We’ve tolerated misconduct in the name of showbiz – Kwame Dadzie

“I believe that this is an industry that has tolerated nonsense; a lot of nonsense for a long time to the extent that when somebody is fooling, we think that the person is doing showbiz,” Kwame Dadzie said on Starr FM.

The 20th edition of the Vodafone Ghana Music Awards 2019 – VGMA saw a disruption which marred the event leading to Charter House, the event organizers banning indefinitely Stonebwoy and Shatta Wale from the scheme and stripping them off from all awards won on the night.

The rivalry between the two (2) leading reggae/dancehall artistes escalated on the night when Shatta Wale and his fans forcefully mounted the stage uninvited to supposedly congratulate Stonebwoy who was adjudged the Reggae/Dancehall Artist of the Year for the fifth (5) consecutive time.

The action of Shatta Wale and his fans triggered a reaction from Stonebwoy and his team leading to a scuffle between the two (2) artistes and their irate fans.

Discussing the aftermath of the fracas between Stonebwoy and Shatta Wale, the Entertainment Journalist, Kwame Dadzie opined that the creative arts industry contributed to the scuffle on the night.

Speaking on the Saturday entertainment show, Morning Zoo with the host Kojo Preko Dankwa, the entertainment pundit exclaimed those showbiz individuals and the industry are to blame for the altercation for pinching one artiste against the other believing it is good for showbiz commerce and for the clicks.

“We as a people are to blame for all these nonsense that happened on the night. Some of us radio presenters, we fuel some of these things. All we know is that, this guy against this guy. Strongman against Teephlow, Manifest against Sarkodie, Kojo Antwi verses Lumba, and then we are happy because sometimes, it gets us the clicks and some of us believe it is fun,” he said.

“Sometimes, you’ll think that let’s have fun with these things and then there are other people sitting somewhere who also believe that this is so critical that lets put our all in it. And so Shatta Wale and Stonebwoy fans will fight at the least provocation and I think it is stupid because if you observed what happened between Notorious BIG and Tupac when their lives were taken just because they were feuding East Coast, West Coast and we think this is cool and so we should replicate this in Ghana, I think we are mistaking,” Kwame Dadzie added.

Kwame Dadzie, who is also the Public Relations Officer for the Arts and Tourism Writers Association of Ghana – ATWAG further stated his frustration on how industry players have toyed with the industry for long.

He was however optimistic that the happenings at the just ended Ghana Music Awards will turn out for good for the industry and the experience will serve as a learning curve not only for Stonebwoy and Shatta Wale but to everybody who has a stake in the industry.