Teephlow shocked by continued failure to win TGMA Best Rapper award

Ghanaian rapper Teephlow has expressed surprise over his failure to win the Telecel Ghana Music Awards (TGMA) Rapper of the Year award despite receiving multiple nominations in the category.

The rapper says he finds it difficult to understand how he has consistently earned nominations but has yet to win the prestigious title.

Speaking in an interview on Hitz FM, Teephlow explained that he does not usually keep track of his previous nominations or make music with awards in mind. However, he finds it surprising that he remains the only artiste among those nominated alongside him who has never won the category.

“I can say one thing I’m surprised about is the fact that, of all the people who have been nominated, I’m the only one who hasn’t won Best Rapper before. And it’s almost shocking if you really think about it,” he said.

He questioned whether his record suggested that he had somehow fallen short of the standards expected of a Rapper of the Year winner, although he indicated that he no longer allows the situation to bother him.

Teephlow also used the interview to raise concerns about the criteria used to determine winners in the Rapper of the Year category.

He argued that streaming numbers should not be the sole measure of an artiste’s lyrical ability or contribution to the music industry.

According to him, the award should consider an artiste’s overall body of work, lyrical prowess, the quality of their music, the messages conveyed through their songs and the impact they have on listeners.

He further proposed that the TGMA consider establishing separate judging panels for technical categories such as Rapper of the Year and broader categories such as Artiste of the Year.

Teephlow explained that the two categories require different levels of expertise and approaches to assessment, making it important for judges to have the necessary understanding of what each award represents.

He added that he would welcome the opportunity to contribute to discussions on improving the awards process if invited to join a team responsible for shaping the judging criteria.