Dancehall musician Shatta Wale has revealed that his past experiences in the Ghanaian music industry have taught him the importance of planning for the future, claiming that many artistes have failed to listen to his advice on building sustainable careers.
According to Shatta Wale, he once attempted to bring dancehall artistes together under an initiative called DAWA, an acronym for Dancehall Artists for Welfare Association, but the idea failed to gain the support he expected.
“So my experience, you know, really taught me a lot. You know, I like this thing because back in the day, I was trying to form a group called DAWA, Dancehall Artists for Welfare Association,” he said in an interview.
Shatta Wale said he brought together several artistes as part of the initiative, including Iwan, Raskuku, Stonebwoy, Episode and Jupiter.
“So I organized a couple of artists, you know, Iwan, Raskuku, Stoneboy was part, you know, a couple of people like, you know, most of the dancehall artists, Episode, Jupiter, you know, all my boys,” he said.
He explained that his vision was to create a collective that would help shape the future of dancehall in Ghana and improve the perception of artistes in the genre.
“But they didn’t understand what I was trying to say, you know, because I was preaching about the future, how we could, you know, manage this thing and make it a brand in Ghana,” Shatta Wale said.
“So people will respect the dancehall artists and stuff like that. But, you know, they didn’t pay attention to it, so I had to move on, you know,” he added.
The musician said the experience has influenced how he interacts with artistes outside his immediate genre, noting that he sometimes offers advice when he believes it could help them.
“So sometimes me seeing people that are not in my world, you know, especially people that are not in my genre, you know, type, I find a little time, you know, just chip in one or two things,” he said.
Shatta Wale then singled out rapper Medikal as the artiste he believes has been most receptive to his guidance.
“I think the only person that really listens to my direction is Medikal. That one I won’t lie to you, but I like him,” he said.
He praised Medikal for being steady and said he has even reviewed some of the artiste’s contracts and observed some of the deals he has secured.
“He is always, like, very steady, you know, contracts, I read his contracts, you know. Sometimes you go through and, you know, get things through that he’s been able to get some good deals, but not all of them,” Shatta Wale explained.
However, he believes many other artistes are yet to reach a point where they are willing to listen to such advice, attributing this partly to their management structures, career plans and branding strategies.
“I feel most of them are not ready to listen and I believe it’s because of where they are, you know, in terms of management, plans they have and how they want to, you know, brand themselves,” he said.
Shatta Wale ultimately suggested that time will determine which artistes make the right decisions for their careers.
“I think, you know, it’s just good for us and for us to watch the future and see who wins and who loses,” he said.
