“Rivalry days” turning destructive, says Burniton boss
Ghanaian superstar Stonebwoy, CEO of Burniton Music Group, has taken aim at the growing toxic rivalries among artists in the country’s music scene. In a candid interview with Kojo Manuel, he expressed concern that some musicians intentionally schedule releases to clash with others’ launch dates—behaviour he calls “non-directional” and even a form of “slavery.”
“Because of such a heightened level of toxicity, we could have channelled that into something very productive … 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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Copying success vs originality
Stonebwoy argued that artists who habitually “tag along” with others’ release dates or imitate ideas simply lack originality and are dependent on others’ work for attention. He said that copying successful paths rather than creating one’s own is a sign of being stuck in someone else’s shadow.
“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 …”
Rising toxicity taking a toll
According to Stonebwoy, rivalry has always been part of the music industry, but its current intensity is unprecedented. He raised worries that fans and the public now sometimes celebrate negativity, which undermines the overall progress and reputation of Ghanaian music on the global stage.
“Not so much has changed in terms of behaviour in that rivalry space; it’s gotten worse. … It has become a thing that you have to balance and it’s taking a big toll on our progress as an industry.”
Stonebwoy urges artists and stakeholders to redirect energies towards more constructive practices—collaboration, originality, and unity being key to growth.
