Shatta Wale is a household name. No debating that. Before you
start a long argument about your position on his brand and influence, pause and
read what these thinkers/professional speakers Bernard
Kelvin Clive and Jeremiah Buabeng have to say about the phenomenon
that is Shatta Wale.
1. The Law of Controversy: if I can stir a controversy at
every unique point in time, I can keep my name on the lips of the Ghanaian on
the street and therefore sustain my name recognition and my relevance. That's
it! The Shatta brand thrives on controversy. And he doesn't fail to deliver one
every now and then for our entertainment and for his profit.
2. The Law of Anti-Establishment: Wale is not unaware of growing
public sentiment against institutions such as Charterhouse. He takes advantage
of it by calling them out for a duel every now and then and posturing as the
victim. Does it work? You bet!
3. The Law of Disruptive
marketing: he, unlike, other artistes always knows how to start top of
mind and get the media to keep talking about him. In that way he thrives. He
uses his cunning disrupting ways to break the news about his music and
movements. Thinking about the fake Adidas move? Yeah! You have got the drift
now! A savvy business man, he is!
4. The Law of the Rebrand: When the first brand isn't working,
rebrand! Wale strategically and successfully rebranded from the then 'Bandana'
brand that failed to attract him the needed clout to the much widely revered brand
“Shatta Wale". His rebranding is arguably the most successful by any
contemporary artist. It has worked wonders and still thriving. He didn't only
secure a name rebrand, but also devised a strategy to annex his genre of music -
dancehall.
5. The Law of the Tribe: he has built an enormous tribe - The
Shatta Movement (SM), something most brands, his predecessors and even peers
couldn't build or manage. He has a raving fan base that has become his core
tool to push his brand to the masses and consequently to the top. A strategy
emerging artistes must learn and adopt but of course one that takes genius to
execute.
6. The Law of Unconventional: it's the 21st century, folks, and
you can't capture people's imagination if you are doing what everybody does. So
Shatta's response to this is: be unconventional! Break the rules! Challenge
everything the people are used to seeing and hearing. Some will hate you but
that hate will still fuel your fame and keep you on top of your game! It's a
formidable Shatta law and it works!!!
7. The Law of the Ghetto: Shatta is popular for the same
PRINCIPLE that made Peace FM worked; he reaches out to the masses, the people
on the street, the ghetto. If you a Harvard-schooled prim and proper person, Shatta
will likely not be your man. Unfortunately, for you, people like you are in the
minority. The majority are on the street. He identifies with hustlers; people
who have no strategy to succeed and are counting on their street smarts and
aggressiveness to push them to the top.
So there they are, the 7
laws of Shatta Wale. Now, let the controversy begin. 
"If you build a solid
brand, even when you wear 'FAKE' it will be hot 'CAKE', because you have raving
fans who will defend it to their death!" ¬ Bernard Kelvin Clive
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