Livingstone Etse Satekla

 Livingstone Etse Satekla (born 5 March 1988), better known by his stage name Stonebwoy, is a Ghanaian Afropop, dancehall and reggae musician. He is the CEO of Burniton Music Group. He won the Best International Act: Africa category at the 2015 BET Awards and Artist of the Year at the 2015 Ghana Music Awards. He is also a recipient of two Billboard plaques. He has been described as the king of reggae and dance hall in Africa. Stonebwoy is also an actor, having appeared in the movies Happy Death Day and My Name is Ramadan. He is a global ambassador for sanitation. In September 2019, he was made the brand ambassador for Voltic Natural Mineral Water. He is the brand ambassador of Tecno Mobile in Ghana. In 2022, he signed with Universal Music Group’s Def Jam Recordings, and it’s flagship Def Jam Recordings Africa. He’s poised to make three albums under the label. 

Life and music career Stonebwoy pronounced “stoneboy” was born in Ashaiman in the Greater Accra region of Ghana and began making music in his early school days. He realized his talents and abilities as a lyricist and scriptwriter at an early age, remembering writing and acting drama pieces as far back as his fourth year in primary school. He studied at Methodist Day Secondary School the same year with rapper Sarkodie where he obtained his high school certificate. He continued his tertiary education at the University of Professional Studies to earn a degree in marketing in 2013. Satekla is married to Louisa Ansong Satekla, a dentist, with two children.

Recognition and musical style Stonebwoy normally ragga in Jamaican Patois (Patwa or Patwah), and is considered a “multifaceted artiste” due to the various musical styles he possesses. In 2015, he received many awards and nominations ranging from “Artist of the Year” to “Album of the Year”. His sophomore album, Necessary Evil, was the recipient of 3 Ghana Music Awards from 6 nominations.  Nana Appiah Mensah, CEO of gold dealership company Menzgold, sent out words of encouragement to Stonebwoy on Instagram for Stonebwoy being supportive. On 18 April 2019, Nana Appiah Mensah posted a photo of the Dance hall act Stonebwoy saying he is proud of the Bhim Nation president for defending him and that God bless him. He was listed as part of the 2019 50 (fifty) young CEOs, by YCEO and Avance media. The list which was launched earlier in 2018, was set out to honour distinguished young individuals pursuing the course of providing solutions to some of Ghana’s pertinent problems. In 2020, GRAMMY, handed a plaque to Stonebwoy in acknowledgement of his role as a featured performer on Grammy award-nominated single “AVRAKEDABRA” by Morgan Heritage. In 2021, 3 albums on which Stonebwoy featured were nominated for the 2022 Grammy Awards. In 2022, Vodafone Ghana recognised him for using his creativity and music to promote awareness of environmental and sustainability issues. His song “Greedy Men” received an award and a cash reward of GHS 10,000. 

Philanthropy Stonebwoy established the ‘Livingstone Foundation’. In January 2017 the foundation announced a sponsorship package for five students of the Tema Methodist Day Senior High School, his alma mater. As part of celebrations for Stonebwoy’s 30th birthday, the foundation donated a sum of GH¢5,000 to the accident ward of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital in March 2018. Stonebwoy has also opened the official BHIM merch shop in Ashaiman. Proceeds from the shop are used to fund activities of the Livingstone Foundation. In 2020, the Livingstone Foundation in collaboration with the BHIM Merchandise Shop gave out free sanitisers as part of efforts to combat the coronavirus spread in Ghana. Stonebwoy also donated sanitisers and other items to the Police Department in Ashaiman to aid them in discharging their duties during the coronavirus pandemic in Ghana. In 2022, the Livingstone Foundation together with Duffour Foundation renovated a basic school that serves four towns close to Stonebwoy’s hometown.

 Endorsements Stonebwoy has recently been named the Brand Ambassador for ‘Big Boss’, a new energy drink. In September 2020, Stonebwoy was named Tecno Mobile brand ambassador and unveiled the Camon 16 Series in October 2020.

 World tours and notable performances Stonebwoy kicked off his world tour in the Eurozone in August 2014. He performed in Germany, Italy, Spain and Austria. His 2016 Canada-America tour saw him perform in New York City, Ohio, Philadelphia and Ontario. In the same year, he rocked Perth, Melbourne, Brisbane and Sidney all in Australia. His second Euro tour saw him travel to the Nordic to thrill fans in Denmark, Finland and Sweden in the last quarter of 2017. Stonebwoy performed at Reggae Sumfest, the Afro nation festival in Portugal, the Rotterdam reggae festival, and Uppsala Reggae Festival. Rototom Sunsplash. Stonebwoy performed at the Global Citizen Festival held at the Black Star Square in Accra on 24 September 2022. Stonebwoy was one of the headliners for the festival which was aimed at advocating for the end of extreme poverty in Africa and performed alongside the likes of Usher, SZA, Sarkodie etc. He was adjudged as one of the best performers on the show by patrons and critics alike.

Controversy On the eve of 18 May 2019, during the 20th edition of Vodafone Ghana Music Awards, a brawl erupted between the followers of Stonebwoy and his music rival Shatta Wale and his fans, which lead to Stonebwoy pulling out a gun on stage. They were both arrested and detained the following day. They both appeared in court where they pleaded not guilty to both their respective charges after which they were granted bail of GH¢50,000 each. They were stripped of the awards they picked up that night and were indefinitely banned from the program by Charterhouse, the organizers. They made peace by the 30th day of the very same month. His ban from the Awards Show was lifted in the 2022 edition of the show. During an interview on Asaase Radio in July 2023, Stonebwoy confessed his willingness to collaborate with Shatta Wale should it present itself in the nearest future. He said this when cementing the fact that the issues leading to their ban from the VGMA had been resolved. 

Studio albums 1)Grade #1 (2012) 2)Necessary Evil (2014) 3)Epistles of Mama (2017) 4)Anloga Junction (2020) 5)5th Dimension (2023)