Shasha Marley
Julius Amua-Sekyi, popularly known as Shasha Marley is a Roots African Reggae artiste from Ghana. He is noted for songs such as 'Twin City Mafia', I'm not Ashamed of the Gospel, ‘Maata Family’ among others.[1]
Early life
Shasha Marley was born in Sekondi-Takoradi in the Western Region of Ghana to a father who was a retired educationist and a choirmaster. Between 1979 and 1983, he was a student at St. John's Secondary School in Sekondi where he played with the school's band known as Mathew Chapter 5. Right after Secondary school, he went mainstream and then on went ahead to release several albums.[2]
Career
During his early days, Shasha Marley speaks of Bob Marley, Burning Spear, Steel Pulse and Jimmy Cliff as his major influences. He released his debut single,
'Tell Freedom' which became a major hit in Ghana and beyond.Since then he has gone on to release several other songs[3]
Personal life
Shasha Marley is married with three kids.[4]
Controversy over Maata Family
Though Shasha Marley was already famous in his home country and abroad, the one song that arguably gave him the most exposure particularly in Ghana was Maata Family. The song, which was released in 2007 had words that suggested flatulence in the Ghanaian parlance. For instance, the tittle Maata, in the Akan dialect means flatulence and people dragged him for using such words in his song. Also, the usage of Maata Tui, Maata Pue and Mataa Fish somewhat gave credence to the meaning of the song. But Shasha Marley has since refuted the claim and explained that the meaning of the song had nothing to do with flatulence, but rather the names of his pals in Papua New Guinea i.e. Maata Tuitui, Maata Pue and Maata Fish.[5]
Discography
Shasha Marley released about eleven songs in 2007. This includes Twin City Mafia, I'm not ashamed of the gospel, Maata Family, So Nyame Mo, Buum Buum-Waa Waa, Shame Politicians, Promise Land, I see no wrong with Jesus, Queen of Queens, Evil Spirits walk Away, Eagerness, Shasha's creed, Will you be my friend and Lost and Found. In 2001, he released Gloria Akuffo and Enemies are not Jah and went ahead to release tribute to Burning Spear in 2022.[6]
Awards and Nominations
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | GHANA MUSIC AWARDS (MAATA) | Best Male Vocal Performance and Best Reggae Song of the Year | Won |
| 2010 | KORA All Africa Music Awards | Best African Reggae Artiste of The Year | Won |
References
- ^ Allman, Kate R. (2016), ""I'm Not Ashamed of Who I Am"", Immigration and Education in North Carolina, Rotterdam: SensePublishers, pp. 81–102, ISBN 978-94-6300-809-9, retrieved 2022-09-20
- ^ Mireri, Julian (2021-01-15). "Shasha Marley biography: real name, family, songs, facts". Yen.com.gh - Ghana news. Retrieved 2022-09-20.
- ^ "Shasha Marley, Biography". www.ghanaweb.com. Retrieved 2022-09-20.
- ^ "TB Joshua helped me to get married - Shasha Marley". Ghana Weekend. 2021-07-12. Retrieved 2022-09-21.
- ^ Jimbah, Ibrahim (2022-09-19). "Maata gave me all the awards and all the troubles – Shasha Marley". Obaatanpa Radio Online. Retrieved 2022-09-21.
- ^ "Shasha Marley". Top50songs.org. Retrieved 2022-09-21.