The Kwesi Arthur Story – Part II.

With great love and support came great responsibility. While Kwesi received a lot of love and support, it came at a cost. After a while, a section of fans began to turn on Kwesi and call him out for various reasons. Some called him out for not rapping as much as he used to, some said he had become stagnant, while others called him an industry conformist. Among all these were some genuine concerns, while others can be described as “fans” just doing too much. However, there was a period where Kwesi dropped less music and was seen less. That period was when he was preparing his debut album, ‘Son Of Jacob.’ Those two years from 2020 to 2022 were perhaps the most trying times for Kwesi. During this same time, an associate of Kwesi Arthur had been going on and on, creating some bad blood for Kwesi where there was none. Eventually, people would reference the said associate anytime they called out Kwesi for one thing or another, as the said associate did for others.

It is understandable why people would let their dislike for said associate come in the way of their affinity to Kwesi, but it’s a bit unfair. There are moments when a person’s words should be judged solely as the person’s own thoughts and not a reflection of the person(s) they are associated with.

At the end of the day, consumers can be overbearing and frustrating. But in all those moments were genuine concerns that needed to be looked at by the artist and his team. Not every consumer understands the dealings of the industry, and as such, their expectations and projections are blinded by ignorance. For every stick Kwesi got and continues to receive, we as consumers need to attach some level of decorum and grace. Artists are humans with emotions and feelings. They get hurt, they love, and they go through a lot. No one truly knows what happens behind the scenes outside the artist and their circle; so for that matter, in our bid to demand more, we should sometimes read the room and word our things properly.

Some might want others to believe Kwesi Arthur has fallen off, when in fact; he hasn’t. Every year since his debut in 2017, Kwesi has never failed to drop a hit song or appear as a guest feature on one. Even in 2023, when people said he was lazy, he put out rap songs after many said he did not rap like he used to. Yes, he may not have the same level of buzz around him as he did, but that comes with the business. There are only a few artists with an influential audience who create mirages around their careers. In times when the artists are not having a great year, they are still able to create an environment where they appear to be having a stellar year when they are not. 

The Ghanaian music scene is often a bit unfair to artists, and if consumers do not help change the narrative, it would be worrying. As a consumer, you are allowed to call out artists for whatever reason, but there should be a level of decorum attached to what is said. All in all, Kwesi Arthur is still in the early stages of his career. For everything we hoped and hoped he would do, there is still more time to do it. If you put into perspective the career he has had so far, others will take years, and they might still not crack even half of it. Kwesi may be down; which happens in every artist’s career, but he is not out. Let’s cut him some slack and support him as best as we can till he finds his feet again and continues the work he has started.