Photos: MTN project Fame.

Emeka rendering ‘Aye’ by Davido

The MTN Project Fame stepped up to a whole new level of reckoning on Sunday when the thirteen contestants in the academy recast the two most popular Afro Hip-Hop princes, Wizkid and Davido. With performances that the judges tagged ‘intense and stellar’, 13 hit songs from the gifted artistes rang through the studio and propelled the audience into unusual dancing mood. (pictured above is Clement performing Davido’s ‘One of a Kind’). Continue...

It was the Nomination Show. It started with Clement, who, despite a broken leg , opened the stage with a spirited rendition of Davido’s ‘One of a Kind’. Balanced on the tread of a 3-step stair, the Ghanaian was a marvel and seemed in control of his colourful dancers. He evinced total mastery of the song, and endeared himself to a previously doubtful audience.

Clement’s performance turned out to be the perfect opener as subsequent performances were equally adjudged ‘fun’, ‘amazing’, ‘decent’ and more. Second was Laami performing Wizkid’s ‘I Love My Baby’ followed by another Davido’s hit song ‘Aye’ performed by Emeka.

Taiwo, Christian, Shola, Ruky, Geoffrey, Ugo and Debbie were the other contestants that rendered select popular songs by Wizkid. The songs include ‘Holla at your Boy’, ‘Oluwa Lo Ni’, ‘Don’t Dull’ and ‘Joy’, a mixture of hip hop and reggae performed by Debbie to an extensive applause from participants and the faculty.

Kofo, Flourish and Ogechi did justice to Davido’s famous songs like ‘DamiDuro’, ‘Ekuro’ and ‘All of You’. The performances trumped all contentions and defy arguments as it turned out that the artistes recast were in different worlds and peculiar classes too close to call . That seemed the obvious reason the judges - including a guest appearance by one of the show’s guest judges from Ghana, Akosia Agyapong - decided to put all the contestants on probation.

Laami doing Wizkid’s ‘I Love My Baby’

Hence, Ugo (18), Christian (1), Debbie (4), Clement (2), Geoffrey (8), Kofo (9), Laami (10), Ruky (15), Emeka (6), Shola (16), Kofo (9), Ogechi (14) and Flourish (7) are now on probation. The truth is anyone of these contestants could be eliminated this Saturday except their fans weigh in by voting to keep them in the academy. Viewers and fans can text their favourite contestants’ unique numbers to 306 or 1745(Ghana), via an MTN line, to keep them in the academy.

The five wildcard entrants who performed on the show on Saturday also will need viewers’ votes to make the academy.

On the flip side, Melody and Lasbrey have been eliminated from the academy, after three great weeks of outstanding performances.