NAM1 blames Ghana’s Grammy Award drought on partisan politics

Chief Executive Officer of Zylofon Media, a creative arts and entertainment conglomerate, Nana Appiah Mensah (NAM1) is puzzled over why some Ghanaians would expect a Ghanaian musician to win a Grammy Award in a country “Where the throat of vision, creativity, and innovation are cruelly slashed on the altar of partisan politics”.

His remark was a direct reaction to Stonebwoy’s tweet where the Reggae/Dancehall musician who won the award for Best International Act at the 2015 Black Entertainment Television (BET) Awards expressed disgruntlement over Ghanaian acts inability to win Grammy Awards.

The 63rd annual awards were held in Los Angeles on Sunday and saw Nigeria’s Burna Boy walk home with the Best Global Music Album award while ‘Brown Skin Girl’, a Beyonce music video which features Nigeria’s Wizkid won ‘Best Music Video’.

“With all due respect, let all other African nations give it up for Nigeria for their constant efforts in holding the mantle for Africa when it comes to entertainment on the global scene. Congrats for holding it down at the Grammys... As for Ghana, smh [shaking my head], I'll be back…” Stonebwoy who was once signed unto NAM1’s Zylofon Music record label said in a tweet.

The tweet has engendered controversy, courting different views from both stakeholders of the industry and music lovers and NAM1 whose gold dealership firm Menzgold collapsed after the Security and Exchange Commission (SEC) on September 12, 2018, directed the company to shut down its investment operations with immediate effect for contravening the Securities Industry Act, 2016 (Act 929), would take a bite; first, in a proverbial form.

“Where awkwardness is upheld by an irony of the sick driven in a cab & the dead conveyed in an ambulance,” he replied Stonebwoy’s tweet, adding “What results do u expect my guy?”

 

Meanwhile, Samini has strongly contested Stonebwoy’s opinion.

The self-acclaimed African Dancehall King argued in a rebuttal to his protégé that the feat could be attributed to the respect relatively young Nigerian acts accord veteran Nigerian musicians, unlike Stonebwoy who without equivocation disrespects him [Samini].