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Afrodancehall star Stonebwoy has raised concerns about the increasing toxicity within Ghana’s entertainment scene, stressing that competition among artistes has crossed the line from healthy rivalry to deliberate sabotage.
Speaking in an interview with MC and hypeman Kojo Manuel, aired on September 10, 2025, the award-winning musician criticised artistes who intentionally release new music on the same day their colleagues unveil projects, a practice he described as “non-directional” and a form of “slavery.”
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Stonebwoy explained,
Because of such a heightened level of toxicity, we could have channelled that into something very productive, like something very constructive so that our industry will see the shine that it deserves. Look at something, like whenever you decide to drop your EP, we are also going to drop a track on that day, there are a million dates. You can actually drop on that same day of course without telling anybody...
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If you cannot do without having to tag along somebody so much then it means that you are definitely a slave and non-directional; you just move according to other people’s hard work and success to find some cramp out of it to try and use on yours
While competition has always been part of the creative space, Stonebwoy argued that what is currently unfolding is far worse than what he experienced when learning from his predecessors. He fears that sections of the public now find enjoyment in fuelling negativity, further dragging down the progress of the Ghanaian entertainment industry.
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He noted,
Not so much has changed in terms of behaviour in that rivalry space; it’s gotten worse. I think it will keep getting worse. Because under my watch, I am a witness and I’ve served and followed many of our big artistes before arriving at my own duty, it has never been this toxic whereby now you find out that there’s a cross section of the masses who actually celebrate that. So it has become a thing that you have to balance and it’s taking a big toll on our progress as an industry
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Stonebwoy added that the energy channelled into rivalry could be better spent on industry growth, collaborations, and creative expansion that would benefit everyone. According to him, artistes who thrive by “tagging along” with the success of others are only exposing a lack of originality and clear direction.