Ghanaian musicians Stonebwoy and Sarkodie have engaged in a heated exchange on X (formerly Twitter), over industry principles, personal differences, and how artistes respond to controversies.
The exchange followed a post by Sarkodie in which he urged artistes to be cautious about fans who attack other brands in an attempt to promote them.
“Just because a fan sh**s on another brand to elevate you doesn’t mean they love you more,” Sarkodie wrote.
He cautioned artistes against entertaining what he described as toxic energy, arguing that some people seek engagement for personal gain rather than genuinely supporting the artistes they claim to defend.
“We’re in an era where some people love engagement for their own personal gain. They may look like they’re fighting for you, but they genuinely don’t give AF about you,” he posted.
Sarkodie, however, acknowledged that genuine fans can sometimes go overboard, stressing that “passion and loyalty don’t need toxicity to be effective.”
He also urged the new generation of SarkNation supporters to learn from the old crop, saying: “We never entertained toxic energy. The focus was always the music, the movement and the brand.”
Stonebwoy subsequently responded directly to Sarkodie, recounting previous conversations between them and offering a different interpretation of the rapper’s views on industry relationships.
Stonebwoy said he had called Sarkodie after his Rapperholic (RAH) show in the UK to congratulate him and later contacted him again after noticing what he described as “cryptic” social media posts.
According to Stonebwoy, the two subsequently spoke for more than an hour about the music industry, behaviour and their differing perspectives.
Stonebwoy claimed Sarkodie told him during the conversation that artistes could not be “forced” to uphold any particular principle and sometimes had to “play along so far as it benefits them.”
Linking that position to Sarkodie’s latest post, Stonebwoy wrote: “Standing on just these 2 videos for now, I believe this tweet of yours has been equally considered.”
“And you will agree that without PRINCIPLE, advice is an OPINION,” he added.
Sarkodie responded by rejecting Stonebwoy’s interpretation of their conversation.
“A lot to unpack here, but first things first there’s no need to say something I never said that artistes should play along so far as it benefits them,” he wrote.
He questioned why Stonebwoy had connected the post to himself and maintained that he had never made a social media post intended to shade him.
“First off, there’s no post I’ve made in my life trying to shade you,” Sarkodie said, adding that he was responding because the concerns had come directly from Stonebwoy.
The rapper also said the two artistes have different approaches to personal disagreements, noting that Stonebwoy had the right to decide whether to forgive or forget someone but could not dictate how another person chose to handle a situation.
“There are things I find easy to let slide, and there are things I feel I need to react to. We’re not all the same, and I’m okay with that,” he wrote.
Sarkodie further pointed to their past interactions, saying he would not have invited Stonebwoy to his RAH show if he had any personal issues with him.
He also referenced Stonebwoy’s relationships with people who had allegedly disrespected him, saying he did not interpret those interactions as support for the alleged disrespect.
Sarkodie said the issue was not new, claiming Stonebwoy had expressed similar concerns in the past and that he had repeatedly approached him to resolve them privately.
Despite their differences, he said he had continued to reach out about possible joint shows and publicly celebrated Stonebwoy’s achievements.
“So there’s really no need to twist my words or make them mean something they don’t,” Sarkodie concluded.
The exchange has since drawn attention from fans of both artistes, with the two Ghanaian music stars offering contrasting views on industry relationships, personal differences, professional conduct and the principles that should guide artistes.
