STL GETS TOP NODS IN CHANNEL O MUSIC VIDEO AWARDS CATEGORIES

It’s down to the wire for Africa’s hottest artists and music videos with the just-released list of nominees in the 2011 Channel O Music Video Awards! Artists from Angola, Ghana, Mozambique, Kenya, Nigeria, Tanzania, Uganda and Namibia are all in the running for this year’s awards.
This time around, the only Original.African awards feature multiple artists with two or more nods - making it an open field for nominees in the 14 categories as they make a bid for the votes of Channel O viewers throughout the continent!
This longstanding, public-voted awards event sees a massive 10 videos in contention for the hugely prestigious Most Gifted Video of the Year award – ensuring it’s a tough choice for fans.
Among the strongest bids is Kenya’s STL, whose Lookie Lookie has been nominated 3 times for Most Gifted Female Video, Most Gifted Dance Video and Most Gifted Video of the Year.
Alongside her is Ugandan artist, Navio whose Keep Moving is up for Most Gifted Video of the Year as well as Most Gifted Male Video and Most Gifted Hip Hop Video.
Also making a play for attention is hotshot South African artist Zakes Bantwini whose Wasting My Time clip has earned him a nod in the Most Gifted Video of the Year category as well as Most Gifted Male Video. He is up against one of Africa’s undisputed heavyweights in both categories in the form of Nigeria’s D’Banj with his Mr. Endowed (Remix) featuring Snoop Dogg.
In the Most Gifted Newcomer category, Nigeria’s Wizkid is vying for the title in a field that includes South Africa’s AKA, Uganda’s Keko, Nigeria’s Ice Prince, Zambia’s Zone Fam and South Africa’s Kwesta in one of the most exciting categories at this year’s event.

In addition to STL’s success, another female has also made an impact on a music scene dominated by male artists. South Africa’s Lira has a double nomination for the video Phakade in the Most Gifted Video of the Year and Most Gifted Female Video categories.

Voting for the 2011 Channel O Music Video Awards opened Friday 19 August and closes midnight (CAT) Thursday 27 October 2011. Visit www.channelo.tv to cast your votes via web or WAP. You can also vote on MXit and SMS (send your favourite artist’s code to +27 83 920 8406). You can vote in all 14 categories as many times as you want, but only ONCE per hour.

Rapper Cannibal suffers heart attack

Coast based rapper Cannibal – real name Ralph Masai - suffered a mild heart attck a few weeks back. He was just hours from his South Africa where he was recovering from attending the Channel O Africa Music Awards.
Cannibal, who jetted into the country from Johannesburg on November 11, spent a few hours enjoying the Kenyan climate before the attack set in.
The rapper famed for his hit track I Wish started convulsing in his parent’s house in the Kizingo area before his older brother called for a cab to rush him to hospital. The Lil Wayne look-a-like was then admitted at the Pandya Memorial Hospital where he was put under a drip for four days.
“I’m lucky to be alive,” Cannibal said.
The doctors said the attack was caused by the change of climate and smoke in the respiratory system. His hospitalisation led him to postpone his interview with Channel O’s Diary Piece of his life in Mombasa.