Ghanaian musician and entrepreneur Shatta Wale has forcefully argued that the consistent negative criticism from entertainment pundits and media personalities is directly responsible for hindering the careers of Ghanaian artists, including his own.
The 38-year-old artist revealed that harmful comments circulating in the media have caused large companies to back out of major sponsorship and endorsement deals with him.
“Some organizations were interested in working with me, but they backed out after hearing harmful comments from media figures,” he said, in response to a remark made by pundit Koskolee on CTV’s Class Showbiz (around late 2022).
Shatta Wale stressed that pundits fail to see the collective harm caused by their negativity, believing they are only attacking him personally. He emphasized that the loss of opportunities impacts the entire music ecosystem: “When he earns, he shares his wealth with others, so the collective harm caused by such negativity is widespread.”
He also addressed an internet user’s premature criticism of his Shaxi taxi service (launched in December 2021 as a job creation initiative), expressing frustration at the rush to judgment and calling for more constructive feedback.
International Success as Divine Intervention
Reflecting on his biggest international break, Shatta Wale credited his feature on Beyoncé’s 2019 “Already” track from The Lion King: The Gift album as a divine intervention. He believes Beyoncé’s team was guided by a higher power to see his potential despite the negative public image created by media figures.
The rapper acknowledged that he has grown and learned to be more patient over the years, noting that he now understands how the distractions prevented him from reaching his full potential.
He stated that for the past two months (prior to the interview), he had actively avoided engaging in industry gossip to focus on personal and career growth.
