Some artistes “chopped” Kwabena Kwabena’s NPP campaign song money, manager claims

Kwabena Kwabena’s manager, Nana Poku Ashis, has disclosed that some people accepted money in the name of his artiste after he composed a campaign song for the New Patriotic Party in 2016.

Ashis, addressing the issue of whether Kwabena Kwabena charged an amount for the song, emphatically stated that few friends of the musician who were party members took money on his behalf without his consent.

He mentioned in a recent interview that although Kwabena Kwabena believed he did it voluntarily and for free, the party executives were aware that charges had been made.

“Some people charged on his head. Some of his friends that led him to go and meet the party leadership, charged on his head. So, the party knows that they’ve given Kwabena something through somebody. Where the money dey? He never got the money," he said.Ashis continued that his artiste later approached the party to receive the money but was denied because they believed he was officially paid, showing documented files of the payment.

However, the incident did not break down the musician, as he went ahead to rally his support behind the party in the following elections. Unfortunately, he was neglected after the NPP won the polls at the time.

Therefore, Ashis has urged all musicians who have composed or yet to release campaign songs for political parties to ensure that they deal with them on business terms and charge accordingly. He added that they should refrain from involving themselves in political talks for their own safety.

In 2016, highlife musician Kwabena Kwabena, born George Kwabena Adu, released a campaign song he composed for then-candidate Akufo-Addo prior to the elections in December. The song ‘Vote Number 1’ became popular, leading the party to win the elections.

Following the publication of the song, the ‘Fakye Me’ singer disclosed on several platforms that he has not received any sort of compensation for the campaign song he composed and that it was recorded out of his love for Nana Akufo-Addo.

Due to how badly he was treated after the party’s victory, the artiste vowed never to compose a song for any political party for free and has tasked his management to ensure payment is done officially before hitting the studio to record.

Meanwhile, Kwabena first did a campaign song titled 'Number One' for the NPP's Nana Akufo-Addo in 2008.