I was living with insects and frogs – Shatta Wale

Award winning Dancehall act, Shatta Wale was on
e.TV’s The Late Nite Celebrity Show to share his
story as a music maker.
The Everybody Like My Tin singer sharing the bit of
his life before his comeback to his current fame
and glory revealed to Giovani Caleb:
“From Bandana to Shatta Wale was a long journey, I
was at a place no one wanted to be; at some point, I
was living with insects, frogs and when I remember
that now – it fills my eyes with tears.
“I was living at a place where an artist was not
supposed to live. That was when I bought myself a
small computer, a Pentium two and a keyboard and
told myself I wanted to learn how to play beats.
“Because anytime I went to any studio to record;
right after I left, they will delete my song – apart
from the money which was hard to come by then, I
still tried to pay. And I was like “wow, this shouldn’t
be happening to me” and anytime I wanted to
protest, they will go like Dancehall is not something
people in Ghana will want to listen to. But I kept
telling them ‘this was what my spirit wanted me to
do.
So when I bought my computer, I was always in the
room alone around Sakaman playing beats and
recording the songs and show it to people. Some
will laugh at me and say ‘Oh! This one you wouldn’t
get anywhere, and you won’t make money… Try
and do what others are doing.”
I was like it’s not all about the money – this is what
I want to put to the youth of Ghana that you can be
what you want to be.
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Money will come when God sees how hard you are
working.
“Things was so bad even my girlfriend at the time
told me I wasn’t classic enough and decided to go
for a classy boyfriend and I was like wow – This
was the Megye Wo Girl happening in real life.
“I had to move from one area to another area and
met friends who promised they were going to help
me and offered me places to live and all that.
“I slept in people’s halls and kitchens. Sometimes I
need to squeeze myself into people's verandas.
And there was times when my friend’s girlfriends
came around, and I had to sit outside and wait with
all these mosquitos.
“And even if I got one girl who was feeling me in
that kind of way and wanted to support me small,
and I wanted to enjoy some [fleeting pleasures of
the flesh] and I couldn’t afford a hotel, so I just find
one small uncompleted building and do it quick
quick.
“It was crazy but I really had to be strong. I’m the
type I don’t really worry about problems. Because
looking back, I realized I was the one who brought
all the problems I was facing upon myself. I decided
to leave home at that very tender age – my dad
didn’t disown me. I was rather stubborn with what I
had wanted to do. That’s how God created me.”
The Late Nite Celebrity Show airs on Monday,
Wednesday and Friday at 9.30PM.