You cannot take rivalry out of dancehall – Epixode justifies the necessity of beef

Ghanaian Reggae and Dancehall artiste, Theophilus Nii Arday Otoo, popularly known as Epixode, has justified why a healthy rivalry is good for the music industry.

The ‘Wahala Dey’ composer revealed rivalry has been part of the dancehall genre for a long time.

He made this comment following the competition between Shatta Wale and Stonebwoy at the Asaase Sound Clash. To him, it was a good initiative.

“It is a good initiative. When dancehall is mentioned you cannot take rivalry out of it. Jamaica who are the pioneers of Dancehall music do have something they call “Clash” which date back to the 1980’s and it has kept some artistes like Beenie Man and Bounty Killer still relevant.

“So the SoundClash was alright and it is good for the industry and two artistes. We need more of these rivalries to build the industry. I’m ready to face any artiste who is ready to clash with me whether Shatta Wale or Stonebwoy,’’ he said in an interview GNA Entertainment.

He described his journey in the music industry as a successful one when asked.

“My journey in the music industry thus far has been largely successful because as mentioned among the top five Dancehall artistes in the country shows the progress we made over the years.

“This year has been a big one for me. I was nominated for the Best African Dancehall Entertainer at the International Reggae and World Music Awards (IRAWMA) alongside Patoranking, Burna Boy, Shatta Wale and Stonebwoy and also having received four nominations at the just ended Vodafone Ghana Music Awards,” Epixode stated.