Shatta Wale Biography, Major Collaborations, and Family Life

Shatta Wale (Real Name: Charles Nii Armah Mensah Jr., born 17 October 1984) is a 39-year-old  Ghanaian reggae-dancehall artist. He is known for his singles “Dancehall King”, “My level” and “We taking over”, and also for “Already” from Beyoncé’s Black is King Album.

It’s been a long time since Shatta Wale proclaimed himself the Dance Hall king. This may be outrageous and blasphemous in some quarters but for Africans, especially Ghanaians, the throne belongs to him. Far more than being a singer-songwriter, the Ghanaian producer is known far and wide and has been able to distinguish himself in a number of ways.

Wale wouldn’t stop courting controversy and it is futile to hope otherwise. But as much as he has remained a controversial figure, he knows how to make songs that have kept him relevant. Making good music seems to come easy for Shatta, this is probably because he started doing it as a lad.

Summary of Shatta Wale’s Biography

  • Full name: Charles Nii Armah Mensah Jr.
  • Nickname: Shatta Wale, Bandana
  • Gender: Male
  • Date of birth: 17 October 1984
  • Place of Birth: Accra, Ghana
  • Shatta Wale’s Age: 39 Years Old
  • Ethnicity: Black
  • Nationality: Ghanaian
  • Zodiac Sign: Libra
  • Religion: Muslim
  • Sexual Orientation: Straight
  • Marital Status: Married
  • Shatta Wale’s Wife: Michelle
  • Shatta Wale’s Children: 2
  • Shatta Wale’s Parents: Charles Nii Armah Mensah Snr and Elsie Evelyn Avemegah
  • Occupation(s): Singer, songwriter, record producer, actor, sound engineer
  • Shatta Wale’s Height in Inches: 5′ 7”
  • Shatta Wale’s Height in Centimetres: 169
  • Shatta Wale’s Weight: 74 Kg
  • Shatta Wale’s Net worth: $10 million
  • Famous for: Dancehall King”, “My level” and “We taking over”, and also for “Already” from Beyoncé’s Black is King Album
  • Shatta Wale’s Instagram: shattawalenima
  • Twitter: @shattawalegh

Shatta Wale’s Career Began When He was in High School

The music star was born on the 17th of October 1984 to Mr. Charles Mensah and Madam Elsie in Accra, Ghana. He was christened Charles Nii Armah Mensah. Like most parents, Shatta Wale’s had some idea about what they wanted their son to do with his life. The path they wanted him to walk would lead to a law career but fate had other plans for Shatta.

As the story goes, Shatta began writing and recording music from his high school days. He was not to drop out like many other musicians because his parents priced education highly, but he would go into full-time music afterward. He got a load of inspiration from the formerly popular Ghanaian reggae musician, Yoggy-Doggy. This explains why he started his career with Doggy as his stage name.

Shatta Wale

After much hard work and persistence, Wale landed a deal with a recording studio and then changed his name to Bandana. With that, he released his hit track “Bandana from Ghana” in 2004. The entertainer would later disclose that he picked the name because bandana was his favorite article of clothing.

Breaking a World Record as Shatta Wale

After the exposure he gained as Bandana, the musician took a long break and reappeared in 2013 as Shatta Wale. In several of his many interviews, the singer revealed he decided to rebrand as Shatta Wale after consulting God. Shatta is Jamaican slang for ‘Gangster’, while WALE is an acronym that stands for ‘World Alerted Lyrical Entertainer’.

In the silent period before he re-emerged as Shatta Wale, the musician claims he was in Jamaica learning the music genre he now believes he’s ruling – Dancehall.

A few years after he became known as Shatta Wale, he broke a record by becoming the first musician to perform 118 tracks in one night. The momentous performance took place on the 23rd of July 2016 in Nima, a suburb of Accra. It poured heavily but the rain couldn’t stop Wale or his faithful fans from taking full control of the night.

His Collaborations Shows He has a Massive International Appeal

In 2014, Shatta Wale proved his collaboration chops after his song Wine Ya Waist’ featuring Davido from Nigeria was named among the five must listen to tracks from around the world. Also in 2014, his song ‘You Can’t Touch Me’ was widely used by the Dancers Against Racism Campaign Worldwide.

