The NAKED TRUTHS - Anthony B, Moscow One and Samini skirmishes

Before anyone comments this article, the person should have the guts to read THE ENTIRE STORY before ‘jumping to conclusions’ or making any ‘wild outbursts'.

We, GHAMAICANS, however, would like to categorically state in advance that this particular report is NOT in defense of any single individual or particular outfit – we are just an independent body ‘trying’ to dig out the veracity of happenings relating to this very topic hence; we don’t owe allegiance to any single person. We are here for the industry.

THE GHANAIAN REGGAE & DANCEHALL INDUSTRY IS WHAT WE ARE HERE TO PRUNE, IMPROVE AND EXPLAIN TO AUDIENCE. WE WOULD ONLY PLACE THE ISSUES AS THEY ARE, PER THE INVESTIGATIONS OR FINDINGS THAT WE WERE ABLE TO ARRIVE AT OWING TO THE STRENGTH OF OUR OUTFIT IN ITS QUEST TO GET INFORMATION TO THE PUBLIC. AS IT STANDS NOW, WE WOULD ONLY PUT OUT THE INFORMATION AS THEY ARE ON ACCOUNTS OF HOW FAR WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO ARRIVE AT WITHIN OUR MEANS. WE ALL HAVE THE RIGHT TO SPEAK OUR MINDS OR CRITICIZE ANY ISSUE RELATING TO THE GHANAIAN REGGAE & DANCEHALL INDUSTRY, CUM THE TOPSY-TURVY HAPPENINGS BUT LET US ALL MAKE SURE OUR COMMENTS OR BACKLASH DOES NOT DESTROY THE CULTURE WE ARE TRYING TO ERECT NOW.

Straight to the point, most of y’all the audience who came to the concert got disgusted until performances picked up around 1:00am. Just as the fun was building up with the appearance of King Wabu, Zionites, Blak Mexxiah, Bukom Dancehall, Ras Kuuku, General Marcus and others, the excitement came to almost a halt for over 105minutes without any show.

We all were wondering why things were going that way especially when there was no sign of the ‘big names’ we saw earlier on the event posters. Eyebrows began to raise with growing glum pooling up on our faces. Some of us who had the opportunity to be in the VIP stand and backstage as well saw some verbal and physical combats between some of the team members of Moscow One Promotions and some of the ‘home artistes’. This is not the time to redefine such happenings but to make things look finer to you the reader, this was where all the hullaballoo began. Wild allegations of this and that; complains and ‘word baths’ from one fellow to another accusing each other of ‘trying to sabotage the show’ – THE BLAME GAME.

But in the end, all who had the guts to watch the entire programme from start to finish would even up to date be honest that they enjoyed the latter part of the concert, without malice (our team enjoyed it too). Like always, there cannot be any ‘setbacks’ or ‘hitches’ after concert.

Some folks who left the stadium earlier before Paapa Wastik, Jah Mason and Anthony B came on with their art I know would still be in ‘gentle boredom’ but don’t worry. You missed the best part by leaving early. No time to tease! No time to worry over spilt milk! “IT IS RATHER TIME TO JOIN SILK….piecing up the ‘scattered yarns’ to make a good cloth.”

Most of us who tuned in to Hitz 103.7fm, yesterday to listen to Anthony B (real name: ANTHONY KEITH BLAIR – born March 31, 1976) heard all that he said concerning his visit to Ghana, the concert, his issues with Moscow One Promotions and his new project with international multi-award-winning singjay, Samini.

For the sake of the others who couldn’t listen to the interview, Anthony B lambasted Moscow One and allegedly accused him of not paying him his due, wrong treatments plus, putting up a sloppy concert for him. Though he was suffering from a mild catarrh, he was able to sound audible enough for audience to hear all what he was saying. After the entire interview, there were severe cases of ‘verbal bites’ and alleged ‘threat’ cases on either side of the parties that the GHAMAICANS team has decided to conduct its own separate/independent investigation to arrive at what exactly was causing the tension among the 3 factions – Moscow One Promotions, Samini and Anthony B.

