Musicians are poor managers of upcoming artistes

Ghanaian comedian and social commentator Ajeezay has sparked fresh debate on the role of artistes in managing fellow artistes, following a strongly worded Facebook post in which he argued that musicians rarely succeed as full-time managers.

In his post, Ajeezay maintained that the best an established artiste can offer an upcoming talent is a co-sign or affiliation, not full management control. According to him, history in the Ghanaian and African music scenes shows that most artiste-led management deals end without meaningful success.

“An artiste can never manage another artiste! The best would be a co-sign, just some affiliation,” he wrote, citing Shatta Wale’s support for the Militants as a good example of influence without formal management.

Ajeezay went on to reference several situations where artistes attempted to run record labels or manage talents but failed to achieve lasting results. He recalled how rapper Guru once signed King Paluta, as well as Takoradi-based singer Singlet, yet neither partnership yielded the breakthrough many expected.

He also mentioned OV’s stint with Burniton Music Group (BMG), led by Stonebwoy, suggesting that despite the hype surrounding her signing, the collaboration did not translate into long-term success.

Drawing a contrast, the comedian praised Nigerian superstar Olamide’s approach, noting that the YBNL boss deliberately stepped back from the spotlight for a period to focus fully on grooming artistes like Asake and Fireboy DML, who are now global stars.

“Olamide actually went off the scene for a while just to focus on Asake, Fireboy and label business,” Ajeezay added.

He concluded his post with a strong message to players in the entertainment industry, urging them to learn from past mistakes instead of repeating them.

“Failing to learn is not an excuse my people!” he emphasized.