Ghanaian Afro-dancehall star Livingstone Etse Satekla, popularly known as Stonebwoy, believes Mohammed Ismail Sherif Kwaku Frimpong, known professionally as Black Sherif, may have taken much longer to reach the top without Nigerian superstar Damini Ebunoluwa Ogulu, popularly known as Burna Boy.

Stonebwoy made the observation while speaking on the Fresh Off The Boat podcast, where he examined why Ghanaian musicians often struggle to convert their talent into sustained international success.

According to him, Burna Boy’s early public support for Black Sherif came at a critical point in the young artiste’s career and gave him the exposure needed to move much faster.

“If he hadn’t gotten that co-sign from Burna Boy, it would be worse because it was right in the inception. We all saw how he was creeping in and how the difference became when Burna Boy co-signed, it fast-tracked his journey,” he said.

Burna Boy’s endorsement became particularly significant after the Nigerian star collaborated with Black Sherif on the remix of his breakout song, “Second Sermon”, in 2021. The collaboration exposed the Ghanaian artiste to a wider African and international audience at a formative stage of his career.

Stonebwoy, however, stressed that Black Sherif’s talent was never in doubt. His argument was that the right industry backing can determine how quickly an artiste’s potential translates into global recognition.

He said Ghana possesses enough creative talent to compete on the world stage but lacks the level of financial investment and collective support that could help its artistes build bigger careers.

“A few things that I can pen down are that when I look at the Nigerian trajectory and their ecosystem, and I look at ours, I find out that there’s not much investment in terms of the monetary aspect. This may be a problem in Nigeria as well. It’s just like there’s poverty everywhere, but at different levels,” he stated.

Stonebwoy also criticised what he described as a tendency among some Ghanaians to undermine fellow creatives instead of helping them grow.

“Patronise ourselves more, be outspoken more, and invest more, and not tear down each other that much. If there was that much tearing down, I think Nigeria would not be where they are,” he added.

He further argued that Ghana’s smaller population should make unity and mutual support within the creative industry even more important.

“If we have two wicked people in Ghana, we have to have 200 wicked people in Nigeria,” Stonebwoy said.

His comments ultimately suggest that while talent can open the door, strategic endorsements, investment and industry solidarity can determine how quickly Ghanaian artistes walk through it.

Watch the interview below:

Source: Yvonne Nyarko Agyemang