Former Burniton Music signee Barbara Okailey Verse, known in showbiz circles as OV, has said she was aware the relationship between label boss Stonebwoy and former manager Black Cedi had soured but could not figure out the cause.
“I didn’t know what was going on until I heard Stonebwoy had unfollowed Kelvyn Boy…,” she told MzGee on Showbiz 927.
According to the singer, the fracas between Stonebwoy and Blakk Cedi got to its peak at the time her one-year contract with the label had expired. She disclosed she was highly confused as she knew not what step to take.
"It was a whole confusion for me. Even though I had said it wouldn't affect me, as time went on, I was totally confused. They were my family and I was caught in the crossfire. I went through a lot, I couldn't take sides," she revealed.
At a press conference on February 7 in Accra, Stonebwoy disclosed that he had no working relationship with OV.
The dancehall artiste established that his decision to discharge OV is in her best interest and that of the record label but was quick to add that the doors of his label will always be open to OV whenever she needs help.
“Our decision with OV is part of our efforts to restructure the brand. If you are close to me, you’ll know my intent as a manager. I couldn’t see a lot of things until my attention was drawn to it. Because of this, I had to re-structure. It’s in the best interest of the company that she was released. She has our support anytime, any day,” he said.
The friction between Stonebwoy and his protégé, Kelvyn Boy, stoked conversation among showbiz enthusiasts as the unfortunate incident was never anticipated due to the father-and-son relationship both artistes had.
Reports of a rift in the BHIM Nation camp were rife in August with many claiming Stonebwoy and his longtime manager, Blakk Cedi, had severed their working relationship and decided to go their separate ways due to some disagreements over monetary transactions, as well as management and control of the record label and its artistes, Kelyvn Boy and OV.
The said reports were somewhat given credence days later when Stonebwoy and Kelvyn Boy unfollowed each other on social media.
As tongues wagged over what could have sparked the brawl, a statement from Burniton Music Group, of which Stonebwoy is the President, announced that Kelvyn Boy was no longer under the label.
According to the statement, an initial one-year contract the label signed with Kelvyn Boy expired on January 21, 2019, but after an “audit”, it had no intention of renewing it.
Ghanaian singer, Okailey Verse