Ghanaian reggae artiste and radio personality Blakk Rasta has revealed that he once sent back a large portion of the awards he had accumulated over his career, citing discomfort with voting systems that require payment.
He made the disclosure during a recent interview with Kafui Dey, explaining that the decision was rooted in principle and growing doubts about how certain award schemes operate.
Blakk Rasta said his turning point came after questioning the credibility of awards that depend on artistes and fans paying to influence outcomes, even after he had already earned major recognition, including “Best Reggae Song” at the Ghana Music Awards in 2002.
“This song won the best reggae song of the year at the Ghana Music Awards in 2002. I had to return all the plaques to the organisers. I sent all the awards I’ve ever received and they were about 40,” he said.
He stressed that the action was not limited to a single institution, but extended across multiple award bodies that had honoured him over the years.
According to him, the practice of campaigning for votes and spending money to secure recognition made him increasingly uneasy about keeping the plaques.
“All the awards that I had to vote for and pay money for, my spirit didn’t feel good carrying all these loads in my house. I said to them that thank you for honouring me, but I see that as dishonour because I had to pay via voting and convince my fans to pay for the awards,” he stated.
Blakk Rasta added that he formally communicated his stance to Charterhouse Ghana, organisers of the Ghana Music Awards, but says the organisation did not respond to his letter.
“I realised I was cheap, so I didn’t want them. I wrote a letter and sent it to Charterhouse, but they didn’t even have the courtesy to write back,” he shared.
Despite returning most of the awards, he noted that he kept a single honour received in London, which he said did not involve public voting or any form of payment.
“In all the awards, there was only one I received without people voting, which I got from London, so I kept that one,” he explained.
He maintained that his position has not changed and he now distances himself from any award scheme that requires paid voting, insisting it conflicts with his personal values.
“Then the awards started multiplying again. I’m not part of any awards programme that has to do with paying to vote,” Blakk Rasta observed.
