The Ghana DJ Awards will honour renowned Ghanaian artiste manager and Disc Jockey and President of the Creative Arts Council Mark Okraku with a Lifetime Achievement Award at its 2018 edition slated for Saturday, May 5 at the Accra International Conference Center.
In an interview the Founder and CEO for the award, Merqury Quaye revealed that the ‘retired’ disc jockey, who is now the head of programs at Multimedia owned Hitz 103.9 FM, will be given the special award for his contribution to the DJ profession.
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“We are honouring Mark Okraku for his contribution to ‘deejaying’ in Ghana. For those who are quite old, they would remember the great work Mark did when he was at Joy FM. He was one of the few DJ at that time and we deem it fit to honour him,”
Mark Okraku also played at Balm Tavern as a night club DJ. At the same time, he played at several parties, leaving a mark of excellence at each.
As programs manager at Hitz 103.9fm, Mark has powered the agenda of DJing, helped recruit top DJs including Ghana’s finest hypeman, Merqury Quaye, and facilitating the unearthing of unique talents through radio talent shows.
Mark Okraku-Mantey attended Datus Complex Schools (Bubuashie) and continued to St. Augustine College in the Central region. In his school days, he was the first student to be allowed to play as official Disc Jockey for St. Augustine College.
His ‘production thing’ started in 1996 when a guy called Amponsah came to him at Joy FM because he wanted him to play his songs on air since he (Mark) was a DJ, He (Amponsah) later came back and said he was having problems producing his songs So he (Mark) should help him, and that was his (Mark) wake up call.
A few albums that have been under his umbrella are Nana Tuffour’s – ‘Tontonte’, Kojo Ashkan’s – ‘Me Nse Ato Biso’, Felix Bell’s – ‘Butterfly’, Ohene Kissi’s – ‘Kabiribiri Kyere Me’.
Many music fans were carried away by Oheneba Kissi’s ‘ABC of Love’ because it was a hit, It sold over 400, 000 copies,which was followed by Daasebre Dwamena’s ‘Kokokoko’ also becoming a hit from Slip’s camp. Most of the hiplife artistes left him cos he went off for a whole year, but there were still some loyal ones like Adane Best, Kudjo Sasu, and Felix Bell.
The Ghana DJ Awards was created to celebrate and appreciate the talents of Disc Jockeys (DJs) who promote Ghana music. The Awards is an exciting annual program designed to foster the development of the Ghana music industry by rewarding and celebrating Radio, Mobile and Club Disc Jockeys who have excelled in their fields of endeavor. It is, actually, the only national award scheme in Africa that appreciates and celebrates DJs for their work. It is also a platform that rewards veteran DJs who have blazed the trail in the music industry over the years.
The main objective is to recognize the electronic dance music scene, and seeks to let the world know that the art of DJ’ing is a respected craft, with DJs playing a major role in the overall Music and Entertainment industry.
In 2012, the very first edition of the Ghana DJ Awards was conceived by Merqury Quaye, a DJ, music lover, renowned MC and radio show host. The very first edition was held at the National Theatre on 15th February 2012, and has been held annually since then.
