Shatta Wale is not a public official. He is not paid by the taxpayer. His security detail is not paid for by the state, nor any of his team members. He is an entertainer and that is what he is noted for. So, if Mr. Wale comes out to say he has been paid a certain amount, in this case £80,000, for his performance at the Ghana Music Awards in the UK, why should this stir up controversy?
But granted, it is of entertainment value and ought to be discussed in a context; if you doubt the figure, why not bring out the evidence? It is not enough for those who took the issue up to just say he was not paid that money, or that he lied about the figure. Where is your evidence that he was not paid that amount? Or the evidence is roiled in hearsay and cooked out emotions to get back at Shatta Wale? And why would you get back at him?
Showbiz punditry has become an important part of our industry; but sorry to say, some of the views expressed are hollow and condescending. It is as if once the microphone is given to them, they must necessarily say something to devalue the person and his/her craft or ruin the career. Sometimes we forget the careers these guys are struggling to build is what sustains their families and allies. Be critical, and I am all for it, but do so with some humanity.
I am not a big fan of Shatta Wale. I love his music. I despise his lack of emotional intelligence when it comes to how he handles things said about him. He is an adult and can decide what to do with his life; but at some point in one’s life, one must sit back and evaluate what comes out of the mouth. It is common sense. He is a parent and owes his children some level of responsibility in how he conducts himself in public.
I understand the controversy is part of his brand but he must hold back in some situations. For example, what is the sense in attacking Osei Kwame Despite? If for nothing at all, you have used his platform to push your work, so credit him with respect. The insult directed at Mr. Kwame Despite, a man who is not just older, but has also achieved more than you; even ignoring his businesses and their impact in this country is ludicrous. If you have an issue with his worker, deal with the worker but why drag the man into your rants? That was immaturity, to be mild.
That said, I admire him for re-inventing himself back into our showbiz industry with little or no assistance from the big boys. For that, I give him credit. Back in the late 1990s and the early 2000s, when he melted into oblivion soon after ‘Moko Hoo’ (Bandana from Ghana) was released, he melted like ice into the sea. He was never part of any conversation and nobody gave a toss about his whereabouts.
To most people in the industry at the time, his memory was even dead and buried. I used to write for the Jive newspaper back in the day, and oh that paper, the writing style was different – top notch content for the industry. Everyone wanted Jive on their newspaper reading menu. But, from those who knew where he was, the report was that he was around but not idling; he was learning – a guy who knew him well told me.
I heard his song in a trotro heading out from Osu to Circle, so I phoned a friend to asked about him. That was the last time his name came up in a conversation that I was part of. The next time I heard about him was when he released Dancehall King, a song that gave him the Wale identity. The song was an anthem and the masses embraced it with glee.
But despite the success of that song, there were those who doubted he was going to stay up for long. You often heard whispers of oh it’s just the usual nine-day wonder. But the reality is that, and to the disappointment of those who never gave him a sniff, he is still here and churning out great music.
Moreover, his fanbase – in whose eyes he is a cult figure – is not limited to just ordinary guys hustling in the sun; most of them are élite professionals with heavy academic and home resumés. They will defend his right to be him. I know some of them, including work colleagues, who do not entirely agree with his controversies but are ready to defend his right to be controversial.
The controversy is part of the reason why he is loved. These fans may go to war for him, so far as he is giving them great tunes. I was in the United States when he dropped ‘Kakai’. A Latino friend of mine invited me to a party. Latino songs dominated the playlist but out of nowhere, the DJ, a popular Latino guy, had remixed ‘Kakai’ with Shakira’s ‘Waka Waka’, and flipped it through the night. The dance floor was swamped by waist-wriggling Latino ladies and their men. I was really excited about that.
Shatta Wale is a private person who earns his money from his own sweat, so trying to subject him to public trial regarding how much he was paid for a performance in the United Kingdom, without even providing any evidence to contradict him, is odd.
