Entertainment pundit, Sally Mann has lambasted Ghanaian Dancehall musician, Shatta Wale after referring to his colleague, Stonebwoy as a ‘curtain-raiser’ artiste.
According to her, Stonebwoy is one of the Ghanaian artists who is lifting the flag of the nation high on the international stage while Shatta Wale has not gotten that opportunity hence the criticism.
Sally Mann indicated that Shatta Wale’s criticism of Stonebwoy is borne out of hatred and jealousy because he cannot attain what Stonewbwoy is doing on the global stage.
Speaking on Power Entertainment monitored by GhanaWeb, Saturday, the outspoken entertainment pundit lauded Stonebwoy for the successes he has chalked in the music industry globally and chided Shatta Wale for his negative remarks.
“If you say that [Stonebwoy being a curtain-raiser artiste] about your own colleague, that is not fair. A whole artiste who dreams of such a thing, Stonebwoy is living Shatta’s dream,” said Sally.
“Shatta wanted to be on the Grammy platform to go and showcase himself, has he gotten the opportunity? Has Shatta Wale seen Taylor Swift before? He hasn’t. Has Shatta Wale’s album gotten 100 streams before? No. Has Shatta Wale been signed by a record label? No. Stonebwoy is living Shatta’s dream, so you can’t say that to him. The Ghanaian artiste waving the nation’s flag high on the international stage is Stonebwoy,” she added.
Sally Mann further indicated that Shatta Wale’s gradual decline in the music industry has contributed to his criticisms of artists who are flourishing.
“Not even the collaboration with Sarkodie or Bob Marley did him [Shatta Wale] magic. But Stonebwoy’s fifth Dimension album, did you see how he was celebrated? He did a bit of everything. Why can’t Shatta Wale appreciate Stonebwoy? When Shatta Wale was coming, we thought he was the messiah of Ghana music,” she added.
Background
On the back of the comparison between Ghanaian and Nigerian musicians, Stonebwoy in a conversation with media personality Berla Mundi talked about the state of the Ghana music industry in light of the successful O2 Arena concert by Nigerian artiste Asake.
In his narrative, Stonebwoy, along with others, asserted that the imposition of such pressures would yield no solutions unless the proper systems were established. He emphasized the necessity for increased industry awareness to foster its growth.
However, in a video circulating on social media, Shatta Wale strongly rebuked Stonebwoy’s remarks. He argued that Stonebwoy was diminishing his own worth and predicted that he would never attain the same level of respect and attention as top Nigerian artists.
“Stonebwoy was asked if he was facing pressure, and he said no pressure, but awareness. You dress and do your Instagram photos like Burna Boy. Hasn’t anyone told you? You are facing pressure, which is why you want to go on stage later, you want to be on stage at the same time as Wizkid? Look at what you did at AfroNation Detroit. You were given time to come on stage, you wanted to go at the time you wanted.
“You allow yourself to be paid $10,000 while Burna Boy gets paid $300,000. Did you expect to be treated like an important person? You are just a curtain raiser!! You will never get the same platform as Wizkid, Davido, or Burna Boy!” Shatta Wale fumed.