Veteran playwright James Ebo Whyte recently leveled heavy criticism at the unprofessionalism of some Ghanaian music artists and the inability of their managers to rein it in.
Speaking on Joy FM's Showbiz Roundtable, hosted by Kwame Dadzie and co-hosted by Noella Kharyne Yalley, the renowned artistic director argued that most artist managers become "glorified messengers" who cannot enforce discipline. Whyte was participating on the topic "Exploring the dynamics of sponsorship in the Creative Space.
He highlighted examples of artists displaying extreme laziness, arrogance and disregard for commitments. This included making excuses to flee a show last minute, refusing to perform in Kumasi deeming the event now too big for his fees, and even a case of an artist overdosing on cocaine before a UK gig.
Whyte blamed managers' reluctance to crack down on such ill-discipline due to artists becoming untouchable once attaining fame. "Once the person becomes a big name, nobody around him can speak to him, nobody can say no!" he lamented.
The playwright's scathing criticism calls out a perceived culture of coddling major artists even when they directly disrespect event organizers and fans. He argues managers must move beyond just handling logistics to truly overseeing their clients - even if enforcing professionalism means tough love.
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