Amakye Dede, a legendary figure in Ghanaian highlife, has admitted in public that he felt forced to appoint Kuami Eugene, a rising star in the highlife and Afro-beat genres, as the country’s next highlife king.
On Wednesday, June 14, during an appearance on the Asaase Breakfast Show, Amakye Dede, who rarely interacts with the media, claimed that the choice to crown Kuami Eugene was not his own.
He claimed that some unnamed individuals forced him into giving the young artist this title.
Amakye Dede provided additional details on the incident, stating, “Though I did that, it was not my will to do so, They forced me to crown Kuami Eugene.”
He also admitted that he gave the crown that had been presented to him to someone else at first. However, he was convinced to crown Kuami Eugene by other party participants.
He recalled, “I even gave the crown they handed me to someone to set it down, but they subsequently said no, I have to crown him, so I did it.
Amakye Dede’s analysis of the situation echoes what his manager Akwesi Aboagye said during an interview on Anigye Mmre on Onua FM following the incident in 2019.
Aboagye claims that Kiki Banson, who oversaw the VGMAs’ artist roster, phoned him to let him know that Amakye Dede would be crowned Kuami Eugene during his performance.
He recalled that “KiKi Banson, who was in charge of artiste repertoire for the 2019 VGMAs, called to inform me that as part of Amakye Dede’s performance, they want him to crown Kuami Eugene, and I told him I have to speak to my artiste about it,”
However, Amakye Dede expressed his dislike of the concept when Aboagye told him about it.
Amakye Dede was not in favor of it when i told him about it. Thus, Mr. Aboagye said, “I was surprised to see him act against his will.”
He claimed that when he questioned Amakye Dede, the performer claimed that Kiki Banson had convinced him to crown the young performer.
Mr. Aboagye pointed out that Amakye Dede was ‘ambushed’ on stage when a crown was unexpectedly offered to him to be placed on Kuami Eugene’s head, even though he had been persuaded to accept the offer.
“Therefore, people who witnessed that deed will understand that something was off. Amakye Dede claimed that when a woman appeared on stage to present him with a crown, he was astonished. Mr. Aboagye narrated.
