Ex-SM Militant Joint 77 says Shatta Wale left for Beyoncé shoot without telling the group

Pinned summary · as of 05:20

A onetime member of the SM Militant crew, Joint 77, has explained publicly why he and his colleagues grew apart from Shatta Wale. He says the dancehall artiste flew out for a music video linked to Beyoncé while the members knew nothing of it. Shatta Wale's own account is not part of the reports available.

What we know

• Joint 77 said nobody in the group was told beforehand that Shatta Wale was leaving Ghana to work on a project involving Beyoncé, and that he only shared a meal with the artiste on the day of departure.
• According to Joint 77, this was not a one-off. He described a pattern in which Shatta Wale performed songs recorded with the Militants by himself and did not bring the members along.
• Joint 77 explained that his feeling of being sidelined led the members to step back from Shatta Wale and take up performance offers of their own.

What's disputed / unconfirmed

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  Joint 77 told Max TV, as reported by ZionFelix, that he only found out about the video project after the trip, when Shatta Wale ran into trouble abroad and called him. No other report carries this detail.
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  ZionFelix reported Joint 77 as saying Shatta Wale seemed to fear that telling the group might put the opportunity at risk. This is Joint 77's reading of the artiste's thinking and has not been confirmed by Shatta Wale.
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  Joint 77 described feeling wounded because he saw his bond with Shatta Wale as far deeper than business, and said the episode deepened his sense that his loyalty was not returned. This comes from ZionFelix alone.
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  Adom Online reported Joint 77 as saying the Militants began performing the jointly recorded songs at international shows without alerting Shatta Wale, mirroring how they felt treated, and that he was angry when he learnt of it. Adom Online linked that anger to the group's break-up. Shatta Wale has not been quoted on this, and no other report confirms it.
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  Joint 77 insisted the members acted out of frustration at a perceived lack of support and inclusion, and not out of bitterness. This is his own characterisation, reported by Adom Online only.

Why it matters for Ghana

The account offers a glimpse of how credit and opportunity are shared, or not, between headline acts and the crews who record with them in Ghana's music scene. It also shows how one artiste's overseas collaboration can become a public dispute in Accra's entertainment circles. Readers should keep in mind that so far only one side has spoken.