Livingstone Etse Satekla, better known by his stage name Stonebwoy, is a GhanaianAfropop, dance hall and reggae singer. He is the CEO of Burniton Music Group. He won the Best International Act: Africa category at the 2015 BET Awards and Artist of the Year at the 2015 Ghana Music Awards. He is also a recipient of two billboard plaques. He has been described as the king of reggae and dance hall artists in Africa. Stonebwoy is also an actor, having appeared in the movies Happy Death Day and My name is Ramadan. He is a global ambassador for sanitation. In September 2019, he was made the brand ambassador for Voltic Natural Mineral Water, in a deal that could be renewed after two years.
Life and music career
Stonebwoy was born in Ashaiman in the Greater Accra region of Ghana and began making music in his early school days. He realized his talents and abilities as a lyricist and scriptwriter at an early age, remembering writing and acting drama pieces as far back as the fourth year in primary school. He also 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. , with two children.
2012: ''Grade 1 Album''
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". The album contains seventeen tracks which featured prominent Ghanaian artists including Tinny and Edem aside from those mentioned above. The release of the debut album made the Stonebwoy brand a household name in the music industry.
2014: ''Necessary Evil''
In 2014, Satekla released his second album, called the Necessary Evil. It consists of twenty-nine tracks, including the famous Baafira track that featured Sarkodie. The album was the recipient of three Ghana Music Awards from six nominations.
2017: ''Epistles of Mama''
Released on 12 December 2017; the Epistles of Mama was dedicated to Satekla's late mother by name Mrs Catherine Lucy Aku Ametepe Satekla. The 24 track album features Sean Paul, King Promise, Burna Boy. The album peaked at Number thirteen on Billboard chart top 200 albums worldwide. In 2018 ‘Epistles Of Mama ’ was rated the second-best album in the world according to reggaeville. The Album was honoured by YouTube for hitting over 10 million views.
Stonebwoy normally ragga in Jamaican Patois, and is considered a "multifaceted rapper" due to the various musical styles he possesses. 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. Nana Appiah Mensah, CEO of gold dealership company Menzgold, sent out words of encouragement to Stonebwoy on Instagram for Stonebwoy being supportive. On 18 April 2019, Nana Appiah Mensah posted a photo of Dance hall act Stonebwoy saying he is proud of the Bhim Nation president for defending him and that God bless him. He has been listed as part of the 2019 50 young CEOs, by YCEO and Avance media. The list which was launched earlier in 2018, was set out to honor distinguished young individuals pursuing the course of providing solutions to some of Ghana's pertinent problems.
Philanthropy
Stonebwoy established the ‘Livingstone Foundation’. In January 2017 the foundation announced a sponsorship package for five students of the Tema Methodist Day Senior High School, his alma mater.
Endorsements
Stonebwoy has recently been named the Brand Ambassador for 'Big Boss' a new energy drink
World tours and notable performances
Stonebwoy kicked off his world tour in the Euro-zone in August 2014. He performed in Germany, Italy, Spain and Austria. His 2016 Canada-America tour saw him perform in New York City, Ohio, Philadelphia and Ontario. In the same year, he rocked Perth, Melbourne, Brisbane and Sidney all in Australia. His second Euro tour saw him travel to the Nordic to thrill fans in Denmark, Finland and Sweden in last quarter of 2017. Stonebwoy performed at Reggae Sumfest, Afro nation festival in Portugal, Rotterdam reggae festival, Uppsala Reggae Festival. Rototom Sunsplash.
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.
