Stonebwoy has raised an alarm over the worsening culture of rivalry in Ghana’s entertainment industry.
The Burniton Music Group boss criticized artistes who intentionally release songs on the same day others launch their projects in a recent interview with Kojo Manuel. He branded the act as “non-directional” and a form of “slavery.”
“Because of such a heightened level of toxicity, we could have channelled that into something very productive, like something very constructive so that our industry will see the shine that it deserves. Look at something, like whenever you decide to drop your EP, we are also going to drop a track on that day, there are a million dates. You can actually drop on that same day of course without telling anybody…” he said.
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Stonebwoy argued that artistes who rely on copying or “tagging along” with others only reveal a lack of originality and independence.
“If you cannot do without having to tag along somebody so much then it means that you are definitely a slave and non-directional; you just move according to other people’s hard work and success to find some cramp out of it to try and use on yours,” he stressed.
He acknowledged that rivalry has always existed in the music scene but believes the current level of animosity is unprecedented.
“Not so much has changed in terms of behaviour in that rivalry space; it’s gotten worse. I think it will keep getting worse. Because under my watch, I am a witness and I’ve served and followed many of our big artistes before arriving at my own duty, it has never been this toxic whereby now you find out that there’s a cross section of the masses who actually celebrate that. So it has become a thing that you have to balance and it’s taking a big toll on our progress as an industry,” Stonebwoy explained.
He further noted that a growing section of the public seems to celebrate negativity, which he fears is holding back the progress of the entertainment industry. Instead of fueling rivalries, he urged that the energy be redirected toward collaboration and growth that benefits everyone.
Watch the interview below.
