Stonebwoy-Shatta Wale unity intended to fight VGMAs – George Quaye

Board member and former public relations officer of Charterhouse Ghana, George Quaye, is of the greatest conviction that Shatta Wale and Stonebwoy united after they were banned indefinitely for disrupting last year’s Vodafone Ghana Music Awards (VGMAs) to purposely fight the scheme.

He postulates that the two dancehall giants, having been sanctioned for marring the 20th edition of the awards ceremony, thought it wise to join forces and unsettle the VGMAs.

“Coming together was to stand against the scheme,” he said at a press engagement at Alisa Hotel, Thursday.

Shatta Wale and Stonebwoy were banned indefinitely from the awards scheme, stripped of all the awards they won last year and asked to return the plaques after they threw into disorder the 20th edition of the event.

While Stonebwoy was up the VGMA stage taking his award, Shatta Wale, his rival on the music scene, was seen approaching the stage with a host of others presumed to be his fans.

Stonebwoy who felt threatened, pulled out a handgun handed him on stage by one of his entourage, a scene that sparked a scuffle between the two artistes and their followers. The event was temporarily halted – for close to thirty minutes - as security personnel moved to ensure orderliness.

After they were invited by the police, Shatta Wale was charged with offensive conduct conducive to breach of peace while Stonebwoy was charged with offensive conduct conducive to breach of peace and display of a firearm in public without permission.

They pleaded not guilty to the charges and were granted bail at a cost of GHc 50,000 with one surety each.

Few weeks afterwards, Shatta Wale and Stonebwoy held a press conference, announcing their decision to smoke the peace pipe.

Mr. Quaye argues that but for the sanctions, the two acts would not have taken that decision. According to him, the VGMA board should be lauded for having the balls to ban both artistes than vilified.

“The VGMA board and the entire organization deserve some commendation because trust me, if that punishment that was meted out to those two gentlemen was not meted out, they wouldn’t have come together,” he opines.

“If we appreciate the togetherness, if we love what is happening between the two of them now and we believe that it is genuine, then I think the VGMA board and the people that took the decision deserve a hug. It is that decision that has led to that togetherness.”