Let me Explain: 'After the Storm', an angel appeared

Richard, please hold onto this laptop for me. I will be right back to forward the strategy to you in about 5 minutes.

“Everybody in this industry knows where Bandana has come from to be Shatta Wale. It’s been a rough and tough journey but I can say boldly say right now that I have been able to prove a whole lot of people wrong. I made the people know the kind of brand they saw some time back is not the brand they are seeing today. This was something I wanted to prove at very beginning of my career but I believe in life you need to learn, fall down, rise and move on. I believe all that I have been through, the criticisms, the court cases, the bashing, I believe it’s time for me to celebrate with my fans.” – Shatta Wale speaking to JOEL on YFM’s “Dryve of Ur Lyfe” four days before the launch.

Look. Look, Just like Joey B said on Pappy Kojo’s Realer No intro, The Shatta Movement Empire ruler is bigger than anything right now.

I understand your point about it being a free show but you and I were here when artists staged shows at the beach on holidays when the place would have been filled with or without them but their shows still flopped. Shout outs to all the artists who staged beach shows this year. If yours didn’t go well, then please hold onto this ‘E’ for the effort.

I am not a fan of the Movement but like most people I love witnessing greatness even if the person is not on my team. Greatness is greatness. Shatta Wale embodies it and there is no way you can look past this. He has his finger on the pulse of the masses in every shape, form or side you look at it.

A day before this, there was a real storm. As to how that happened a day before the much anticipated album launch in the last few years one can’t really say.

But it’s Shatta Wale so anything is possible. He is spontaneous, explosive, controversial, loud and very unpredictable in his ways and that’s what critics fail to understand. He is entertaining.

When a force that refuses to stop meets a force that wouldn’t move, whatever is created between these forces is what the multiple award winning hits factory is. Most of us thought he was going to vanish into thin air after Dancehall King, guess what; He’s still around making Mahama Paper, Chopping Kisses, and proving us wrong.

He appeared on stage at exactly 12.03 PM and I must confess, the roar was so loud and telling that these people were finally convinced they had won.

“I am not a sell-out, I fight for Ghanaian artiste, but my fellow artistes don’t fight for me.” – Shatta Wale

Clad in white trousers,shirts and wings, the King appeared at the peak of the mountain that was projected on stage, he said a few words, descended to open his first set with the live band.

The empire went berserk. The excitement was not only in the air, it was below, within and around the the Black Star Square.

The stage was well lit; two screens flanking a projected mountain and a stage on a stage which made it possible to see the King wherever you stood.

From 9 to 12 PM when Shatta appeared, there was no undercards, Just Kojo Manuel, JOEL Orleans, and DJ Vyrusky.

Vyrusky was lit, JOEL spoke Twi, Kojo Manuel failed to convince the fans to step two steps back. One thing about the empire is that, anytime they sense the King coming on stage, they step forward and not even the security can get them back because the King loves them close too.

If I was tagged arrogant and Guiness still signed me then it means the business is about numbers. – Shatta Wale

The empire love a few things apart from their King and these include Sarkodie, Yaa Pono’s Amen, Ganja Farmer [That song has a special place in the heart of these Dancehall and Reggae fans but I can’t lay a finger on why they love it. I still don’t get it].

Kakai video premier and it was so good and intriguing, the empire applauded the effort of the King who has been chastised several times for his weak video concepts.

There was a documentary also feature His father Shatta Capo, His wife Shatta Michy, His daughter Cherissa, Diporti and a few others. Shatta Capo had the loudest cheer.

Just when everyone thought things were on cruise control, the Tyrion Lannister of Ghana’s music industry appeared. Yes, Titi’s father. The gentleman who navigates the music industry with his head. The SackCess Music head honcho climbed on stage to rap Shatta’s Ga verse on Dancehall Commando.

Shatta Wale might not be the sharpest knife out of the rack but hey, he is one hell of an entertainer.