About Shatta Wale

Charles Nii Armah Mensah Jr. was born in Accra, Ghana at the Police Hospital on October 17, 1984. The son of a couple from Accra and the Volta Region of Ghana. His father, Charles Nii Armah Mensah Sr. A politician, Businessman and a legal practitioner. Shatta Wale attended Seven Great Princes Academy at Dansoman, a suburb in Accra. Where he demonstrated an affinity for arts and acted in a popular Akan Drama series (By The Fireside) at the National Theatre of Ghana. Growing up, he lived with his family in Laterbiokorshie, Dansoman and then later Korle Gonno during his formative years. In a Facebook live video, Wale stated that he did not enjoy motherly love and care at the early stages of his life because a pastor caused a separation between his parents which made him remain under his father's care and later ending up on the streets. His mother is Elsie Evelyn Avemegah. As a child, his father introduced him to the Jamaican culture by playing Reggae records in the house and also continuously traveling with him to the UK to meet his relatives who were half Jamaicans. These exposures made him develop love for music at a tender age. His intense passion to do music made him lose interest in schooling but his father forced him to complete his high school education later in the Volta Region of Ghana which had initially kicked off at the Winneba Secondary School in the Central Region of Ghana. Even in school and right after school he pursued his musical dream but his father did not agree and wanted him to become a lawyer, this led to a misunderstanding between the two eventually tearing down their beautiful relationship. Shatta Wale lived in almost all the ghettos (Nima) in Accra just to survive. "There were many times I slept without food. I have been through all the hustle in life, I mean hell. I have lived with the people and became one of their own. No wonder my music easily resonate with the people. I am thankful to God for making me see the day light." Stated in an interview. Shatta Wale later went to Jamaica to polish and master his dancehall craft. "Every boy in Ghana doing dancehall came for tutelage from me before mastering the dancehall genre. So no wonder my fans call me King because they know the history of modern dancehall in Ghana" Shatta Wale stated in an interview. His musical career began during his high school days at the Winneba Secondary School, then known as Doggy. After secondary school, he took time to harness his talent during which he learnt the rudiments of the trade. Having achieved a street credibility in a fairly undeveloped Ghanaian dancehall genre at the time, he soon began making the headlines with his hit single, “Moko Hoo” which featured fellow Ghanaian musician Tinny in 2004. Then known in the industry as Bandana, the song earned him a Ghana Music Awards nomination in that year. Bandana followed with back to back hit songs including the very popular "No Problem" and "Obaa Yaa". At this point, he was receiving heavy rotation on radio and backed by a growing fan base which shot him into the mainstream Ghanaian music scene. He performed on every big stage and became a household name so far as Ghanaian music was concerned. After a while, nothing was heard from Bandana as he disappeared from the music scene. He died in music, buried for almost a decade only to resurrect with a new name and identity, Shatta Wale. Shatta Wale would later single handedly be catapulting dancehall in Ghana a genre which had been left abandoned. The likes of Root Eye, General Marcus, Yoggy Doggy and some others years ago had started but could not break through with it. Shatta Wale gives credit to the likes of Terry Bonchaka and Yoggy Doggy for nurturing him when he began his dancehall journey. "It was under their tutelage that they told me I was going to blow up and that my style is so unique." Stated in an interview on PeaceFm.