I Was Living With Insects and Frogs – I Slept In Kitchens and Uncompleted Buildings

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 any time 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. 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 peoples veranda’s. And there was times when my friend’s girlfriends came around and I had to sit outside and wait with all these mosquitoes.

“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.”

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