willingness to engage with the board for possible reconsideration of the song in the relevant categories.
Released in August 2024, ‘Makoma’ quickly became a street anthem and topped several music charts in Ghana.
The song gained widespread recognition, with many industry players and fans describing it as one of the most impactful releases of the year. It enjoyed massive airplay, dominated streaming platforms, and became a fan favorite at concerts across the country.
Despite ‘Makoma’s’ snub, King Paluta still earned a nomination in the Most Popular Song of the Year category for his song ‘Aseda’ as well as a high contender for the Artiste Of The Year.
The 2025 TGMA nominee list was announced on Saturday, March 15, recognizing top Ghanaian artists for their contributions to the music industry.
It remains to be seen how the TGMA board will respond to King Paluta’s petition, as fans eagerly await a possible explanation or reconsideration.
King Paluta Performs Viral Song in the UK
The Ghanaian musician took his craft to an international audience with a performance on Capital Xtra, one of the UK’s biggest music radio stations.
He performed his hit song ‘For The Popping’, delivering a smooth and energetic rendition of the tune that impressed the host, who danced along in his seat.
The video of the performance has gone viral on social media, with many Ghanaians expressing pride in King Paluta’s growth. Some fans pointed out how much his voice had improved, praising his vocal delivery.
King Paluta has been on a steady rise in the music space since he burst onto the scene. By the end of 2024, he had two songs in Boomplay’s Top 100, recording over 50.5 million streams on the platform.
His songs ‘Aseda’ and ‘Makoma’, both from the ‘Give Time Some Time’ album, were the top two most streamed songs on Boomplay that year, making him the second most streamed artiste on the platform.
On Audiomack, he achieved similar success. The ‘Give Time Some Time’ album recorded over 42 million streams and ranked number one.
King Paluta finished 2024 as the fourth most streamed artiste on Audiomack, with ‘Aseda’ and ‘Makoma’ taking the top two spots. ‘For The Popping’ has also been a massive success, crossing five million streams in recent weeks.
With his growing influence, many see King Paluta as a strong contender for Artiste of the Year at the upcoming Telecel Ghana Music Awards (TGMA).
“This is the only reason why adey feel King Paluta… He kills it when it comes to music.”
mighty_naq
“The vibe is giving this Sarkodie’s rap with R2Bees or so… give it to me give it to me baaeebee, you no know say you’re my no. 1.”
tedote_
“At the end they will give the award to their favourite artist😂.TGMA is a joke.”
Futballfans
“The way he’s so aggressive never knew he could sing this good.”
Yo_zamani🇬🇭
“Wanna brother dey train his voice for the singing ooh. Check like he never go look back on the rap thing.”
bill
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