Stonebwoy upset over grammy snub

An article published by the Recording Academy regarding Ghanaian music has left Stonebwoy, feeling displeased.

The article, which aimed to highlight the pioneers of dancehall and hiplife music in Ghana, mentioned artists such as Root Eye, Samini, and Shatta Wale, while Stonebwoy’s contributions were notably omitted.

In the article, the Recording Academy acknowledged the early influence of Gyedu-Blay Ambolley, describing him as “one of the earliest rappers, as demonstrated on his 1973 song ‘Simigwa-Do’.”

“The term “hiplife” was only coined in the late 1990s by genre pioneer Reggie Rockstone.”

The article continued by stating, “still, American hip-hop had arrived in the Ghanaian capital of Accra by the early ’90s and local rappers began to release their own music soon after. Duo Talking Drum were among this early cohort, and their single “Aden” was an underground hit in 1993,” the publication continued.

Further emphasis was placed on the cultural and musical movement that hiplife represents, with the article noting that “as a movement and culture, hiplife is also an identity, created to encourage people to be daring in their exploration of sound. Pioneering hiplife artists like Root Eye, Samini, and Shatta Wale (then known as Bandana) fused dancehall and highlife in the early 2000s to make music which could connect with local audiences.”

Stonebwoy’s exclusion from this narrative did not go unnoticed by the artist himself. He took to X (formerly known as Twitter) to express his dissatisfaction, stating, “Whoever wrote this article is interestingly missing THE NAME @stonebwoy RecordingAcad. Do Due Diligence before you publish half-dozed articles aiming to capture the true image of the State of the Ghanaian Sound.”

The post quickly gained traction, going viral within hours and accumulating over 800 comments. Reactions were mixed, with some users expressing support for Stonebwoy, such as one user who commented, “You can’t be left out though…correction dey hia momm.”

Another user offered a more optimistic view, saying, “Bobo, God is preparing a surprise for you instead. They left you out, expect a Grammy Award this year. If indeed I’m a seer and I’ve a tongue of fire it shall come to pass.”

However, not all responses were supportive. A user with the handle @metamorfos28 expressed a different opinion, stating, “This kind of desperate need for recognition is actually beneath you. For a second, I thought this was a fan account, till I realized it’s actually you.”