Reggae/Dancehall star Jupitar has said he is a victim of bias and tribalism in the media and music industries in Ghana, which has greatly hampered his mass appeal.

He spoke to Nana Romeo on Okay FM.

He asserted his importance in showbiz, and how he was actively lifting the flag of Ghana high, beating competition from African giants abroad.

“If you consider me to be an up and coming artiste, then you’ve failed in the first place. I may be modest but I’ve been in this game for a very long time. I have a say in this game because I play a major role in it,” the Enemies hitmaker noted.

“One of the factors [against me] is favouritism, and maybe your background, as in where you’re from. Ethnicity does play a major role in it.”

He said on numerous interviews, he had been plainly told if an artiste was not a favourite, they would not be promoted.

He remembered Hitz FM once debating him on this matter, and noted he had been vindicated recently when Manye Fi was advised on the same station to ditch the language of her Ga people in favour of Akan/Twi.

Jupitar underlined he had performed for various festivals and “big platforms” internationally but had not publicised them in Ghana because he felt “not appreciated back home”.  

“When you come back home, you don’t feel accepted, or acknowledged enough, so majority of the wins, I win them in silence.”

He cited he was “the only Ghanaian that’s actually won an urban music award over Davido and Wizkid, while they were present – in UK,” to explain.

The multiple award-winning singer decried the media not highlighting these achievements because their attention is on “who they are cool with”.

He was asked if he had stepped on some toes in the industry and been blackballed as a result.

“Maybe I have unknowingly been with someone’s woman. I don’t know,” he lightheartedly responded.

Nickname ‘General’

He revealed the origin of his nickname General.

“The fans gave me the name General. They could clearly see I was the right guy. I heard them call me General incessantly, and so I added it to the Jupitar,” he said.

Patois

Jupitar declared he was unmatched locally in terms of speaking Patois from Jamaica.

“Jupitar is the one and only authentic Dancehall artiste here in Ghana, without any doubt. When it comes to clarity, originality, and being very fluent in Patois,” he said. 

He gave a demonstration by apologising for showing up late for the interview, owing to an unusual traffic jam resulting from an accident.

He explained how he mastered Patois.

“One thing with studying a language is you have to give it your all. It has to be divine too, in such a way [typified] in how a child masters a language by talking to their parent. I learned it as a child learning a new language. I was wholly dedicated to it, soul, body, and my all,” he said.

He recounted watching Jamaican movies, and consuming music from the island, too, in an effort to “advancing learning the dialect perfectly”.

The Ghanaian music star said in his interractions with Jamaicans, they find it had to believe he was not from the island due to the quality of his Patois.