Ghanaian afro-dancehall artiste, Stonebwoy, has stated that African musicians don’t necessarily need major record labels to perform on global stages but rather they need the right investors.

In an interview on Asempa FM on July 16, 2025, the dancehall artiste addressed the common belief that Nigerian artistes dominate global platforms because they are signed to major international labels.

He disagreed to the assertion, arguing that the real driving force behind such success is investment, not necessarily label affiliation.

“Every time you just say that because this person is on a record label that is why they are achieving such feats. What is a record label? A record label is not necessarily an investor,” Stonebwoy explained.

He continued by breaking down the different kinds of deals artistes sign with record labels.

According to him, these agreements vary, and not all of them guarantee financial backing from the label.

“Recording labels have different forms of agreement. We have a licensing agreement and we have a 360 agreement, where the labels would say they are looking at everything from marketing to everything else. So, they are able to invest their money in you and everything is coming to them basically,” he said.

Stonebwoy also mentioned that most of the major record labels are based in the US and don’t necessarily focus on African artistes.

He believes Nigerian artistes, who are often seen leading the charge on global stages, work with independent investors who support their craft.

“The major labels, most of them are from the outside, America, and they are focused on artists not necessarily African artistes… These our Nigerian counterparts that do the big stuff, they do so many things for themselves, they have independent investors who actually support. It’s not a matter of having a big record label,” he added.