Ghanaian dancehall and reggae sensation, Livingstone Etse Satekla, popularly known as Stonebwoy has given his reasons for why Nigerian artistes are more likely to sell out international arenas than Ghanaian artistes.
According to the “Sobolo” hitmaker, Nigerians tend to push more in their music craft and they have a huge worldwide fanbase compared to Ghanaians.
He said this in a radio interview with American DJ and Radioshow Host Sway on SiriusXM radio in Florida, USA.
“When it comes to the whole of Africa, Nigeria pushes the most. And you can find Nigerians being very popular around the African continent in different countries, but you might not find other African artistes as popular as other African acts in Nigeria,” he said.
Stonebwoy further stated that Ghanaians should put Ghanaian artistes at the top of their priority list for the music industry to reach the same levels as the Nigerians.
“I’ve been calling out other people and telling them; know your artistes. If you’re Ghanaian, make sure that Ghanaian artistes are the ultimate priority because a Nigerian’s top priority is the Nigerian artiste,” Stonebwoy added.
He also stated that Ghana has been a foundation for most of Africa’s achievements including politics, development, creative arts, and music.
“Therefore, it is only a matter of time for Ghana to attain those heights.
I tell you this on authority, Ghana as a country is the hidden secret behind so many progress of Africans and African as a continent. Highlife is an original birth child of Ghana. Fela Kuti who was a mighty legend from Nigeria will tell you of the ties he had with Ghana. We actually burst the door to say the year of return in 2019 and that thing took the whole world by storm. So as a Ghanaian, I understand the kind of ingredient that we give to the world and to our African brothers,” Stonebwoy noted.
The Burnington Music Group CEO also spoke on the divisiveness among African acts compared to American artists.
“Out here in the West, all black people find themselves pushing the black movement because they don’t really know about their ethnicity. Down here in the continent, we’re pushing the ethnicity rather; I’m Nigerian, I’m Akan, I’m Ga, I’m Igbo, I’m Yoruba…. So, I think the mentality among that keeps us in our pockets and the political system plays with that a lot,” he further noted.
He also cited other factors such as language barriers and travel restrictions for the difficulty in collaborations among African acts.
Stonebwoy is currently on a media tour of the U.S and recently dropped a track with American rapper Rus.
Source: www.ghanaweb.com