Shatta Wale; More About The Ghanaian Star, Life And Music
We bring to you one of Africa’s biggest music stars all the way from Ghana. If you don’t know Shatta Wale well, here is a piece for you.
ABOUT
Shatta Wale whose birth name is Charles Nii Armah Mensah Jnr. is a Ghanaian producer and reggae-dance hall musician. (formerly Bandana), His best known song is “Dancehall King”, which led to winning the Artiste of the Year at the 2014 edition of the Ghana Music Awards. He traveled to Jamaica to learn dancehall. Wale acted in the movies Never Say Never and in Shattered Lives.
BACKGROUND AND HISTORY
Charles Nii Armah Mensah Jr. was born in Accra, Ghana at the Police Hospital on October 17, 1984. The son of a couple from Accra and the Volta Region of Ghana. His father, Charles Nii Armah Mensah Sr. A politician, Businessman and a legal practitioner.
Shatta Wale in a Facebook live video stated “I did not enjoy motherly love and care at the early stages of my life because a pastor caused a separation between my parents which made me remain under my father’s care and ending up on the streets.” His mother is Elsie Evelyn Avemegah. As a little boy, his father introduced him to the Jamaican culture by playing Reggae records in the house and also continuously traveling with him to the UK to meet his relatives who were half Jamaicans.
These exposures made him develop love for music at a tender age. His intense passion to do music made him lose interest in schooling but his father forced him to complete his high school education later in the Volta Region of Ghana which had initially kicked off at the Winneba Secondary School in the Central Region of Ghana. Even in school and right after school he pursued his musical dream but his father did not agree and wanted him to become a lawyer, this led to a misunderstanding between the two eventually tearing down their beautiful relationship. Shatta Wale lived in almost all the ghettos (Nima (town)) in Accra just to survive. “There were many times I slept without food. I have been through all the hustle in life, I mean hell. I have lived with the people and became one of their own.
No wonder my music easily resonate with the people. I am thankful to God for making me see the day light.” Stated in an interview. Shatta Wale later went to Jamaica to polish and master his dancehall craft. “Every boy in Ghana doing dancehall came for tutelage from me before mastering the dancehall genre. So no wonder my fans call me King because they know the history of modern dancehall in Ghana” Shatta Wale stated in an interview.
Wale completed his high school education at Aguafo Secondary School and during that time he was known as “Baby boy”. After rounding up his secondary school he changed his name to “Bandana” and released the track “Moko Ho(Bandana from Ghana)”.
MUSIC CAREER AND LIFESTYLE
After much hard work and persistence, Wale landed a new deal with a recording studio and then became Bandana releasing the hit track “Bandana from Ghana” in 2004. He has said that he chose the name Bandana because he favored the bandana as an article of clothing then.
He took a long break and reappeared in 2013 as Shatta Wale. During an interview, the singer revealed he decided to rebrand as Shatta Wale after consulting God. Shatta is a Jamaican slang for ‘Gangster’, while WALE is an acronym which stands form ‘World Alerted Lyrical Entertainer’. In the silent period before bearing the stage name, he claimed to be off in Jamaica learning the music genre he now believes is ruling – Dancehall.
He collaborated with Ghana’s outstanding talents, Tinny to ditch out “Moko Ho which enjoyed tremendous air waves in the Ghanaian music industry in 2004 and was one of the hottest song released in Ghana that year. Bandana later released his debut album titled “Bandana from Ghana”, and took a short break from the music industry . After the musical hiatus, he came back better and stronger after rebranding his himself to Shatta Wale and released his song “Dancehall King” in 2013, a song that instantly became a hit.
According to British Newspaper, The Guardian, they reported in May 2014 that Wale’s song “Wine Ya Waist” featuring Nigerian musician Davido was one of five “must-listen to” songs. The same year, his song titled “You Can’t Touch Me” was widely used for the Dancers Against Racism Campaign Worldwide. Shatta Wale was all over the news in 2015 after he asked not to be nominated in the Vodafone Ghana Music Awards knowing fully well that he could have won the prestigious Artiste & Song of the year for the second time running with his hit songs Dancehall Commando featuring Sarkodie, Party all night long featuring Jah Vinci Wine ya waist featuring Davido and Korle Gonno among many hit songs he released the preceding year.
He made this request because of the pending court case with the organisers of the awards, Charter House Productions Limited for making defamatory comments against the CEO of Charter House in a video he uploaded in his social media account.
Shatta Wale’s ‘After The Storm’ album launch which was held at the Black Star Square in Accra Ghana on April 29, 2016 . The event attracted over sixty thousand people which he thrilled with countless songs. The album contains 22 list of songs and it received generally positive review from music critics. Shatta is one of the best musician in Ghana today and he has been commended for his hard work and consistency . His persistence in the music business has produced tracks like Reality, Kakai, Hol’ It, Mkportor Kportor ,Baby (Chop kiss ) Kill Dem Wif Prayers to name a few.
Shatta Wale is also well known for his Philanthropic endeavors. During Christmas festivities of 2014, Shatta Wale took the opportunity to visit the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital Ghana’s biggest hospital to donate generously to the Children’s Block worth Thousands of Ghanaian cedi while many Ghanaian celebrities were busy spending quality time with friends and family. Shatta Wale, Light A Million Lives and Quallo’s Production along with Gasmilla, Keche, Episode and Dada Halfco donated to the victims of the twin disasters (flood and fire) that happened on 3 June 2015 which took many lives .
