Afro-Dancehall originator Stonebwoy has congratulated Afrobeats singer King Promise (KP) on his winning of the ultimate honour at Ghana’s topmost entertainment awards show.

On Sunday, May 11, 2025, as the Telecel Ghana Music Awards (TGMAs) was coming to an end – having started on Saturday – KP was pronounced the Artiste of the Year. He had bested Stonebwoy, Black Sherif, King Paluta, Joe Mettle, Team Eternity Ghana, and Kweku Smoke, to lift the trophy.

Initially, the favourites to earn the accolade were rapper and singer King Paluta, King Promise, and Stonebwoy. A few weeks to D-Day, King Promise and Stonebwoy emerged the true contenders – Stonebwoy being the defending champion.

In his congratulatory message on X, Stonebwoy, a two-time AoTY winner who holds he is a three-time winner, welcomed King Promise to the fold, his message an endearing salute for a worthy opponent.

"Congratulations, @IamKingPromise, on your win and on your debut entry into the league of AOTY winners. You're welcome," Stonebwoy wrote.

Last year when King Promise and Stonebwoy faced off for the coveted honour, the latter triumphed – KP applauded in the auditorium despite being visibly disappointed for his loss. Taking the AoTY honour, Stonebwoy asserted his strong belief he was the 2019 winner, also. The results from that year were withheld by Charterhouse, organisers of the GMAs then title-sponsored by Vodafone, in an effort to safeguard peace and security at the ceremony. Earlier while Stonebwoy received his fifth Reggae/Dancehall Artiste of the Year accolade, his arch-rival Shatta Wale and his crew stormed the stage, breaching Stonebwoy's defence. In response, Stonebwoy showed he had a gun on him, causing fear and controversy.

Stonebwoy, Sarkodie, Okyeame Kwame, VVIP, and R2Bees are the only artiste(s) to win the AoTY honour more than once.

See the list of winners of the AoTY honour at the GMAs, below:

1999 – Akyeame (Okyeame Quophi and Okyeame Kwame)

2000 – Daddy Lumba

2001 – Kojo Antwi

2002 – Lord Kenya

2003 – Kontihene

2004 – VIP

2005 – Obour

2006 – Ofori Amponsah

2007 – Samini

2008 – Kwaw Kese

2009 – Okyeame Kwame

2010 – Sarkodie

2011 – VVIP

2012 – Sarkodie

2013 – R2Bees

2014 – Shatta Wale

2015 – Stonebwoy

2016 – EL

2017 – Joe Mettle

2018 – Ebony

2019 – Annulled

2020 – Kuami Eugene

2021 – Diana Hamilton

2022 – KiDi

2023 – Black Sherif

2024 – Stonebwoy

2025 – King Promise