An on-stage fight broke out at Vodafone Ghana Music Awards (VGMA) show in Ghana after Stonebwoy went on stage to collect an award.
Stonebwoy had just been awarded dance-hall reggae artist of the year when his musical rival, Shatta Wale, and his entourage mounted the stage.
Video footage of the brawl appears to show Stonebwoy holding a gun. The two men have huge followings who regularly exchange insults over who is the best artist. There were no major injuries and after a short delay the Vodafone Ghana Music Awards in the capital, Accra, resumed.
During the acceptance speech for another award, Stonebwoy apologized;
“I only had to react out of natural instincts because we all know how pre-meditative some people can be. We’ve seen on social media the threats and everything so we couldn’t come in unprepared,” he reportedly said.
“I come in peace and I go in peace and I apologize to the whole masses of Ghana that the awards is going to continue.”
In Ghana all guns have to be registered and licensed for a specific use, such as personal protection.
Later on Twitter, he thanked the police for calming things down.
Kindly help Me Thank The Ghana Police Force..For Keeping Situations Calmer And At All Cost ENSURED My Safety Up Until I Entered My Gates.
I WAS NEVER Arrested Whatsoever As Some Media Reporters Have It!!
Thanks to The Counter-terrorism Commander And His Team.. pic.twitter.com/23MSRnv2zi— 1GAD (@stonebwoyb) May 19, 2019
“My crew had good intentions” in going up on stage, Shatta Wale is quoted.
He said he wanted to congratulate Stonebwoy on winning the award and bring unity to the music world.
On Twitter, Shatta Wale said: “Don’t play with a lion like that.”
This was the fifth year in a row that Stonebwoy took the best dance-hall reggae artist title. The brawl marred what should have been a night to celebrate Ghanaian music.
Before the ceremony, President Nana Akufo-Addo said that the “excitement generated by [the awards] is testimony to the amazing talent that we have in the creative arts industry.”
Source: BBC
