Stonebwoy (Biography)
Stonebwoy is the stage name of Livingstone Etse Satekla (born 1988), a Ghanaian afropop, dancehall and reggae artiste and is the CEO of Burniton Music Group. He won the Artist of the Year in the 2015 Vodafone Ghana Music Awards.
Many Ghanaians recognize him as one of the leading Reggae and Dancehall artists in the country. Satekla was born in Ashaiman and began making music in his early school days. He studied at Methodist Day Secondary School the same year with rapper Sarkodie where he gained his High School Leaving Certificate. He continued his tertiary education at University of Professional Studies to earn a degree in Marketing in 2013.
He began performing as Stonebwoy since high school as an underground rapper. He appeared on a popular rap competition “Kasahare Level” on Adom FM which featured Sarkodie, Dr Cryme and the like saw him knocking out several other rappers gaining himself underground popularity. It was through these rap battles and his style of music which caught the eye of Samini to sign him to his “Samini Music” record label. Under “Samini Music”, Stonebwoy recorded his first hit single “Climax” featuring Samini and subsequently “Ghetto Love” featuring Irene Logan. Both songs earned him nominations at the Ghana Music Awards.
After this exposure, he released his debut album “Grade 1 Album” under his Burniton Music Group Label and made Stonebwoy a household name in the music industry Recognition and musical style Stonebwoy often ragga in Jamaican Patois (Patwa or Patwah), and is considered a “multifaceted rapper” due to the various musical styles he possess.
Family and Marriage life of Stonebwoy
Stonebwoy is happily married to Dr. Louisa Ansong. They have two kids; a daughter, Catherine Jidula Satekla, and a son; L Janam Joachim Satekla.
Awards won by Stonebwoy and his nominations
In 2015, he received many awards and nominations ranging from “Artist of the Year” to “Album of the Year”. His sophomore album, Necessary Evil, was the recipient of 3 Ghana Music Awards from 6 nominations.
| Year | Awards |
|---|---|
| 2015 | BET Awards Best International Act Vodafone Ghana Music Awards Artist of the Year Reggae/Dancehall All Africa Music Awards Best African Reggae, Ragga and Dancehall MTN 4Syte Music Awards Best Reggae/Dancehall Video Best Directed Video Most Influential Artist |
| 2016 | International Reggae and World Music Awards Most Promising Act Vodafone Ghana Music Awards Reggae/Dancehall Song of the Year Ghana Music Awards UK Most Reggae/Dancehall Song of the Year Album of the Year |
| 2017 | Vodafone Ghana Music Awards Reggae/Dancehall Artiste of the Year Reggae/Dancehall song of the Year |
| 2018 | All Africa Music Awards Best Reggae/Dancehall African Artiste Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards Favorite African Star 3Music Awards Reggae/Dancehall artiste of the Year Twitstar of the Year Instagram Star of the Year Vodafone Ghana Music Awards Reggae/Dancehall Artiste of the Year |
| 2019 | African Entertainment Awards USA Best Male Artiste AFRIMA 2019 Best Reggae Dancehall Artiste |
| 2020 | International Reggae and World Music Awards Best African Reggae/Dancehall Entertainer |
Controversy
On the eve of 18 May 2019, during the 20th edition of Vodafone Ghana Music Awards, a brawl erupted between the followers of Stonebwoy and his music rival Shatta Wale and his fans, which lead to Stonebwoy pulling a gun on stage. They were both arrested and detained the following day. They both appeared in court where they pleaded not guilty to both their respective charges after which they were granted bail of GH¢50,000 each.
They were stripped of the awards they picked up that night and were indefinitely banned from the program by Charterhouse, the organizers. They made peace by the 30th day of the very same month.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org
