Are Artist Managers Protecting Their Artist in Their Lowest Point? The Sarkodie, Reggy Zippy, Shatta Wale Example.

 I am the Captain of My own Ship!

What happened?

Uk-based Ghanaian musician Reggie Zippy has been trending on social media after he made his divorce and freedom public. While announcing his divorce was not new to the fans and the world, some words in the announcement worried Ghanaians and all lovers of the Reggie Zippy brand. This post has been one that has triggered many revelling responses from his ex-wife, industry friends, media and fans on social media. 

What are people saying?

The older generation of married Ghanaians believe Reggie Zippy's actions as a father and a man were inappropriate and should have resolved this issue through the traditional family structure and not social media. 

Others, including his fans, are thankful for his freedom and are more concerned with his mental health and how this public social media outburst affects his mental health and that of his ex-wife and children. 

The Talkative:

While Reggie Zippy is responsible for protecting his brand, the roles of teams and managers for artists are usually evidential in times like these. The strength and power of a management team come to light when artists go through public emotional distress and breakdown. However, for most established Ghanaian artists, the team has little or no power in protecting the brand and what it does on social media during emotional turmoils. 

Before Reggie Zippy, one of Ghana's most prominent artists, Sarkodie admitted that he made an entire record out of emotions and anger without his team's knowledge. The project that became one of the highlights of Sarkodie's music and private life differed from his team's understanding. 

Similarly, a few years back, Ghana's Reggae Dancehall act, Shatta Wale, was in an intense social media misunderstanding with Nigeria's Burna Boy. In contrast, both big shows acted solely on their emotions and primal instinct to "tell on each other." It became evident that Burnaboy had a more structured team with more control than the Ghanaian artist. While the "emotionally pained" artist was washing the other's dirty linen on his social media, the team at the back was deleting the post to salvage the image of Burna Boy's brand even in his low emotional state. Shatta Wale, on the other hand, still has all he said on his page, and with a good Twitter dive, every unnecessary incriminating thing he said still lives on his official social media handle. 

Like Shatta Wale and Sarkodie, Reggie Zippy, in a difficult time, is allowed to be human and make mistakes. Yet, at their lowest point, the team of these artists must take control or cover up the artists in times of their emotional weakness. 

Does the inability of most Ghanaian artists' management to step in and clean the messes their artists make in their time of need a revelation of the power structure and dynamism in their camps? Does the artist have people they respect and take counsel from in their time of need? Or does the type of contract they have with their management prevent them from protecting the artist in their time of need?

Written By

Tilly Akua Nipaa