MAMA 2010, a night of super mash-ups!

The MTV Africa Music Awards (MAMA) is fast gaining a reputation for assembling the hottest talents from Africa and the rest of the world in Africa. The 2010 MAMAs certainly set the notch higher when it opened with an explosive performance by Hip Hop ‘heavyweight’, Rick Ross,  and closed with an unforgettable rendition of “Win” featuring T-Pain, Rick Ross, Da LES and 2Face – a world first.

But that wasn’t all.  In keeping with the tradition of the awards, the show featured an array of electrifying collaborations between artists from different parts of the continent, mixing up music genres, language and cultures in an unprecedented extravaganza of African talent.  Among the collaborations was an African hiphop -meet- American hiphop with Sarkodie, Mo Chedda and Chuck D (Public Enemy). There was also unexpected rock-meet-rap fusion by 2Face Idibia and South African rock outfit The Parlotones. The performance of Banky W’s “Lagos Party” saw South Africa’s Big Nuz, Angola’s Cabo Snoop and Paul G and DRC’s Barbara Kanam rocking the house with the first ever truly pan-African version of the hit track.

The host of the ceremony, Eve also rapped briefly alongside Nigeria’s Sasha. And among other collaborations, Fally Ipupa and J Martins did their hit song ‘Jupa Remix’.  The full list of performers on the night included:  2Face (Nigeria), Banky W (Nigeria), Barbara Kanam (DRC), Big Nuz (South Africa), Cabo Snoop (Angola), Daddy Owen (Kenya), Diamond (Tanzania), Eve (USA), Fally Ipupa (DRC), J. Martins (Nigeria), Jozi (South Africa), Liquideep (South Africa), Lizha James (Mozambique), Mo Cheddah (Nigeria), Paul G (Angola), P-Unit (Kenya), Public Enemy (USA), Radio & Weasel (Uganda), Rick Ross (USA), Sarkodie (Ghana), Sasha (Nigeria), T-Pain (USA), Teargas (South Africa), The Parlotones (South Africa), Wande Coal (Nigeria).