Stonebwoy looks to blaze it up at Rebel Salute

The last time that Ghanaian Afro pop, dancehall and reggae artiste Stonebwoy visited Jamaica was in 2020 when he came to link Buju Banton, Jah Cure and other key music players.

When he lands in Jamaica on Thursday, it will be in preparation to set the Rebel Salute stage ablaze with musical love, unity and fellowship.

"I travel all over the world ... and yes, I am excited and grateful. Beenie Man deh pon di show ... Bounty Killer deh pon di show, yuh dun know all a di top man dem. When yuh see Stonebwoy hit the stage with Afrobeats, dancehall and reggae on Saturday, just let di lighter dem blaze!" an enthusiastic Stonebwoy told THE STAR during an interview on Tuesday.

The Bhim Nation President, as he is called, is proud to be the first Ghanaian artiste to represent on the Rebel Salute stage, and he also copped another first when he performed on Reggae Sumfest in 2018.

"Stonebwoy hold up the flag of Jamaica and Africa to the highest level. Yuh see the spelling of my name 'bwoy', just like how we spell it in Jamaica," the affable Stonebwoy declared in a Jamaican accent straight from the streets of Kingston.

He added, "All through these years I have been an honorary Jamaican, and I am highly inspired to be a cultural custodian. I am a son of the soil and one of your brothers. Yuh see Tony Rebel, I actually call him Uncle Tony because one of his brothers grew me up here in Ghana. When I told him that the other day he was surprised because he didn't know. Actually, I have been brought up by a couple Jamaicans, such as Ras Aswad and Ras Peppa ... so is all love."

The award-winning artiste, who hosts the annual Bhim Concert in Ghana, a bridge which he uses to unite Africa, the Caribbean and the world, is cognisant of the responsibility of using his platforms in a conscious way.

"The Bhim Concert is one of the largest festivals in Ghana. This year was the sixth staging and these are the types of things that we do to move the music forward. Artistes are given a platform to shine. Last December we brought Busy Signal to represent from Jamaica and it was great. It's unfortunate that a lot of people are eating from the tree but they are not watering the tree ... but we give thanks to God," Stonebwoy said, as he heaped praises on Rebel Salute and its founder, Tony Rebel.

"Stonebwoy being on Rebel Salute is keeping the strong connection between Africa and Jamaica," Tony Rebel told THE STAR. "We are all Africans and when we are celebrating, we celebrate together."

Stonebwoy, given name Livingstone Etse Satekla, won the Best International Act: Africa category at the 2015 BET Awards, and Artiste of the Year at the 2015 Ghana Music Awards. He subsequently won the Afrima, Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Award, and has also received nominations from MTV EMA, Gramm Awards, MOBO and others.

The recipient of two Billboard plaques, Stonebwoy has collaborations with international acts such as Sean Paul, Emeli Sande, Trey Songz, Davido and Keri Hilson.