Afro-dancehall musician Stonebwoy has stated that Ghanaian musician Black Sherif’s rise in the music industry would not have been fast-tracked without Nigerian superstar Burna Boy’s endorsement.

Speaking on “Fresh Off The Boat” podcast, Stonebwoy discussed the factors that hinder the international success of Ghanaian musicians, arguing that although the country is blessed with immense talent, inadequate investment and a culture of tearing each other down limit the industry.

Using the career trajectory of Ghanaian musician Black Sherif as an example, Stonebwoy explained that Nigerian superstar Burna Boy’s early endorsement of Blacko played an important role in accelerating his career.

He believes that without Burna Boy’s co-sign, Black Sherif could still have achieved huge success, but his journey would likely have taken considerably longer.

Stonebwoy noted that the timing of Burna Boy’s endorsement was particularly important because it came at a crucial stage in Black Sherif’s career.

“If he hadn’t gotten that co-sign from Burna Boy, it would be worse because it was right in the inception. We all saw how he was creeping in and how the difference became when Burna Boy co-signed, it fast-tracked his journey,” he said.

'Negative news flies automatically' – Stonebwoy on Ghana music's slow global progress

The Afro-dancehall artiste argued that Ghana has no shortage of talented musicians and creatives, but the industry struggles to provide the financial backing required to transform that talent into internationally competitive careers.

“A few things that I can pen down is that when I look at the Nigerian trajectory and their ecosystem, and I look at ours, I find out that there’s no much investment in terms of, you know, monetary aspect, This may be a problem in Nigeria as well. It’s just like there’s poverty everywhere, but at different levels,” he stated.

According to him, Ghana has consistently demonstrated its creative strength and cultural influence, from highlife and Afrobeats to dance, fashion and other aspects of popular culture.

Stonebwoy also indicated that Ghana’s “tear him down” culture is partly responsible for limiting the progress of local creatives.

He argued that Ghanaian musicians need to patronise, support and invest in one another more, contrasting the industry with Nigeria, which he believes would not have reached its current heights if the same level of negativity existed.

“Patronise ourselves more, be outspoken more, and invest more, and not tear down each other that much. If there was tear down that much, I think Nigeria would not be where they are. I’ve always said, this is coming from me. I say that the level of, the level of tear down in the industry in Ghana is more than Nigeria. Because Nigeria are more than us in number. If we have two wicked people in Ghana, we have to have 200 wicked people in Nigeria,” he added.



AK/EB