Over the years he has proven himself to be a music star with massive international appeal. Notably, he was featured in Beyonce’s ‘Already’, Vybz Kartel’s ‘Mansa Musa’, Alkaline’s ‘ATM Remix’, and Shenseea’s ‘The Way I Move’. The Ghanian was also a part of Gappy Rank’s ‘Too Much Henny’, Shaw Storm’s ‘Party Fi Life’, Mariahlynn’s ‘Be Strong’, and much more.

Shatta Wale has also displayed some acting chops. He has starred alongside Bisa Kdei and Majid Michel and was also in the movie ‘Never Say Never’, featuring Charles Ko Bucknor, Edward Kufuor, and Paulina Oduro.

Controversy and Awards

Wale’s propensity to controversy first manifested after the 2013 Vodafone Ghana Music Awards (VGMA). The dancehall musician and producer asserted that he ought to have won the award for VGMA’s Dance Hall Artiste of the Year, accusing VGMA of giving it to an undeserving female Dancehall artiste, Kaakie.

His contention gained more attention when he released a song titled ‘Me Need No Awards’ in which he dissed the VGMA for their supposed slight. It was after this that he declared himself Dance Hall king with a new release of the same title. It was a hit that brought him fully into the limelight.

The music artiste has ridden that wave since then, thriving on controversies and sharing his opinions no matter how scathing they may seem. While at that, he has won several prestigious awards like Best New Entertainer at the International Reggae and World Music Awards. At the 2014 Nigerian Entertainment Awards, Wale won the African Artiste of the Year. He has also been named one of the Most Influential Ghanaians; this was in 2015 when E-TV ranked him 38th on its annual survey of influential people in Ghana.

A Look at the Financial Benefits of Shatta’s Career

With a successful career in entertainment comes a great deal of financial rewards. Wale has a thing for showing off his assets, so it’s no secret that his career has made him wealthy. In 2016, the artiste bought a mansion at East Legon and shared a picture of himself standing behind the swimming pool of the mansion.

It can be recalled that the Dance Hall King revealed his interest in real estate and had posted a picture of himself and his mother standing in front of his “new house”. The mansion is said to be worth $1 million. In addition to the house, the musician owns a range of luxury cars.

Add that to his businesses and endorsement deals, and it becomes easy to believe Wale when he claims he’s worth $10 million. The man is also the CEO of Shatta Movement and also the brand ambassador for Guinness Ghana Breweries.

The Musician is Very Fond of His Parents

Nii Akramah Mensah, the father of the famous Dance Hall king trends on the internet every now and then, especially in Ghana. Wale shares a close bond with his father. Recently, the older man was nominated and endorsed as the new chief of Ngleshie Amanfro under the stool name of Nii Akramah Nyonmo Bei II.

See Also: Top 10 Richest African Musicians

Following his endorsement, his son Shatta Wale commended the people for their support and love and promised to give support, promote development, and also foster unity in the area.

Just as he enjoys a warm relationship with his father, Nii Akramah Mensah, Wale is also a favorite son of his mother, Elsie Evelyn Avemegah. He once shared a picture of himself and his mother on Facebook after he bought her a car for her birthday, adding that he hopes to buy her a mansion very soon.

Shatta Wale is Married With Kids

Shatta Wale
Shatta Wale, Shatta Michy and their son, Michy Majesty

Shatta Wale is traditionally married to his girlfriend Michelle also known as Shatta Michy. They have two kids and it makes it quite confusing that the dancehall king once said that he will finally settle down and claim the full responsibility of family life when he turns 72.

Contrary to the “irresponsible” reputation most musicians are alleged to have, Wale has been lauded especially by actress Grace Omaboe, popularly known as Maame Dokono who said the singer is truly a responsible family man.

Obianuju O
Obianuju O
With over several years of professional writing experience, I consider myself an expert storyteller with a passion for connecting with audiences through the power of words. I specialize in creating engaging content for biographies, entertainment websites and other forms of visual media.

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