Without delay, our crew got to reach Moscow One to hear his side of the story as to what exactly the issues were. Despite the difficulties with our team, we were able to catch up with Moscow One (real name: RICKY FRIMPONG….the CEO of Lallebela Music) to brief us about the entire saga.

While our team caught up with Moscow One (Ricky Frimpong), these were the words he had to tell us “…did he ask if Jah Mason had his money? Everybody has their money. I had the money to settle them last night You know that day was March 6 - a holiday – so I had to struggle my way through to get the funds for him because the banks were not operating due to the holiday. We all agreed on the deal so I went out to sort things out. It was hectic for me doing all the rounds just to sort them out because I can’t keep them waiting; I came very late.

While I was on the hustle to go change all the money to balance them, I had a hint that Samini and his guys came around to pull out Anthony B and wanting him to sign some business contract. By the time I returned, Samini and his crew were around the hotel fighting my boys to pick out Anthony B. My boys didn’t agree to it so in resulted in some skirmishes at the hotel. Anthony B himself, being very disrespectful to the contract terms decided to sign a different business contract with Samini and his guys without my knowledge and I find that very wrong. When I returned and called Anthony B to ask why he did all that, he says he was going to look for money. And I asked him from where? You don’t have a running business here in Ghana and I am the one who brought you here so in any case, I am the one to sort you out so why would he tell me he was going to look for money? From who and from where? He was acting as if I didn’t explain things to him well. Even on the same day before concert, that same day (March 5, 2012), Samini and his guys sent cars to come pick the Jamaican artistes (without my knowledge), meanwhile I have already arranged for cars to take them to the stadium. Anthony B says he would not enter my cars. Tinny and Samini’s manager and…about 4 cars and they came to block the road so the artistes were blocked in a fix at the stadium. They stayed there for more than 30 minutes. And before I knew, the car in which Anthony B was in to the stadium drove off the place to somewhere I don’t know. Anthony refused to enter my car so he was sitting in Samini and his guys’ car; so the time all these troubles were happening and I was trying to sort things out, there were some others in the stadium tryinbg to sabotage the programme. I even had to beg Vibration Kings and some band members to keep the show going. All equipment were set to keep the showing going but they dismantled everything to make things look like there was no show or technical hitches were the problem. I found out that Jah Mason was there but Anthony B wasn’t there. When I called later, Anthony B says he wasn’t going to perform because there was no security. I had to talk to Anthony for hours before he came to the stadium – very late around 4:00am that was why things were delayed. Even the ticket we sold on that day would not pay their balance so I had to even to for a money somewhere to pay him the rest of the money. On the contract, he was not supposed to engage in any business outside what we two have agreed on but here lies the case he has broken terms and has decided to act this way. Now he goes on radio and because he was the only one who was given the platform to speak, everybody goes about dissing me that Moscow One is a bad man. What kind of id**t is that? Jah Mason is here; he is still with me here in Ghana and even came about a week before the concert doing interviews here and there and he hasn’t even complained. Anthony B was supposed to be in Ghana on March 1, 2012 but for 3 different occasions, he changed the flight schedules himself from the USA without giving me any reasonable proof. Besides, he added some crew to himself which were not part of my budget I had to fly two guys separately from France and Holland or somewhere I don’t know whether he was telling me the truth but aside all these I had to pay for all their air tickets until Anthony B came down. He delayed schedules for us so we had to struggle to even get one television interview for him on TV3; and due to limited time, he had less than 5 minutes on that show. Even the vehicle in which Paapa Wastik was traveling from on his way back from the stadium got involved in an accident I had to go sort out the case with police and all that. Did he ask if Jah Mason had his money before he went on radio to be saying all that? I have the rest of his balance to pay him but because he has decided to breech contract and do whatever he likes, how do I get to pay him? I can’t be chasing him around Samini and his guys as if I am begging him to take his money. I have all the money here and waiting for him to come take his balance but he has decided to go on radio to say things wrongly about me and people out there who don’t know the real issues have decided to paint me black. And because I have not gone on radio to talk about these things, everybody is lambasting me all over; saying all kind of things that he will make sure I don’t bring down any Jamaican artiste. Has Anthony B forgotten about all the shows I have booked for him to play way back in UK, USA, Norway, Holland, Germany and other places even before I have to book him for Ghana this time? Because of a small peanut somebody has to pay him somewhere to record something so he thinks he is okay with that and betraying me all over. Anthony B is acting like a coconut; he is very ungrateful. I don’t have any personal problem with Samini but what I would ask is why is it that they didn’t get in touch with me to sort out things before taking the guy away. It is unfair…” (Moscow concluded).

