It appears there is miscommunication regarding the reason songs which featured Shatta Wale and Stonebwoy were not considered for the Best Collaboration of the Year category at this year's Vodafone Ghana Music Awards (VGMAs) as Robert Klah, the Public Relations Officer of Charterhouse, organisers of the scheme; and George Quaye, a board member seem to be giving contradictory reasons.
After the nominees list for the 21st edition was released on Saturday, both Shatta Wale and Stonebwoy were conspicuously missing following the board's resolve to enforce an indefinite ban placed on the two dancehall giants for disrupting last year's edition.
What became the talk of town was the fact that songs which, according to critics, qualified for the Best Collaboration of the Year were ignored because they featured either Shatta Wale or Stonebwoy.
"Because of Shatta Wale, 'Stevie Wonder' was not nominated in Best Collaboration category? So Wendy should suffer because of Shatta?" a post by Kwame Dadzie, a journalist with Citi FM read, Sunday.
"Kwame Dadzie you know better! Please stop this..." Mr. Quaye replied.
The board member, having been confronted to admit the song was snubbed because of Shatta Wale, suggested it was rather as a result of the competitive nature of the category.
He said: "...if that’s the reason the song wasn’t nominated, it would be right and I won’t fight it. It wouldn’t be a wrong decision either. Many songs were entered. That particular category was very very competitive this year. But Chale, it’s Sunday. Feel free to think what you want bro. Life’s too short."
A day after Quaye's comment, Mr. Klah is reported to have said on Hitz FM's ‘Daybreak Hitz’ that songs which featured the two artistes were not considered because they (the two acts) were not eligible for the awards this year.
“Those songs cannot be considered because the artistes are ineligible,” entertainmentgh.com quoted Klah to have said.
According to the publication, Klah went on to defend the decision by stating that, the featured acts did put some weight in the making and projection of such collaborations and especially when plaques are also handed over to the multiple acts on the winning song, such songs were ruled out by the board.
The scuffle
While Stonebwoy was up the VGMA stage taking his award, Shatta Wale, his rival on the music scene, was seen approaching the stage with a host of others presumed to be his fans.
Stonebwoy who felt threatened, pulled out a handgun handed him on stage by one of his entourage, a scene that sparked a scuffle between the two artistes and their followers.
The awards event was temporarily halted and the topmost two awards for the event, Most Popular Song of the Year and Artiste of the Year, were deferred due to the melee.
Stonebwoy and Shatta Wale were subsequently banned indefinitely from the awards scheme, stripped of all the awards they won on the night and asked to return the plaques.
Both were invited by the police for questioning the next day and have since been charged and put before court. They have pleaded not guilty to the charges against them.
Shatta Wale and Stonebwoy have been banned indefinitely from the VGMAs