Media personality and entertainment pundit DJ Slim has issued a scathing critique of Ghanaian artists, citing their inability to achieve global recognition, particularly Grammy Awards, in contrast to their Nigerian counterparts.
In a recent segment on his YouTube channel, DJ Slim attributed this lack of success to a combination of factors, including a lack of collaboration, insufficient investment in their careers, and a fundamental misunderstanding of the music value chain.
“From the moment an artist comes up with a song idea to the composition, recording, marketing, and media runs, there is a lengthy value chain. There are many persons who deserve respect and compensation. However, Ghanaian artists believe that everything must revolve around them.” He bemoaned, “We don’t have that type of muscle, which is why we are not getting there,” highlighting the need for a more comprehensive approach to the music business.
DJ Slim criticized the prevalent mindset among Ghanaian artists, who often boast about achieving success independently, and expressed disappointment in their reluctance to invest adequately in their craft.
“Right now, the artistes like to brag that they did it all on their own. If the artistes don’t understand how the music system actually works, every time we will be going around in circles,” DJ Slim stated. “We have artistes talking about how they won’t even invest in expensive music videos, and they will rather use the money for something different. These are the kind of artistes that we have in Ghana here.”
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He contrasted this with the approach of Nigerian artists, whom he praised for their understanding of investment and the power of collaboration.
“Nigerians will forever lead the conversation because they understand the principles of investment and collaboration. But Ghanaians don’t collaborate; we don’t even have major artistes collaborating with each other,” he asserted.
While acknowledging some positive developments among the new generation of Ghanaian artists, DJ Slim stressed the need for sustained and intensified efforts.
DJ Slim’s comments follow the recent 67th Grammy Awards, where Nigerian singer Tems won the Grammy Award for Best African Music Performance with her hit song ‘Love Me Jeje.’ Tems was the sole African artist to win an award this year, while Ghanaian reggae icon Rocky Dawuni lost out on the “Best Global Music Album” award.
Reason why we are not making it to the top is because we Ghanaians are ur own enemy …….the moment a talented artist start soaring then they start to envy….instead of supporting,they will now start fighting,beefing each other…how do you expect the industry to grow and for us to win a Grammy.