- Ground Up Chale and founder Glen Boateng sue Kwesi Arthur for libel, seeking over GH₵10 million in damages
- The suit arises from social media posts alleging unpaid royalties and restrictive contracts
- Plaintiffs demand deletion of posts, injunction against further defamatory remarks, and a public apology
Music company Ground Up Chale and its founder, Glen Boateng, have filed a writ of summons at the High Court in Accra against Ghanaian musician Kwesi Arthur.
The rapper is accused of libel, and the plaintiffs are seeking over 10 million Ghana cedis in damages over comments he made in a social media post about a week ago.
According to the writ filed on 27 January 2026, made available to myjoyonline.com, Ground Up Chale and Glen Boateng are asking the court to: declare Kwesi Arthur’s statements defamatory and libelous, order the removal of the posts, restrain further defamatory comments, and mandate a public apology and retraction of the statements with equal prominence as the original posts.
The suit also seeks general damages of GH₵5,000,000, special damages of GH₵2,000,000 for economic loss and lost business opportunities, aggravated and exemplary damages of GH₵3,000,000, as well as legal costs.
At the heart of the dispute are five statements made by Kwesi Arthur in a 21 January 2026 post. In the posts, he claimed he was being asked to pay USD 150,000 for using images of himself in an independent project and alleged that Ground Up Chale “claims to own me, my image, my music, and everything attached to it from 2016 to this day.”
He also asserted that he “has not made a dime from any of my music” during his time with the label and accused management of threats, manipulation, and attempts to block the release of his current work. His post further warned: “If anything happens to me, Glen Boateng and all team members of Ground Up Chale are responsible and should be held responsible.”
The claims sparked widespread discussion on social media and among industry observers, who raised concerns about artist rights and contract fairness in Ghana’s music scene. Supporters rallied behind Kwesi Arthur under hashtags such as #FreeKwesiArthur.
The suit demands that Kwesi Arthur immediately and permanently delete his Instagram and X posts from 21 January 2026, along with any related content across his social media platforms. It also seeks an injunction preventing him and his associates from making further defamatory comments, and orders a vetted public apology to be published.
Ground Up Chale’s lawyer, Jonathan K. Amable, has publicly rejected key aspects of Kwesi Arthur’s claims. Speaking on a Joy FM X Spaces discussion, he said the label did not prevent the rapper from using his images broadly, but only restricted the use of footage and visuals produced by the company during their contractual relationship.
Mr. Amable also presented email records showing that Kwesi Arthur received royalties totaling £91,370, along with payments from distribution deals, countering his claim of earning nothing. He emphasized that the 2017 contract granted the label ownership of material created during that period.
He added that the dispute stems from contractual rights over past works and affirmed that Ground Up Chale is prepared to defend its interests in court.
Kwesi Arthur rose to national prominence under Ground Up Chale after being signed in 2017. His music has had a major influence on Ghana’s hip-hop scene, connecting with younger audiences through hits such as Grind Day and Winning.
As of publication, Kwesi Arthur had not responded to the legal action.
