2017 has been one of the most interesting and controversial years for Ghanaian music with the likes of Shatta Wale, Ebony, Samini and Stonebwoy.

It’s also given us a glimpse of what the future looks like following the breakthrough of many young and talented artistes like Kidi, Kuami Eugene, Kwesi Arthur among many others.

Our playlist was filled with hits and hits, from the most annoyingly catchy ones like Patapaa’s “One Corner” to the absolutely subtle love songs like King Promise’s Selfish.

Here is a definitive ranking of the best songs we’ve heard this year.

1. Shatta Wale ft. SM Militants – Taking Over

You can’t even disagree, Shatta Wale was the biggest act in music this year and his ghetto hit “Taking Over” became the anthem which solidified Shatta as the Dancehall King Of Ghana. The video for this song has over 5.5 million views on Youtube. Shatta indeed took over 2017.

and…

This list would be a fraud without the 2017 VGMA’s “Artiste Of The Year”, Joe Mettle. Although secular music actually ruled this year, Joe Mettle managed to sneak in one gospel song for God which became an instant hit among the Christian community. His Bo Noo Ni (No One Else) track rose to number one on Apple Music Charts confirming why he won Artiste of the Year.

Patapaa is definitely 2017’s breakout star for coming up with a hit that not only crossed the boundaries of Ghana but also had the capacity to turn very sane people into complete lunatics when the song starts playing. It is difficult to say whether Patapaa will be able to come up with another song as popular as “One Corner” but we are grateful to him for making our 2017 lively.

Captain Planet became the real OG when he released the most relatable song of 2017, “Obi Agyi Obi Girl” which literally translates to “Somebody has taken Somebody’s girl”. This song became an anthem for any guy who has snatched someone’s girl or has had his girl taken from him.

4. Ebony – Sponsor

Taking one for the ladies is Ebony, the biggest female dancehall artist right now. Ebony came really prepared this year, releasing hits left and right but Sponsor will go down as her biggest hit so far with over 2.2 million views on YouTube.

5. Fancy Gadam ft. Sarkodie – Total Cheat

It would have been a total cheat if this song was not part of the list. Fancy Gadam who is very popular in the north showed himself to be a very versatile artiste when he came up with this hit song this year.

6. Wutah – Bronya

The formerly disbanded group came back together and gave us Bronya which shows that 2 is really better than 1. Their song ruled the airwaves and became a staple at almost every party, wedding and even funerals. Thank you Wutah for blessing us with this reunion song.

Samini proved that he is still very relevant in the Ghana music industry when he released this song. The lyrics of this song were carefully thought out by Samini, making it even more enjoyable when you know the words to the song.

8. Kuami Eugene – Angela

This list would have been a total fraud without Kuami Eugene on it. The young star who came to fame during the MTN Hitmaker competition is now signed to Lynx Entertainment and we will be expectinga lott more from him in 2018. Angela has become the official song for weddings in Ghana.

9. Kidi – Odo

Following closely behind his label mate, Kuami Eugene, Kidi comes in at number 9 with this banging tune. 2017 has indeed been a good year for Kidi as he released two songs which really became hits with his female fans. The popularity of “Odo” even led him to do a remix with Nigerian artistes Mayorkun and Davidowhich is also lit.

UK-based artiste Sista Afia took Ghana by storm this year with her hit track Jeje which ruled the airwaves during the early part of the year. She went on to perform at many shows which later became controversial due to her style of performing and her outfits but we still love her songs.

2017 was Becca’s year as she marked 10 years since she entered the music industry and she celebrated by releasing many hit songs including Na Wash with Patoranking. She crowned it all off with a star-studded concert for her anniversary. The song has been able to garner over 8 million views on YouTube.

Stonebwoy whose wedding made waves this year also had a great boost to his music career with two of his best songs, One thing and My Name. One thing which featured Damaris was one of the most played songs on radio this year.

13. Kurl Songx ft. Sarkodie – Jennifer Lomotey

This banger almost put Sarkodie in trouble with the Krobo people. But despite that one or two controversial lines in the song, this song is one of my favourites for 2017.

14. Stonebwoy – Come From Far

I almost forgot this song and I know I wouldn’t have been forgiven if I did. Stonebwoy takes another spot on our table with his megahit “Come From Far” also known as “Wogbe J3k3”. This song is really lit!

Shatta Wale is a rear gem in Ghanaian music despite his controversial nature. He knows how to make a hit from the most obscure of lyrics. “Freedom” basically has two lines and it just makes Ghanaians go crazy whenever they hear the beat. It is only Shatta Wale who can do this.

16. Lil Win – Mama Boss Papa

Lil Win proved he is a formidable force in both acting and music when he released his megahit song “Mama Boss Papa” which saw him give a very memorable performance of the song at this years VGMA’s.

17. Shatta Wale – Ayoo

Shatta Wale takes his 3rd spot on our list with this tune.

18. Kwesi Arthur – Grind Day

Kwesi Arthur, the young rapper from Tema proved he is someone we should be looking out for in the coming years following the release of this club banger “Grind Day”.

19. B4Bonah – Dear God

Another young artiste we should look out for in 2018 will definitely be B4Bonah whose hit “Dear God” caught the attention of Sarkodie who proposed the do a remix of the song. B4Bonah is definitely one of my personal favorite artistes for this year and I urge all of you to listen to his “Devil is a Liar” track and come and give me testimony.

20. Sarkodie ft. Runtown – Painkiller

Sarkodie closes our top 20 with this banger featuring Nigerian artiste Runtown.

and…

Magnom – My Baby

Beatmaker Magnom proves he can also make good music following the release of his hit track “My Baby” earlier this year.

Honourable Mentions:

Hustle By Ebony

This song was unable to make it to our top 20 because of the time it was released but it’s an equally banging track from my siren for “Artiste of the Year” in 2018.

Selfish by King Promise

King Promise is also another star to look out for in 2018. His new song “Selfish” is making waves.