Board Chairman of Ghana Music Rights Organisation (GHAMRO), Rex Omar, has advised organisers of the Vodafone Ghana Music Awards (VGMA) to stick to the ban on Dancehall artistes Shatta Wale and Stonebwoy.
The duo was sanctioned with a ban after their misunderstanding on stage led Stonebwoy into pulling a gun.
According to the legendary highlife artiste, VGMA should hold on to principles governing their institution and the decision to restrict the two from partaking in their awards scheme.
“I believe principles are very important in making a decision so when we do, we should stick to it. If they want to be principled in making these decisions they should realize what happened that day is wrong and it is wrong now,” he said on Accra-based radio station, 3FM.
Reacting to pardon requests on the grounds that Stonebwoy and Shatta Wale are ‘big boys’ in the industry, Rex Omar said even though he admires the duo, they are not bigger than the industry.
“No matter how big you are, you are not bigger than the industry; we have had bigger artistes in Ghana before. If we allow them become bigger than the industry then we have no industry,” he emphasized.
To him, the ban on Shatta Wale and Stonebwoy is to “send a signal to up-and-coming artistes that attitudes like that is wrong”.