Dancehall artiste Shatta Wale has shot that rumours that he was paid for his performance at the COVID-19 Virtual Concert.
In a Facebook Live video, he said even though he is a business-minded person, he performed for free because of his sense of patriotism.
“Why do people lie like that? You see me, people have said me I like money, Yes! I like money bad, but when my country needs me to perform in these difficult times, there is no way I will choose money first,” he said.
“When they talk about patriotic people I am one of them, I am very patriotic, I like to support my country,” he further noted.
According to the artiste who recently vowed never to perform any task embarked on by the government for coronavirus for free, he agreed to do it for the virtual concert because a big man in government that he respects approached him.
“My godfather called to say the ministry wants to do something and I am one of the main people to have done a virtual concert and that they would love to involve me and I agreed to do it for free. I did it for free because I know where that thing go fit take me go,” he said.
This comes after some people have expressed doubts about the statement by the Minister of Communications, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, that no musician was paid to perform at the COVID-19 Virtual Concert which was held yesterday.
Ursula said during the coronavirus press briefing of the Ministry of Information that the artistes performed at the launch of the COVID-19 Tracker for free.
“The launch was held yesterday and I must thank the musicians who also performed for free to lift up the spirit of those of us in lockdown and educate the public through music as well,” she said.
Since the story broke, some people have expressed doubt about the artistes performing for free, alleging that all the other musicians who performed at the concert were paid GHS 40,000 and that Shatta Wale alone took home GHS100,000.
The virtual concert put together by the Ministry of Communications was a side attraction to the launch of a new App that will help in contact tracing people who have come into contact with COVID-19 positive individuals.
Artistes who performed at the launch were Shatta Wale, Fancy Gadam, Kuami Eugene, Diana Asamoah Great Ampong, Dada KD and Kaakyire Kwame Appiah.
Others were Nicholas Omane Acheampong, Eduwodzi and Bukom Banku.
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By: ghanaweekend.com
