The first artiste signed by Zylofon Media, Kumi Guitar, has revealed that dancehall act, Stonebwoy was given a week to make a decision on his stay or otherwise with the record label.
The ultimatum, he said, was given to the once beloved artiste of the label after a meeting with the management of the media outfit a week ago.
The highlife artiste said he had decided not to speak on the raging beef between Zylofon Media and Stonebwoy but he has been left with no choice after the nasty turn of events at the University of Ghana campus on Saturday.
ALSO READ: PHOTO: Don’t try to beef me; ask Samini – Shatta Wale warns Stonebwoy
“Last Saturday, the Legon students had a show in collaboration with Zylofon and we were all billed to perform. We waited for a while for the performances to begin when a fan called me that some people are pulling down all the Zylofon banners we’ve used to brand the place…so he was asking if the show was not coming off since he’s not seen us perform…” Kumi Guitar told Myjoyonline.com in an exclusive interview.
Kumi Guitar said he was confused when he got the information that Stonebwoy had allegedly asked that the banners and Zylofon t-shirts be removed.
“…if you have an issue with Zylofon, do you have an issue with me? No! Do you have an issue with Obinini? No! Do you have an issue with Joyce Blessing?” Kumi Guitar, who was clearly disappointed with the turn of events, quizzed, wondering why Stonebwoy didn’t allow them to perform at the event.
ALSO READ: I wouldn’t have joined Zylofon if they already had Dancehall artiste – Stonebwoy
While he won’t comment on the follow up nasty incident at the Champs Bar at Paloma on Saturday night where Stonebwoy fired a warning shot and Bulldog allegedly tried to seize the dancehall act’s car keys, Kumi believes that the story had to be told properly for people to have a clear picture of what was really going on.
“If these things keep happening and he [Stonebwoy] succeeds or people don’t get the picture right, he might succeed in pulling down Zylofon and if Zylofon is down, I am down,” the man who believes he influenced the establishment of Zylofon Media said.
READ ALSO: VIDEO: Watch Stonebwoy give circumstances around his attack at Paloma
The ‘Betweener’ singer noted that Stonebwoy and Zylofon have a contract and if there are issues, the two parties have to resolve them amicably.
He said if one party constantly fails to fulfil their end of the contract, the other party has to point it out.
Kumi Guitar
According to Kumi Guitar, Zylofon Media paid all Stonebwoy’s expenses including his trips, recordings and his two major concerts – one at Ashaiman and the other at the National Theatre.
“What I heard was that he got angry because Shatta [Wale] was signed… if you fail to give him what he wants, automatically he [Nana Appiah Mensah – Zylofon Media CEO] will fail to give you what you want.
“Better still, he will go look for somebody who can do the job for him if you cannot do it,” he said.
He strongly believes Mr Appiah Mensah did nothing wrong by signing Shatta Wale after all “Stonebwoy is not a shareholder of Zylofon.”
“He can argue that maybe in his contract, they wrote that he is the one representing Dancehall so they shouldn’t bring somebody else.
“If you are representing Dancehall, it’s not just about representing but you also have to represent Zylofon, since you are an ambassador,” he added.
According to him, those representing the brand are also supposed to promote it with hashtags when they post on social media, but Stonebwoy has failed to do this and the CEO has complained about it on several occasions.
Kumi Guitar warned that where Stonebwoy is going with the issue is dangerous because his actions could have ripple effects on other artistes on the label.
“I’m starting to talk because I began this thing. Our boss wouldn’t have been in this industry. I was the one who spoke to him to do it and I wasn’t selfish.
“I told him to add people on board and you [Stonebwoy] also got to be a beneficiary…yes he was Stonebwoy before we met him but can he say that Zylofon has added nothing to him?”
“You’ve been spoken to and then you’ve been given the opportunity to decide if you still want to be part of us as a family…if you want to go also, it’s your decision. For a week now, you’ve not responded only for you to do this. Is it that you want to frustrate the investor or you want to frustrate Zylofon,” he questioned Stonewoy’s actions.
He wouldn’t confirm or deny Stonebwoy’s exit from the label and could not also tell if there is still a valid contract with the dancehall artiste.
Kumi Guitar said he will release a song, ‘Gyae’ about the current impasse on Monday to urge Stonebwoy to “stop” what he is doing.
“If you feel that Zylofon is not a brand you want to associate with you should have pulled out,” he stressed.