BEEF BUSINESS: “I don’t have time for that” — Ameyaw Debrah on his Shatta Wale feud

For someone who has spent years turning celebrity drama into headlines, Ameyaw Debrah would rather not be the headline in a celebrity feud of his own.

But when the subject is Shatta Wale, Ghana’s outspoken dancehall star, staying out of the conversation has not always been easy.

The veteran entertainment blogger says he has no personal beef with the musician, despite their history of public jabs, an earlier threat that led him to stop writing about Shatta Wale, and the occasional social media commentary that keeps their names linked.

Speaking to broadcaster Kafui Dey in an interview, Mr. Debrah suggested that what people interpret as animosity may sometimes be a calculated way of keeping an audience engaged.

“For me, there’s no beef. I don’t have time for that. I think he also knows that,” he said.

“But sometimes it’s just an easy way to engage his audience, and then he does that.”

It is a telling assessment from a man who understands the mechanics of celebrity publicity perhaps as well as anyone in Ghana’s entertainment media.

When Shatta Wale said, “Don’t write about me”

Ameyaw’s relationship with Shatta Wale has not always been smooth.

Recounting one particularly memorable episode, the blogger said the musician had once threatened him over his coverage, prompting him to blacklist the artiste.

The instruction, as Ameyaw recalled it, was straightforward: stop writing about him.

And he complied.

The consequences became apparent during the Christmas period when both men travelled to Tamale for an event where Shatta Wale was billed to perform alongside Nigerian artistes.

They were at the airport around the same time, boarded the same flight and checked into their respective hotels. But when Ameyaw began covering the event, Shatta Wale was conspicuously absent from his posts.

“I captured everybody. I didn’t capture him,” he recalled.

Asked whether he was simply following instructions, Ameyaw admitted that he was.

“I was following instructions,” he said.

The decision, however, did not go unnoticed. People questioned why he had posted other performers but left out the very artiste who was a major attraction at the event.

For Mr. Debrah, the omission was not an oversight. It was a deliberate application of the restriction Shatta Wale had imposed.

“You say I shouldn’t write about you, I don’t write about you,” he explained.

The headline that left fans unimpressed

The tension continued into the following year, when Shatta Wale won Artiste of the Year at the Ghana Music Awards.

Rather than make the musician the focus of his coverage, Ameyaw chose to lead with Sarkodie, who had won four awards.

His headline celebrated Sarkodie’s haul, and the decision drew criticism from fans who felt he was deliberately ignoring Shatta Wale’s achievement.

The blogger, however, stood by his editorial choice.

His argument was simple: Sarkodie had won four awards, making him the obvious focus of his report.

From blacklist to banter

Over time, the relationship appears to have moved away from the strict no-coverage arrangement.

Ameyaw recalled another incident in which Shatta Wale made a provocative comment about using his wife's shampoo to bathe.

The blogger responded with an article titled around the benefits of using shampoo, turning the remark into a playful piece rather than an openly hostile exchange.

It was an example of the approach he says he prefers: responding creatively without escalating a disagreement into a personal confrontation.

“I think sometimes, creatively, you can say so much without being all out there and aggressive,” he told Kafui Dey.

“And I think that’s how I try to handle situations.”

Ameyaw also confirmed that the earlier restriction had eventually been lifted. Following the launch of his studio, he said he gave his team the freedom to cover Shatta Wale again instead of allowing the old disagreement to dictate their editorial decisions.

Is it really beef?

The question of whether the two men are genuinely at odds remains central to how their interactions are interpreted online.

Ameyaw's position is that he has no interest in maintaining a personal feud. He believes Shatta Wale's occasional remarks may serve a purpose beyond simply attacking him, particularly when they generate discussion among the musician's followers.

That interpretation does not establish Shatta Wale's intentions, but it offers insight into how Ameyaw views the exchanges.

The blogger also described how social media has made it easier for stories and commentary about him to reach his family. His mother, he said, sometimes comes across videos about the supposed feud on TikTok and shares them in the family group, prompting questions about what he might have done.

He said they often laugh about the situation and move on.

It is a reminder that celebrity disagreements rarely remain confined to the people involved. Once fans, online commentators and family members become part of the conversation, even a passing remark can take on a life of its own.

For Ameyaw, however, the answer is not to trade insults or sustain a public quarrel.

His approach is to let the moment pass, respond with humour where appropriate, and return to the work.

And after years of documenting Ghana's entertainment industry, he appears comfortable drawing a distinction between reporting on celebrity beef and becoming consumed by one himself.