Meet the judges that are going through each submission and putting together a list of those that are boldly striding in Africa with a big purpose in music, arts, fashion, media and film.
Fikru Semma, also known as Kassmasse, has become one of the most influential Ethiopian Hip- Hop artists of this generation. In a meteoric rise to fame, his groundbreaking EP (Maleda) catapulted him to top tier status in January 2021. His full-length album which followed, featured global sensation Julian Marley.
The talented rapper is known for shifting culture by fusing traditional Ethiopian music with contemporary international music, creating a new genre called ANTSAR. Kassmasse won the All-Africa Music Awards (AFRIMA) award for Best East African Artist at the 2022.
Paola Audrey is a Francophone Africa media personality, creative entrepreneur, marketing professional and influential tastemaker. She’s known for her expertise in entertainment, lifestyle and is a prominent Pop Culture Analyst.
Her skills and experience have been leveraged through varying roles which include Marketing and Partnerships Manager at MTV’s Foundation and General Manager at Boomplay. Aside from her work as an executive and a consultant, Audrey has hosted several television shows and been a key speaker at conferences in France, Ghana, Ivory Coast and Cameroon.
Singer-songwriter, producer and occasional actor Gerilson Insrael, is at the forefront of Angola's New School music movement described as ghetto zouk. It's an up-tempo party like beat is a fusion of Angolan genres kuduro and kizomba.
This has catapulted Gerilson to be one of the most sought-after performers in the Angolan music scene and has led him to be an icon amongst the youth. He holds multiple awards with his most recent nomination being for "Best Artist in Africa” by Trace.
Multi-Award winning music producer and DJ, Ellputo also known as Etivaldo Victorino Joaquim has extensive experience in the music industry. He has worked with numerous international acts including Burma Boy, AKA, DJ Maphorisa, French Montana and DJ Khaled.
He is largely responsible for crafting a contemporary dance sound for Mozambique and has worked with several hit producing Mozambican artists. He recently received the "Best Producer of the year" award at the Mozambique Hip-Hop Awards.
The judges have first-hand experience from their own journeys of pushing boundaries, shifting culture, and pioneering creative breakthroughs. Walk through their judging process here:
All nominations will be checked against the respective categories’ criteria.
The judges will then be involved in hand-selecting and evaluating candidates based on their own expertise, industry knowledge and criteria. Their critical role is to ensure cultural significance and objectivity.
Once the judging is complete, a final Top 30 list will be put together and will be made available to the public.
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