Fans of Ghanaian music have witnessed Stonebwoy’s extraordinary evolution from a young talented dancehall sensation to an eminent global afro-dancehall and reggae ambassador.
Held at the Grand Arena, Accra International Conference Center (AICC) in Accra and presented by Stonebwoy’s Burniton Music Group, in association with Beyond The Return, Ghana, the 2021 edition of Bhim Concert was a resounding success due to the organizers’ extensive planning, precise execution and the headliner’s resilient, charismatic talents.
With the return of Bhim Concert on a Tuesday night, it’s obvious people want to know that Stonebwoy is still that tremendous afrodancehall and reggae artist, in terms of his vocals, his recordings and delivering live performances. That’s the measurement people are looking for while they celebrated his musical journey thus far.
Ahead of the Ghanaian BET and GRAMMY awardee’s set, Bhim Concert 2021 opened with a stellar cast of supporting acts, including Taalat Yarky, Kofi Jamar, Quamina MP, Dope Nation, Sefa, Okese 1, Mr Drew, Edem, Joyce Blessing and more. Kofi Kinaata elevated the thousands-person audience’s already jubilant mood with ethereal and fitting performances of his hits “Behind The Scenes” and “Confessions.” Fameye, during his live set, matched up to the high level of energy created by the audience.
Record Producer, Master Garzy, presented the first episode of Afrodancehall cypher series project. The artiste selection hit above the seal due to the team’s further search for artistes that can add extra vocal variety to even up the then monotonous vocal thread, but the further finding got the cypher laced up with 12 artistes. Sconzy, Sunshine Soldier, Khalifina, were one of the few highlights of the session.
Stonebwoy appeared on the darkened stage a few minutes after 1 a.m., dressed in a crisp white costume with neatly styled dreadlocks. Patrons excitedly waved Bhim Nation flags, blared air horns, and lit up the arena with the glow of thousands of cell phones held aloft in an attempt to capture his historic entrance. His superb Bhim Band opened his set with a heartfelt motivational and inspirational “Tomorrow.” He then tore into “Journey,” a song that succinctly described the difficult path he has taken to get to this point. And the way he flawlessly delivered “Le Gba Gbe” was a moment to remember.
Stonebwoy’s artistic dexterity clearly captivated the audience. By the time he performed “Tuff Seed” and “Hero,” his fourth and fifth songs of the night, he had confirmed what everyone had hoped: He was the same musician known for his enthralling performances. His set also featured some of his collaborators, including Vic Mensa, Joey B, Darko Vibes, Yaa Pono, Focalistic, and D BLack.
On the night, Stonebwoy brought Grammy award-winning Jamaican artiste, Beenie Man out. The King of the Dancehall came out to deliver an energetic performance of “Punnany”, “Playground”, “Overproof”, “One Day”, and “Unstoppable”. It marked his first Ghanaian performance close to 3 decades since he last visited the motherland. And for the first time also, he performed his 2019 collaborative single “Shuga” with Stonebwoy.
The major highlight was when Stonebwoy introduced Samini on stage. The moment between them was pure love. During a quick personal moment on stage, patrons got peaked of the mutual respect and love the two share. They shared stage with King Beenie Man and exhibited their musical prowess by spitting out some unmatched freestyle.
