Music company Ground Up Chale and its founder, Glen Boateng, have filed a libel suit against Ghanaian musician Kwesi Arthur at the High Court in Accra, seeking damages exceeding GH¢10 million over alleged defamatory statements made on social media.
According to a writ of summons filed on January 27, 2026, the plaintiffs are asking the court to declare several statements made by the rapper in a January 21 post as defamatory and libellous. They are also seeking the removal of the posts, a permanent injunction restraining further defamatory comments, and a public apology and retraction with the same prominence as the original publications.
The damages being sought include GH¢5 million in general damages, GH¢2 million in special damages for alleged economic loss, GH¢3 million in aggravated and exemplary damages, as well as legal costs.
The suit centres on claims by Kwesi Arthur that he was asked to pay US$150,000 to use images of himself, that Ground Up Chale owns his image and music, and that he earned no income from his work with the label. He also alleged threats and warned that the company would be responsible if anything happened to him.
Ground Up Chale has denied the allegations. Its lawyer, Jonathan K. Amable, said the dispute relates to contractual rights over content produced during the artist’s time with the label and cited records showing royalty and distribution payments made to Kwesi Arthur.
The social media claims sparked widespread debate about artist rights and contract fairness in Ghana’s music industry. As of publication, Kwesi Arthur had not publicly responded to the lawsuit.