Ghanaian dancehall artiste Shatta Wale has pushed back against long-standing claims that he travelled to Jamaica to study dancehall music, saying his rise in the industry was built on years of personal dedication in Ghana.
Speaking during an interview on Asempa FM, the musician revealed that he spent about seven years teaching himself music production while staying largely out of the public eye. According to him, the period was devoted to mastering the technical side of music and understanding the business behind it.
“I didn’t travel to Jamaica during my struggling days to learn dancehall,” he explained, noting that he instead spent years working quietly on his craft until he was ready to return to the spotlight.
The award-winning artiste said much of his knowledge came from self-study and online research. He explained that whenever he encountered difficulties in music production, he turned to the internet to learn new techniques and improve his skills.
The musician’s absence from the mainstream music scene for several years, he added, contributed to speculation that he had travelled abroad to refine his sound. However, he insists that his rapid improvement during that time was the result of intense personal training rather than overseas mentorship.
Born Charles Nii Armah Mensah Jr., Shatta Wale first gained attention in the early 2000s under the stage name Bandana before reinventing himself and making a major comeback in 2013 with the hit single “Dancehall King.”
He says the years spent studying production, songwriting and industry dynamics helped shape the sound and strategy that later propelled him to become one of Ghana’s most influential dancehall acts.
According to the artiste, his journey is proof that determination, discipline and access to online resources can help musicians build successful careers without necessarily leaving their home country.
