Entertainment pundit and publicist, MC Portfolio, has stirred conversation around the recently concluded Telecel Ghana Music Awards (TGMA), claiming that rapper King Paluta’s failure to clinch the coveted Artist of the Year award was due to a combination of politics, lack of strong industry relationships, and geographical bias.
Speaking on Oyerepa TV’s Entertainment Review, MC Portfolio offered a blunt assessment of the situation, arguing that King Paluta was disadvantaged from the start, not because of his talent or work ethic, but because of systemic issues within the industry and the TGMA board itself.
“After I did my postmortem,” he said, “I found out that King Paluta’s affiliation with the New Patriotic Party (NPP) hindered his chances of winning the TGMA Artist of the Year. Mark Okraku Mantey, who is a known critic of King Paluta’s song “Sisifia”, is a member of the TGMA Board.”
According to Portfolio, Okraku Mantey, who served as Deputy Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture under the NPP, allegedly believes that “Sisifia” contributed to the party’s loss in the 2024 elections. “So if such a person is on the board,” Portfolio questioned, “how could Paluta possibly win the ultimate award?”
He went further to suggest that the political landscape within the music awards scheme plays a significant role in determining winners. “If you have both NDC and NPP representatives on the board, do you think they’ll really consider your work objectively?” he asked.
But it wasn’t just politics. MC Portfolio pointed to other crucial elements that he believes also worked against the Kumasi-based rapper. One of them was the power of industry relationships, or in Paluta’s case, the lack thereof.
“To win Artist of the Year, you need to build solid relationships,” he stated. “Unfortunately, King Paluta had no affiliations on the board that could have backed him. That matters in this industry.”
He also pointed to financial disparities between the nominees, claiming that King Promise, who eventually won the award, had significant corporate backing. “King Promise had the full support of Ecobank, a whole financial institution. Money is part of the game,” he said bluntly.
MC Portfolio didn’t stop there. He also argued that King Paluta’s location—living and operating out of Kumasi placed him at a disadvantage in an industry he says is largely Accra-centric.
“Where you stay matters. Being in Kumasi limits your access to industry players and opportunities. It’s easier to break through when you’re based in Accra.”
Source: Oyerepafmonline.com /Joseph Marfo