Just after granting the interview with Moscow, we had to rush to the airport to catch up with Anthony B and his team before he would fly out of Ghana (he was already on his way to the airport so our team had to pull a chase in order to get him speak to the issue directly). While the GHAMAICANS crew, including some member of Crystal TV (Humble Lion, host of Reggae Vibes) got to the Kotoka International Airport, Anthony B was already in the departing lounge about to board the plane. We begged security to grant Anthony B an interview on camera to speak more on the issue concerning his payments and allegations by Moscow that he breeched contract but we could not get the opportunity – Anthony B was on board his flight already.

Meanwhile, Samini, who had also come with some other members (whom we don’t know by name or status) to escort Anthony B were still at the airport after the Jamaican artiste went away. We tried to ask Samini about his comments on the issue/allegations by Moscow that he “smuggled” his artiste to do “other business” but all Samini had to say was “I WOULD NOT COMMENT FOR NOW. I’M COOL WITH EVERYTHING THOUGH…”

On the other side however, Jah Mason, the second Jamaican artiste who was billed alongside Anthony B and who both performed at the show had some words to say.

Speaking to our team, Jah Mason says “…di man act wrong enuh. We all deh inna di hotel befaah di peeple dem come with di contract fi run session but me tell dem seh until Moscow One come around me cyaan tek no decision. But me bredda (Anthony B) jus go like im deh on im own and jus do what im feel like. And im expek seh me too ah go follow dem becaah im tink seh me a p**sy inna me mind like im do. But me cyaan do dat. Me cyaan do dat. Me cyaan do what dem do. Me nuh waan Ghana peeple tink seh me f*ck up meditation against Ghana. Ghana ah me yard. Me nuh have no further business wid some bwoy or gyal. Ghana ah my yard. Anthony B gwaan like America King. America fi America yah hear dat? So di man haffi know whaa im haffi tell peeple on top ah radio. Fi know whaa fi talk pon air. Africa for Africans! Africa for Africans, me nah sell out like Anthony do…”  (ENGLISH TRANSLATED VERSION OF JAH MASON’S COMMENTS: The man acted wrongly. We were all in the hotel before the guys came around to do further business with us. But I refused to be part of it until Moscow One returns because without him I can’t take any decision. But my brother (Anthony B) just went glee to act like he was on his own without any control doing whatever he likes. And he expects me to follow them and act foolishly like the way he did? I can’t do that. I can’t do that. I can’t do what they (Anthony B and his guys) did. I never want Ghana people to regard me as a silly person. Ghana is my homeland. I don’t have any further business with any man or woman here until I have a business with them. Ghana is my homeland. Anthony B always like an American King. America for Americans. America for America, alright? So the man (Anthony B) has to be wise enough to know what to tell people on radio; to know what to say on air. Africa for Africans! Africa for Africans, I would never sell out so cheap like the way Anthony B did…”

Well, you have read it all for yourself – directly from the sources. We are still working our way to getting through with Anthony B (while he is in South Africa) so we hear more from him as well. We have tried talking to one Mr. Abbey (whom we believe was the latest aide to Anthony B before he flew out of Ghana last night); Mr. Abbey says they “have heard from Anthony B this morning but would later link us to approve or disapprove if we can talk to Anthony B or not.”

We are still waiting… You all have read it all here; these are the feedbacks we were able to arrive at WITHIN OUR MEANS….GHAMAICANS we seh!!!