Kuami Eugene's Controversial Crowning As Highlife King At The 2019 Video Game Awards

Amakye Dede Reveals Event Organizers Compelled Him to Crown Kuami Eugene as King of Highlife.Amakye Dede disclosed this information on the Asaase Breakfast Show on June 14th.

"Although I did that, I did so against my will. I was compelled to crown Kuami Eugene. I even gave the crown they gave me to someone to set it down, but they told me I had to crown him, so I did," he disclosed.Four years ago, Amakye Dede's decision to crown Kuami Eugene as the future King of Highlife music was not well received and sparked much debate and criticism. This is the first time Amakye Dede has publicly addressed the incident, though Kwasi Aboagye, host of Peace FM Entertainment, and Akwaboah have previously commented on it.

In a 2020 interview with Kwaku Manu, Akwaboah described Kuami Eugene's coronation as the King of Highlife music as a farce. He continued by stating that Charterhouse, the VGMA's organizers, was responsible for the entire incident.

"Kuami Eugene is my firstborn. I played a significant role in his career as an artist. I was a voice coach on the MTN Hitmaker program where he and others such as Kidi and Kurl Songz were trained. Therefore, it would not be appropriate to crown him the Highlife King.



In addition, artists such as Daddy Lumba, Kojo Antwi, and Kofi B were still performing at that time. I believe Uncle Amakye Dede was compelled to do it, as he would not have brought a headdress from home to perform that on stage. "The organizers probably played a role in all of this," said Akwaboah.