Ghanaian dancehall singer stabbed to death

11 Feb 2021 - 11:13

Ghanaian police are investigating the death of 28-year-old dancehall artist Emmanuel ‘Unruly Grank’ Aikins after he was allegedly stabbed by singer Bright ‘Shadow’ Ellis in Cape Coast on Sunday. The incident followed an altercation on social media.

Emmanuel ‘Unruly Grank’ Aikins.

Central Regional Police deputy public relations officer Sgt Evans Entie confirmed the incident to local media, disclosing that Aikins was pronounced dead on arrival at Cape Coast Metropolitan Hospital.

People with knowledge of the incident, including Accra-based Kasapa FM’s Yaw Boagyan, say that the incident occurred at Victoria Park about 3pm, when both artists and their fans clashed during a debate about who is a better dancehall artist.

Ellis allegedly snatched a cutlass that Aikins had brandished during the altercation and stabbed him in the neck. Ellis, who sustained an injury to his left hand, made a report against the deceased at a police station and was issued with a medical report. He was later arrested at Cape Coast Metropolitan Hospital, where he was receiving treatment.

“We are so sad to have lost our superstar,” Aikins’ record label, Highness Music, posted on the artist’s Facebook page. “We extend sincere condolences to the family. We all loved and will always love Unruly Grank.” The label also revealed that it would publish unreleased projects Aikins was working on to mark his birthday on 5 April.

Meanwhile, Hunta Productions artist Kaphun, who is rumoured to be involved in Aikins’ death, has denied any involvement in the crime.

“The alleged incident was not between Kaphun and the said victim as is being speculated on various platforms,” Kaphun’s management said in a statement. “Kaphun, since being signed to the label, has relocated from Cape Coast to Accra permanently. We state emphatically also that the individual alleged to have been involved in the action was not employed by Kaphun.”

This is not the first time dancehall artists in Ghana have been cited for violence. At the 2019 Vodafone Ghana Music Awards (VGMAs), high-profile dancehall acts Stonebwoy and Shatta Wale were involved in an onstage scuffle that resulted in Stonebwoy pulling out a firearm. The VGMAs suspended the feuding pair and stripped them of the awards they had won on the night. Last week, however, Charterhouse Ghana’s head of public events and communications, Robert Klah, confirmed that the VGMAs board had decided to lift the ban on the singers ahead of this year’s awards.