Impressive Ghanaian Afro Dancehall artiste, Addi Self, born Jafaro Mohammed, has sent a simple message with open arms to his former label boss, Shatta Wale.
The self-determined artiste who grew up in Mamobi, a suburb of Accra, was in an interview with Zeal Nana Kweku Bliss on Class Xtra on Saturday, June 15, 2024 to promote his craft and few projects he has been working on. He also spoke about the difficulty of becoming an independent artiste after hanging on the wings of a bigger artiste.
When quizzed if someone has interfered in his music business negatively since he started managing his music business, Addi Self revealed that a number of people have. He mentioned Shatta Wale’s Minamino Sins as one of the attacks he has received, of which he has a reply in Minamino Lessons, which is one of the songs on his next project, Zongoronto album.
We have all seen so many attacks on himself and his other group member, Joint 77. Many fans and industry personalities distorted the progress of their careers in diverse ways just because of the situational dissolution of the SM Millitant and their departure from the Shatta Movement camp. The Millitant group, of which Addi Self was a bonified member, was dissolved and sacked from the Shatta Movement camp some five years ago
Addi Self revealed that the attacks motivate him a lot as it makes it obvious that there are some things that nobody will do for him anymore. He added that if Shatta Wale calls him, he’s going to pick up.
“I have his number, and he has my number, but we’ve not met in five years. I am just a phone call away if you miss me. You see the work we dey do, I get show for London. I dey fit get programs and we go agree den things. Then later, I go hear say I for drop and all that. I’ve been getting a lot of fights in the industry” the Talk About Me singer revealed.
The amazing talent, who released his popular Zongo to BBC album in 2021, expressed his gratitude for the few industry players who supported his projects despite his challenging situations with his former boss. He added that the album helped in shaping his career after his exit from the Shatta Movement Record Label.
“That album really shaped me to whom I am today. Because I just left my label.. I was sacked from my ex label… You know, I used that experience from Zongo to BBC. Like, we went to BBC when I was on the label. We went to perform the freestyles and all that… So it inspired me because I started this thing from Zongo and now find myself on BBC. So, I had the mindset that as soon as I get to Ghana, I’m gonna drop that album. But, when you’re working with a label, it is not easy to process certain things. So, as soon as I left the label, I just used that experience to record the songs. I think i recorded almost thirty songs, but we had to sit down and synchronize it and select like fifteen solid songs that really matched the story.” Addi Self added.
The boss of Self Nation opened up on the fact that he misses the vibes in the Shatta Movement, but he has grown to take up the challenges it comes with. He spoke about the switch in his brand from the supposed radical nature in the SM camp to his very calm self after becoming an independent artiste. He also attributed the decision to the fact that he is a family man and needs to set good examples for his kids.
The Life Nuh Easy hitmaker released Slum To Hills Mixtape on his birthday two years ago to tell his story as well as motivate his fans. In 24 hours, the mixtape topped the Ghana iTunes Top Albums chart. He spoke profoundly about his marketing tool to promote his projects and make some impacts in the digital stores.
The proud ambassador of the Zongo community spoke about his upcoming show in Canada, which is slated for Saturday, June 29, 2024. He will be performing along with the likes of Rashid Metal, King Paluta, and a host of great artistes at the African Caribbean Music & Stars Awards Launch at the National Event Venue in Toronto. He visited the country last year to connect and have some business transactions, and hopefully, this is the beginning of a beautiful musical journey for him.
By: Brah Alidu
