Music company Ground Up Chale and its founder, Glen Boateng, have filed a writ of summons at the High Court in Accra against Ghanaian musician Kwesi Arthur, accusing him of libel and seeking more than GH¢10 million in damages over statements he made in a social media post about a week ago.
According to the writ of summons filed on 27 January 2026 (made available to myjoyonline.com), the plaintiffs are asking the court to:
Declare five specific statements made by Kwesi Arthur on 21 January 2026 as defamatory and libelous
Order the immediate and permanent deletion of the Instagram and X posts from that date and all related content
Grant an injunction restraining Kwesi Arthur and his agents from making or circulating further defamatory comments
Require a public apology and retraction published with the same prominence as the original posts
The suit also seeks:
General damages – GH¢5,000,000
Special damages (for economic harm and lost business opportunities) – GH¢2,000,000
Aggravated and exemplary damages – GH¢3,000,000
Legal costs
At the centre of the dispute are five key statements from Kwesi Arthur’s post, including:
Claims that he was being asked to pay USD 150,000 to use images of himself for an independent project
Allegations that Ground Up Chale “claims to own me, my image, my music and everything attached to it from 2016 to this day”
Assertions that he “had not made a dime from any of my music” while working with the label
Accusations of threats, manipulation, and attempts to block his current music releasesA warning: “If anything happens to me, Glen Boateng and all team members of Ground Up Chale are responsible and should be held responsible”
Kwesi Arthur’s post triggered widespread reaction across social media and from industry observers, with supporters rallying behind him using hashtags such as #FreeKwesiArthur. Many raised concerns about artist rights, exploitative contracts, and power imbalances in Ghana’s music industry.
Ground Up Chale’s lawyer, Jonathan K. Amable, has publicly rejected key aspects of Kwesi Arthur’s claims. During a Joy FM X Spaces discussion on 22 January 2026, he stated:
The company does not claim ownership of Kwesi’s image or name broadly, but only holds copyright over commissioned content (videos, images) created during their contractual relationship
Email correspondence shows Kwesi received £91,370 in royalty disbursements (undisputed at the time)
Kwesi received $118,712 from Platoon for the Son of Jacob album without sharing the proceeds with the label
Mr Amable explained that the contract, signed in 2017 for four years and renewed for an additional two years, included terms under which the label owned material created during that period.
Kwesi Arthur rose to national fame under the Ground Up Chale collective after signing in 2017. His music has significantly influenced Ghana’s hip-hop scene through hits such as Grind Day and Winning. He claims no affiliation with the label since the release of Son of Jacob in 2022.
As of publication, Kwesi Arthur has not publicly responded to the legal action. The case is expected to draw significant attention within Ghana’s music industry as it unfolds in court.
