Dancehall musician Shatta Wale has rejected the perception that he is a controversial person, arguing that what may appear controversial from the outside is often part of the nature of doing business in the music industry.
Speaking in an interview on Friday, August 28, Shatta Wale said his public image should not be confused with the nature of the work he does.
“I am not a controversial person but that is what is what has brought me here today,” he said.
When the issue of controversy was raised in the interview, the musician maintained that it was part of the structure surrounding his career.
“And being controversial was part of the structure. Yes, very part of the structure,” he said.
Shatta Wale further explained that people can easily form opinions about others based on their appearance or occupation without necessarily understanding what their work entails.
“That’s not, I’m not a controversial person. It’s just that, you know, it’s business,” he said.
Using the example of people who work in mining and the gold trade, he said outward appearances can sometimes create misleading impressions about a person.
“You know, for instance, somebody might see, you know, a miner or somebody who deals in gold and stuff, and you might think, you know, seeing him in a Wellington Boots means he’s a dirty person, you know. But that doesn’t make him a dirty person, you know. It’s just the type of work and how he does it,” Shatta Wale explained.
He also used the contrast between wealth and dirt to make his point, arguing that what matters is not necessarily the appearance of the person but the value that can emerge from difficult circumstances.
“You know, you might see a rich man, you know, from sight, and you might see him like, I don’t know, probably he is dirty, but, you know, it’s not about him, you know, with the dirt but what comes out from the dirt is what, you know, I’ve proven to people,” he said.
