This article is borne out of an encounter I had with one of Shatta Wale’s loyal apostles, Flex K Germain on Facebook, a few days ago.
Typical of any ardent fan of an artiste, I was not surprised with his position on why he perceives traditional media as that which only thrives on Shatta Wale’s controversy but neglects his good works and songs.
Shatta Wale has, for the past years, also made similar erroneous statements to suggest that he made it all by himself (and his fans) and that traditional media never played any role in his rise to stardom. In fact, anyone who believes in this lie must either be mischievous or new to the Ghanaian entertainment industry.
Traditional media has not lost its relevance with the advent of social media. A lot of songs that make it on the internet and streets mostly yearn for validation from traditional media. If traditional media had not fed on all the social media buzz that came up about Shatta Wale, he probably would still be struggling for stardom. Shatta Wale and his fans know how important traditional media has been to the career of the dancehall king. That is why they get worried when his songs don’t get much rotation on radio and TV.
Anyway, what did he expect? Garbage in, garbage out! What you serve the people is what they feed on. This is someone who nursed his re-emergence onto the music scene with controversy. It worked for him, so why is he complaining?
In the past, he complemented his controversial activities with many hit songs. For the past two years, the obverse holds true. This is not the Shatta Wale we know. The hits no dey come.
The gospel according to Shatta Wale’s apostle Flex K Germain
“The Ghanaian media especially traditional media prefer NEGATIVITY than anything else. Shatta Wale from the start of the year has dropped great songs back to back, it’s not gaining the national attention on radio or tv , it’s not getting rotation on radio , why ? Because they hate to promote Shatta Wale in a positive way, ( shout out to ADOM FM morning show crew ).
But as Shatta Wale attacked those celebrities who snitched to join NLA lottery campaign, after they’ve been banned from betting years ago, it’s all over their shows , radio and tv stations are talking about it…
We know your food, we shall continue to serve you, anything positive from the camp of Shatta Wale majority of you find it difficult to discuss, even in the same video, the good things he said is being ignored but that on Jackie Appiah is their headlines.
Don’t worry , he got a lot of CONTENT for you, abi you people say you won’t promote his music, he will force you to talk about him always, good or bad, we are ok. There’s no bad publicity in Shatta Movement code !!
Premature releases
There is no doubt that Shatta Wale is talented. In fact, he has achieved a lot in the music scene through his music and controversy and will always be celebrated for that. But no one is obliged to jump onto his songs just because he is Shatta Wale!
There are thousands and millions of artistes jostling for the same attention, so if you do a song and dump it somewhere on the internet, don’t expect it to blow up by fluke.
Shatta Wale should know by now that songs have legs, but they hardly move by themselves. They usually need to be prodded through various means to reach their destinations.
Shatta Wale is not doing himself any good by releasing songs almost every day, especially at a time when he is struggling to get a monster hit. Some may admire his daily releases and consider that as an attribute of being talented, but that does not automatically reflect in public reception.
Move beyond your loyal fan base
It is about time somebody close to Shatta Wale told him that targeting only his core fans does not promise growth. It portends danger for his career. If you want to grow as an artiste, you need to win the hearts of music lovers who are not within your diehard fanbase.
Shatta Wale seems to think that the cheers he receives from his fans are enough for him.
I have personally listened to the many releases he has made in recent times, and I can say without fear or favour that most of them could have been better if he took his time to produce them, and they could have travelled father if he had a proper promotional plan for them.
The ‘Gift of God’ album is very crucial in Shatta’s music career, at this point in time. After he had postponed its release for the umpteenth time, it appears apart from his fans, most music lovers have even forgotten about it. People have come to accept Shatta Wale as that great artiste who currently is struggling to regain his lost glory in terms of churning out hit songs.
I don’t know what is keeping him from releasing the album, and I hate to put pressure on artistes to release their creative works because creativity thrives in freedom. But, when the album drops, it must be a good one. This album will either project Shatta Wale or plunge him into an abyss of gradual oblivion.
In the wake of this, he needs to put in his all and produce songs that will not only appeal to his core fans but break boundaries.
It is about time Shatta Wale did more wonders on the international music scene than he has ever done because he has what it takes to be bigger internationally than Burna Boy, his Nigerian nemesis. Unfortunately, he seems not really focused on the highest prize.
Enough of the premature releases! Enough of the childish play on social media. Do that sparingly and re-strategise!
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By: Kwame Dadzie | Ghana Weekend
