Nigeria has a Brand, Ghana has just Artistes – DJ Slim
In a recent interview on Opemsuo Radio’s Kumasefie show with Mr. Black on July 22, DJ Slim emphasized that Ghana lacks a strong music brand compared to Nigeria, which has successfully associated brands with its artistes.
This disparity, according to him, affects Ghanaian artistes’ international market presence.
He pointed out that Nigeria’s afrobeat brand has achieved significant success, and music executives are actively investing in Nigerian artistes.
DJ Slim acknowledged that Ghanaian artistes like Stonebwoy are talented, but they face challenges in competing with Nigerian artistes like Burna Boy, who have a well-organized music structure and strong brand presence.
“Nigeria has the brand afrobeat and they are doing very well. Music executives are also investing in them. Stonebwoy is better than Burna Boy but Burna Boy is doing better in the music industry than Stonebwoy.”
According to DJ Slim, a well-organized music structure involves investment, but due to the dishonesty of some Ghanaians, potential investors are hesitant to support the Ghanaian music industry.
“We need proper structures and investment. In the past we used to have that. We have a bad character so no one wants to help us.”
He stressed the need for honesty and integrity among industry stakeholders, stating that collective effort is necessary to improve the music sector.
“If we want to make things better, we have to burn all of us and teach the young ones honesty. We are a bunch of dishonest people. We are so selfish that we can’t speak the truth,” he said.
The DJ also pointed out the disparity between the rich in Ghanaian society, who can afford luxury cars worth millions of dollars but often fail to invest in the music industry. He urged Ghanaians to question this lack of investment.
“Some of our big artistes are underground artistes on some stages. Some are show openers. They only perform at the start of a show when few people are present,” he said.
Story by Adwoa S. Danso
