A lawyer for Ground Up Chale, the former management company of musician Kwesi Arthur, has disputed the artiste’s claims that he earned no income from his music during his time with the label.
Counsel for the company, Jonathan K. Amable, described the allegations as false, insisting that Kwesi Arthur received substantial royalties while under Ground Up Chale’s management. In support of his position, the lawyer cited email correspondence which he said detailed payments made to the artiste.
“In that email Glen details payments that had been made to Kwesi which he never disputed. It says ‘to date, you have benefited from £91,370 in royalty disbursements,” he said.
Mr Amable further claimed that the artiste received $118,712 from music distribution company Platoon for his Son of Jacob album without remitting Ground Up Chale’s share.
He also rejected assertions that the company barred Kwesi Arthur from using his images, explaining that restrictions applied only to specific footage produced by Ground Up Chale during their working relationship.
“Everything that was created within that period was owned by Ground Up,” he noted.
The lawyer added that Kwesi Arthur signed a four-year contract with the company in 2017, which was later renewed for an additional two years.
Kwesi Arthur had earlier accused music executive Glen Boateng and members of the Ground Up Chale team of intimidation, financial demands and attempts to block his independent music releases in a social media post that generated widespread reaction within the entertainment industry.
In the post, the award-winning artiste alleged that he was being asked to pay $150,000 to use images of himself for a current project and raised concerns about his safety amid the dispute.
“If anything happens to me Glen Boateng and all team members of Ground Up Chale are responsible and should be held responsible,” he wrote.
“I am currently being asked to pay $150,000 for using images of myself for this current project. Ground Up claims to own me, my image, my music and everything attached to it from 2016 to this day.”
Despite stating that he has not worked with the company since the release of Son of Jacob, Kwesi Arthur claimed he had earned nothing from music released during his time with the label and alleged ongoing threats and manipulation.
“Although I have not worked or had any affiliation to the company since Son of Jacob, I have not made a dime from any of my music within the period I worked with them for years now and receive constant threats and manipulation from Glen who is living off of my money and hard work,” he stated.
He also warned fans that any takedown of his current independent project should be blamed on his former manager.
“If for whatever reason this project that I am trying to give to my fans independently gets taken down, know Glen is responsible,” he wrote. “He is working constantly around the clock for me to never put out music again.”
Kwesi Arthur said he had remained silent for a long time despite the personal impact of the dispute but decided to speak publicly for safety reasons.
“I’ve tried to not say anything for a long time though this has affected my wellbeing and mental health greatly but for the safety of myself and my family I choose to publicly share.”
Kwesi Arthur is yet to respond to the claims made by Ground Up Chale through its lawyer.