Celebs
There’s no ulterior motive behind peace talk – Stonebwoy, Shatta assure fans
Since dancehall rivals Stonebwoy and Shatta Wale started preaching peace between them, their fans have been in doubt. Many of them have questioned whether the two truly want peace, want to make sales or give Charter House a taste of their own medicine.
Even after photos of them together surfaced online, comments like “this is a prank or they have an agenda,” flooded the internet.
However, the two feuding artistes have come out confirm that they indeed have spoked the peace pipe and have no negative agenda cooking somewhere.
“We have always known but the turn out of events at the VGMA’s made us realise more the importance of unity. So, the main reason for this, to be honest, is the peace,” Stonebwoy said at the press conference, at Marriot Hotel, Tuesday.
According to the ‘Kpo Keke’ hitmaker, he and his rival have buried whatever hatchet there was between them and drowned all unnecessary stuff, “you see us together like this means that the future is brighter.”
“This is an example we are setting for the next generation, I know most people saw our photos and they were like no this is photoshopped, it is not. We are gunning for the peace,” Shatta Wale said.
Rivalry
Stonebwoy and Shatta Wale have been feuding for years and plans to reconcile the two had been in vain. Although Shatta Wale had made an appearance at Stonebwoy’s Ashaiman to the World Concert, that peace pipe smoked did not last.
Stonebwoy on one occasion made it to Shatta Wale’s reign concert but was turned away from performing, with organisers citing explaining the ‘Bawasaba’ hitmaker did not announce his plans prior.
The beef between the two teams went beyond lyrical exchange to music credibility and the artiste as a person. Shatta Movement over the years teased Stonebwoy for having a bad leg while BHIM Natives teased Shatta Wale’s mouth.
On May 18 the never-ending beef between Stonebwoy and Shatta Wale resulted in a brawl at the 20th edition of the Vodafone Ghana Music Awards.
That brawl resulted in the two very influential artistes, whose fan base runs into the millions, getting arrested by the police on May 19, and subsequently appearing before the court.
Although the two apologised for their conducts at the event, organisers of the VGMAs stripped them of their awards and banned them indefinitely.
Peace pipe smoked, will it last?
The two dancehall artistes with the biggest fan armies in the country have finally decided to put the past behind them but the question always remains, how long before the next fight.
Stonebwoy assured his fans and that of Shatta Wale that they have yearned for the peace a long time and are willing to work together to maintain it.
He appealed to the general public for their support in this journey explaining that they are human and can fault in their steps.
“It is human to keep trying till you succeed. So we will try our best because peace is key,” Stonebwoy added.
Shatta Wale also called on the media to help in the peace agenda and grow the industry, “we still wanna see what God has for us, you are the people we need more.”
“We have shortfalls here and there but if you can support us, I believe we can all share same ideas to push the industry and the unity will last even longer,” he added.
The two, to prove how much they want the peace, are scheduling a peace concert. The event dubbed ‘Ghana First’ is to push the agenda of peace and help with the growth of the music industry.
Shatta Wale added they have a lot of projects they want to work on together in the near future.
What it means to fans
These dancehall artistes, although have met up to push for peaceful coexistence in the music industry, are urging their fans, who can go head to head out of their loyalty to them, to accept the peace process.
Stonebwoy explained he does everything for his fans hence he prays the unity he is preaching reaches them as well.
“It is okay to like me and not like Shatta Wale, but let us not use it as a fight, let us not take it to levels where we will destroy each other at the end of the day and gain zero. That is why it is Ghana first, we are Ghanaians before being Stonebwoy or Shatta Wale,” he stated.
Shatta Wale also asked his fans to accept the peace adding: “it begins from us since they look up to us.”
“We pray that the conference and the word of peace will go far beyond where the fracas got to. We want this to be pushed to the BBCs, the Aljezeeras ‘that yes these two people are together like they have always wished to be’,” Stonebwoy stated.