They also donated Food, Water, Wipes, Sanitizers, Antiseptic Liquid, Antiseptic Soap, Clothes and other household items to the victims . Aside this , he also donated some items to the Police Hospital in Accra which included 3 LED TV, Wheel Chairs, Beverages, Detergents, and many others.
According to Shatta, “Today we donated some items to the police hospital in Accra-Osu. Since this was the hospital I was born in, I and my shatta movement management and crew decided to visit the children’s ward. We will be visiting most hospitals as time goes on..#notime #SMTAKEOVA”.
Shatta Wale’s musical revenue is mostly generated through hosting of shows which attracts most thousands of Ghanaian youths. He is the leader, chief executive officer (CEO) and founder of the Shatta Movement (SM) or (SM4LYF).
SHATTA WALE FAMILY; Wife, Kids
Shatta Wale is traditionally married to his girlfriend Michelle aka Shatta Michy. They have two kids which makes it quite confusing that the dancehall king once said that he will finally settle down and claim the full responsibility of family life when he turns 72.
Contrary to the “irresponsible” reputation most musicians are alleged to have, Wale has been lauded especially by actress Grace Omaboe, popularly known as Maame Dokono who said the singer is a truly a responsible family man.
CONTROVERSIES
Shatta Wale And Wizkid Fight
In November 2017, Shatta Wale sets social media ablaze in Africa with a comment he passed in an interview with a radio host in Accra. “I will not see Wizkid and go like Woow, ‘I don’t see Wizkid as a superstar.’ I want Wizkid to see me and go like Woow…! Because the cars are talking, the pocket is talking, the investments are talking and the mansions. I see Wizkid as a colleague. Only fellow artists in Ghana who haven’t achieved anything will see Wizkid as a superstar.” His statement did not go down well with a lot of Nigerians all over the world, they considered the comment to be a hate comment and defaming. So they retaliated heavily by trolling Shatta Wale on all social media platforms for days. Though Wizkid was still silent, Wale, in a tweet advised Wizkid to tell his fans to wise up because he did not insult. He rapidly followed it with a song addressing the situation (“Disaster”).
The trolling became so intense that many critics felt it might spark scuffle and havoc between the two country and will wear off the togetherness relationship. But later in December, it had died off without creating any unrest. When asked in an interview, if the trolling caused any damage to his career; Wale casually answered, “No! It didn’t caused any damage, I rather penetrated into the Nigerian market with a free Wi-Fi. Before and after I rose to fame, I have faced beefs from lots of artists and their fans so I am no stranger. Moreover, it earned me an ambassadorial role with (Boss Baker Beef Roll)”. A company believed to be from Nigeria but operating in Ghana.
Endorsement Deals
- In 2014, Shatta Wale was unveiled as one of the brand ambassadors of Guinness Ghana Breweries along with other musicians like Reggie Rockstone, EL, and Fuse ODG for Made of Black campaign
- He was also unveiled as the brand ambassador for Rush Energy Drink
- Shatta Wale is the newest brand ambassador for Kasapreko Company Ltd, a producers of several alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages in Ghana. He was unveiled In September, 2017 after the deal was sealed.
AWARDS, AND ACCOLADES
- Shatta won Best New Entertainer at the International Reggae and World Music Awards.
- During the 2014 Nigerian Entertainment Awards, the dancehall king won the African Artiste of the Year.
- Nominated for the maiden GN Bank Awards as the People’s Choice Male Musician of the year.
- He was also named the 38th Most Influential Ghanaian by E-TV Ghana in 2015 in their annual survey of influential people in Ghana.
Mayor of Worcester, Joseph Petty, on 8 July 2017, presented Shatta Wale with the Key to the City. In recognition of his contributions to the arts and for honoring the city of Worcester, Massachusetts with his presence.”
On November 1, 2017, Shatta Wale received a giant gold coin from the president of the Republic of Ghana, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo at The Flagstaff House as a gift on his 33rd birthday celebration. The president also expressed his love for Shatta Wale’s hit song “Kakai”, which played a major role in his campaign for president in the 2016 general election. Sunday, March 18th, 2018. Chicago’s Biggest Music Night at the 37th Annual Chicago Music Awards (CMA) In conjunction with the 36th International Reggae & World Music Awards (IRAWMA) presented Shatta Wale with honoree award for his outstanding contribution to Reggae in the Motherland and at the global level.
Shatta Wale Worth
With a successful career in entertainment, money is found to flow. Shatta Wale is one who likes to show off his assets to let the world know that hard work and dedication is the key to success. In 2016, the artiste bought a mansion at East Legon and shared a picture of himself standing behind the swimming pool of the mansion.
It can be recalled the Dance Hall King had revealed his interest in real estates and has posted a picture of himself and mother standing in front of his “new house.”
Therefore, judging from his $1 million mansion, ranges of luxury cars, businesses and endorsements, Shatta Wale’s estimated net worth is around $6.2 million. He is also the CEO of Shatta Movement and also the brand ambassador for Guinness Ghana Breweries – another plus to his cash flow.
Watch shatta wale life and wealth documentary below
SHATTA WALE PHOTOS; Mansion, Cars And more
REFERENCES: tinamagazine.com,wikipedia.org,bionetworth.com.ng,answersafrica.com
