‘Chop kiss, chop kiss’
I continuously said, till dawn broke its light to my groggy eyes.
The rhythm of my night’s bliss
Fading, as it says it’s
Long awaited Goodbyes!
My Good mornings, lovely people
From the ‘radius’ of our globe!
It is an exciting day as I woke
from a wonderful dream by the good sounding slap of my roommate.(We’ve got history, Slap and I!)
After having my spontaneous thoughts settle down, I envisioned today’s topic; SHATTA WALE – the bouncer from the past! Let’s go down memory’s lane as I walk you through Shatta Wale’s past. Let’s see how far he has come…

I,for one never fancied the ‘BANDANA‘.
Seemed out of context for Ghana.
But if there is one thing for sure,
We can all attest to the fact “hard work and dedication pays.” In 2004, he released ‘BANDANA FROM GHANA’
Ironic right? (the response though; ‘OH! OH!) which was very much aired,
But the after-math was oblivious as he died out till 2013.
‘BANDANA’-the unwanted; now
‘SHATTA WALE’-the flu everybody’s catching! Dancehall King was lit!
(‘hi-tchuuu’, I sneezed! I cannot tell if it is the weather or the shattawale-effect)
“Dancehall King inna de whole GHANA”, this was a song that kicked start the new ‘BANDANA’. Now come to think of it, throngs of artiste in Ghana and elsewhere have made changes to their names. The likes of Samini, then BATMAN; Efya, then Jane; Zeal of VVIP, then Lazzy (Change has come, change is here) that is just but few of them Rebranded. But I am very much particular of the transformation
Of Charles Nii Armah Mensah jnr.
The popularly known “SHATTA WALE” SHATTA meaning ‘gangsta’ and WALE an acronym for ‘World Acclaimed Lyrical Entertainer’
Finally in the Ghanaian context,
Even more so…

Self-marketing Strategy?
‘SHATTA WALE’, something of a household name in recent times.
His strategy of singing about himself inadvertently endorses his name and brand in the minds of old and young alike. ‘Dance hall king’ is just one out of a pool of other songs forwarding this ‘strategy’?
Regardless of whether it is or not a strategy, it sure has played a major role in his comeback.
(Owusu: KpuuKpaa – Shatta Wale y3 more! As he leaves for the bathhouse)
Now Shatta Wale,
self-acclaimed King of African Dancehall has a large market share in Ghana and the world. He has Almost 200k, Over 300k and Over 300k followers on Twitter(@shattawale), Facebook (Shatta Movement and personal page) respectively. It is inarguable he shares the throne with his counterpart Sarkodie in Ghana as at now;

it is not so much of a surprise when their collaborations are always epic!!(Megye wo girl, dancehall commando…) If you want a huge turnout at programmes, it is definite the DANCEHALL guru must be present. (Ask MUSIGA if I am wrong – no offense; VGMA 2014 of which he wasn’t even present).

(5 minutes later, Phone buzzing – Sweetest Heart! My mom; just a second)

He has emphasized the need to be true to oneself. He believes himself to be serious and aggressive in his art.
Which he says he’s misunderstood for. His brand stands for who he is,
and also his music reflects his strong passion for his work.
Notwithstanding the controversies around him, he has been able to use it to his advantage.

I must say he is one of the smartest artistes in the game. (I think he plays chess)
He is very selective with his beefs with the other artistes
And makes a lot out of the brouhahas
Coming with it. (Beefs with Samini, Criss Waddle, Stonebwuoy, Prodigal and collaborations with Sarkodie and a few others were strategic from my point of view)

Regardless, In all success there are naysayers. Many may dislike the kind of music He makes or his language but that’s besides the point,
From a subjective view of succeeding in life. It doesn’t matter what people think or what they say or how they react. Once you have a dream to succeed, as long as it doesn’t go against the laws of nature,
And you’re willing to work,
that dream will be realized.
SHATTA WALE is obviously living the dream he wanted and is still working on bigger ones.

It is true that SHATTA WALE is innovative, creative and smart but if you are an upcoming artiste these are the five qualities you can adopt; discipline, positivism, dedication, perseverance and self-belief.

Till then you can be a fan of his music! 100 songs in a year! (Hahaha!)

By: ghkwaku.com/Obed Mensah