Entertainment commentator Ola Michael has voiced his disapproval of Stonebwoy‘s recent plea to be retroactively awarded the VGMA Artiste of the Year for 2019. According to Michael, revising the history of the awards would undermine the important lessons from that year’s events.
The 2019 Vodafone Ghana Music Awards was disrupted by a physical altercation between dancehall artists Shatta Wale and Stonebwoy. The incident occurred when Stonebwoy was named Reggae Dancehall Artiste of the Year, leading to a confrontation on stage. Both artists were subsequently charged with offensive conduct and granted bail.
At the 25th Telecel Ghana Music Awards in June 2024, where Stonebwoy was named Artiste of the Year, he requested that the organizers, Charterhouse, officially acknowledge him as the 2019 Artiste of the Year. This title had remained unawarded due to the onstage incident.
On the June 8, 2024, episode of United Showbiz, Ola Michael criticized the idea, emphasizing that the 2019 events should remain untouched as a historical lesson.
“I’m disappointed that Robert Klah and Charterhouse are considering Stonebwoy’s request,” Michael stated. “The 2019 award wasn’t presented for a reason, and changing that now would erase the valuable lessons we learned.”
Michael also responded to Stonebwoy’s assertion that he was the rightful winner in 2019. “Every artist has the right to boast, but we need to respect history. Let’s preserve it as it is.”
Instead, Michael suggested that the late dancehall artist Ebony, who posthumously won Artiste of the Year in 2018, should be recognized as the titleholder for 2019 by default.
“Every year, someone is named Artiste of the Year. Since no one was awarded the title in 2019, it’s only fair to recognize Ebony as the reigning Artiste of the Year for that year,” Michael argued. “The absence of a new winner means she should retain the title for 2019.”