Artiste manager and musician, Bullet, has jumped to the defence of dancehall artiste Shatta Wale following his arrest by the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) on August 20.
He described the arrest as a deliberate attempt to suppress musicians and the creative industry.
“I think it is more of a witch hunt. There is more to it than people might not even understand. The system has been designed for musicians and celebrities to be poor so that they can suppress us,” Bullet said.
He argued that the establishment was unsettled by Shatta Wale’s financial success and influence in the industry.
“They don’t understand that a musician has been able to make so much money. They don’t understand that a musician has been able to buy a house in Trassaco, own Shaxi company, own estates and do oil business. So the system will hold you back and tell you that you can never make it or shouldn’t make it. Nobody should be happy that Shatta Wale has been arrested,” he added.
Bullet credited Shatta Wale with transforming the fortunes of Ghanaian musicians by raising performance fees.
“Back in the day, even when we were A-list artistes, the highest we received was GH¢3,000. Shatta Wale came into the industry and changed everything. Now, artistes can charge GH¢200,000 or GH¢300,000 for a show. Shatta Wale came into the industry and started taking $100,000 or $150,000 for a show, so he changed something. He showed the way that musicians, too, can make money,” Bullet said.
He further argued that the system is unhappy with the wealth and success that some artistes now enjoy.
“Before, musicians couldn’t even afford a BMW, but now boys are building mansions, boys are buying Range Rovers and Rolls-Royces. Boys are making money and owning estates, so the system is not happy; they want us to be poor,” he stated.
Bullet made these comments when he joined Shatta Wale’s fans who had gathered at the EOCO offices in Accra on Thursday to demand his release.
Meanwhile, EOCO has granted Shatta Wale bail in the sum of GH¢10 million with two sureties to be justified. In a statement, the office said he remains in custody until the sureties’ properties are verified to match the bail conditions.
Shatta Wale was invited on Wednesday, August 20, to assist investigations into the purchase of a Lamborghini Urus, allegedly linked to proceeds of a US$4 million crime involving Nana Kwabena Amuah, a Ghanaian currently serving a prison term in the United States.
According to EOCO, after nearly four hours of interrogation, the artiste could not identify the seller of the luxury vehicle, stating only that he bought it from the “street.”
Source: Graphic Showbiz
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