Ghanaian artiste Stonebwoy has finally spoken out regarding his absence at the SallahFest event held at Abeka on April 11, 2024.
The event, organized by Baba Sadiq Abdulai Abu, the Founder of 3Music Networks and the National Democratic Congress’s parliamentary candidate for the Okaikoi Central constituency, left many event patrons and music enthusiasts puzzled by Stonebwoy’s no-show.
During an interview on Hitz FM’s morning show with host Andy Dosty, Stonebwoy revealed the reason behind his decision not to perform at the event. He explained that he was under the impression that the show was a charity event that did not require promotion or payment for performers. However, the event organizers went ahead and advertised the show without their consent.
“We disengaged because he went ahead to post the flyers when we were not supposed to be advertised. Internally, we were not supposed to be advertised for this event,” Stonebwoy stated. He also mentioned that they were not paid for the event and that even if it was a paid event, they have their policies and ways of handling such situations.
Stonebwoy’s manager, Chief Abiola, had been in communication with the event organizers until they saw another artist being advertised for the event a few days later. This led to their decision to no longer engage with the event. Stonebwoy further expressed his disappointment when Shatta Wale was later advertised for the event, indicating that he was not comfortable with the inclusion of Shatta Wale in the artiste line-up.
On the other hand, Baba Sadiq, the event organizer, shared his side of the story on Joy FM’s Showbiz A-Z with Kwame Dadzie. He mentioned that despite multiple attempts to reach Stonebwoy and his team on the night of the event, they only managed to get in touch with them after the event. Baba Sadiq also revealed that Stonebwoy’s manager had expressed earlier that the artist was unhappy with Shatta Wale’s addition to the event.
The 2024 Abeka SallahFest, which marked the 11th edition of the annual event, featured performances from artists such as Shatta Wale, Wendy Shay, DopeNation, Larruso, Olivetheboy, and King Promise. Baba Sadiq emphasized that the event was more than just entertainment, as it aimed to foster social cohesion among the Okaikoi Central constituents and provide social cultural benefits to the community.