Shatta Wale

Shatta Wale
Background information
Birth nameCharles Nii Armah Mensah Jr.
Also known asBandana
Born (1984-10-17) 17 October 1984 (age 40)
Accra, Ghana
Genres
Occupations
  • Singer
  • songwriter
  • record producer
  • actor
  • sound engineer
Instruments
Years active2004–present
Labels
  • Shatta Movement Records
  • Zylofon Music

Charles Nii Armah Mensah Jr., (born 17 October 1984)[1] is a Ghanaian reggae-dancehall artist. He is known by his stage name Shatta Wale, formerly Bandana.[2][3] Shatta Wale changed his name to "Bandana'' after senior high school and released the hit track "Bandana from Ghana". The song made tremendous air waves in the Ghanaian music industry in 2004. Shatta Wale's sudden rise to the occasion happen in 2013 VGMA awards when he threw lyrical insults to VGMA now Telecel Ghana Music Awards ( TGMA)". because he proclaimed they robbed him of the Dancehall artist of the year to a female Dancehall artist "Kaakie". Even though the song had vulgar lyrics, it was so anticipated by the media which created his musical breakthrough.

His greatest song hit in 2013, Dancehall king took the airwaves by surprise. Shatta wale's musical revenue is mostly generated through hosting shows, which attract thousands of Ghanaian youths.

In 2015, Shatta Wale asked not to be nominated in the Vodafone Ghana Music Awards even though he could have won the prestigious Artiste & Song of the year for the second time running with his hit songs Dancehall Commando featuring Sarkodie, Party all night long featuring Jah Vinci, Wine ya waist featuring Davido and Korle Gonno among many hit songs he released the preceding year: because of an impending court case with the organisers of the Awards Charter House Productions Ltd for allegedly making defamatory remarks against the CEO of Charter House in a video he uploaded on his Facebook page. Shatta Wale's hard work in 2014, got him nominated for the maiden and highly prestigious GN Bank Awards as the People’s Choice Male Musician of the Year.

His best-known singles are "Dancehall King", "My Level" and "Taking Over". He is also known for "Already" from Beyoncé's The Lion King: The Gift, which also featured Major Lazer.[4] His song "Dancehall King" earned him the Artiste of the Year at the 2014 edition of the Vodafone Ghana Music Awards. Wale is also an actor who appeared in the films Never Say Never,[5] The trial of Shatta Wale[6] and Shattered Lives.[7] Wale's 2004 recording "Moko Hoo" was nominated for a Ghana Music Award.[8]

In 2014, he peaked to number 38 on E.tv's "Top 100 Most Influential Ghanaian" Awards chart.[9][10] He has since then appeared on the chart every year. He was ranked "Most Influential Musician" on social media in 2017.[11] He made a record-setting as a dancehall artist to have won 11 awards at the 2019 3 Music Awards ceremony.[12]

  1. ^ "Shatta Wale, Biography". mobile.ghanaweb.com. Retrieved 15 June 2022.
  2. ^ "A 'repented' Shatta Wale apologizes to Charter House". MyJoyOnline. Retrieved 6 May 2014.
  3. ^ "Shatta Wale Sends Message To NPP Over E-Levy Bill (VIDEO)". Peacefmonline.com. Retrieved 4 February 2022.
  4. ^ Beyoncé, Shatta Wale, Major Lazer – ALREADY (Official Video). Beyoncé. 31 July 2020. Archived from the original on 14 April 2022. Retrieved 17 April 2022 – via YouTube.
  5. ^ Nyabor, Jonas (26 September 2014). "Shata Wale features in new movie, "Never Say Never"". citifmonline.com. Retrieved 16 December 2018.
  6. ^ Ayamga, Emmanuel (20 April 2018). "'The trial of Shatta Wale' movie to be premiered on May 12". www.pulse.com.gh. Retrieved 16 December 2018.
  7. ^ "Trailer Shatta Wale, Majid Michel, and Bisa Kdei star in new movie "Shattered Lives"". Pulse.com.gh. David Mawuli. 5 January 2016. Retrieved 28 January 2016.
  8. ^ "Shatta Wale Tells Sad Story Bandana Days – Ghana Celebrities". ghanacelebrities.com. 10 August 2018. Retrieved 18 December 2018.
  9. ^ "Etv 100 Influential List – City Fm". cityfmonline.com. 17 February 2015. Retrieved 17 March 2017.
  10. ^ "Shatta Wale Almost Clocked Hundred Songs for 2015 – News Ghana". newsghana.com.gh. 28 December 2015. Retrieved 11 April 2017.
  11. ^ "Shatta Wale Ranked As 2017 Most Influential Musician on Social Media – Ghana Web". ghanaweb.com. 22 February 2017. Retrieved 20 March 2018.
  12. ^ "Shatta Wale Tops All At 2019 3Music Awards – Ghana Web". ghanaweb.com. 1 April 2019. Retrieved 28 February 2020.