The Recording Academy recently published an article about Ghanaian music that included Root Eye, Samini, and Shatta Wale as pioneers of dancehall music in the West African country.
Stonebwoy, who was not mentioned in the article, took to social media to complain about the omission. Shatta Wale responded to Stonebwoy’s comment, suggesting that his arch-rival is pained because his name was mentioned in the article.
In a separate social media post, Stonebwoy accused Shatta Wale of trying to ride on his coattails and using his name for publicity. He also suggested that Shatta Wale is jealous of his success.
The spat between the two dancehall rivals has been simmering for some time, and it appears that it is far from over.
Taking to X (formelly known as Twitter) he said “Because my name deh der the ting touch your man en balls.” Shatta Wale went on to share some opinions from his fans about Stonebwoy’s outburst over The Recording Academy publication.
“How are you gonna demand a shoutout in a hiplife article when you didn’t even get the memo back then? Somebody needs to deflate this ego a bit—let’s give credit where it’s actually due! @stonebwoy, we need less ‘big head’ and more facts!
The publication said, “While Gyedu-Blay Ambolley is considered one of the earliest rappers, as demonstrated on his 1973 song “Simigwa-Do,” the term “hiplife” was only coined in the late 1990s by genre pioneer Reggie Rockstone.”
“Still, American hip-hop had arrived in the Ghanaian capital of Accra by the early ’90s and local rappers began to release their own music soon after. Duo Talking Drum were among this early cohort, and their single “Aden” was an underground hit in 1993,” the publication continued.
The article emphasised that “as a movement and culture, hiplife is also an identity, created to encourage people to be daring in their exploration of sound. Pioneering hiplife artists like Root Eye Samini and Shatta Wale (then known as Bandana) fused dancehall and highlife in the early 2000s to make music which could connect with local audiences.”
The omission of Stonebwoy’s name has triggered a reaction from him. Taking to X (formerly known as Twitter), he said, “Whoever wrote this article is interestingly missing THE NAME @stonebwoy RecordingAcad. Do Due Diligence before you publish half-dozed articles aiming to capture the true image of the State of the Ghanaian Sound.
The post has since gone viral with mixed reactions of over 800 comments after 2 hours. “You can’t be left out though…correction dey hia momm“, an x user said with another saying that “Bobo, God is preparing a surprise for you instead. They left you out, expect a Grammy Award this year. If indeed I’m a seer and I’ve a tongue of fire it shall come to pass.”
However, others like @metamorfos28 disagreed with Stonebwoy’s concern, saying, “This kind of desperate need for recognition is actually beneath you. For a second, I thought this was a fan account, till I realized it’s actually you.”
Stonebwoy is yet to react to Shatta Wale’s response.
