Ground Up Chale sues Kwesi Arthur , seeks over GH¢10m in damages
The plaintiffs are asking the court to declare portions of Kwesi Arthur’s post defamatory, order their removal, restrain any further publication of similar statements, and compel a public retraction and apology presented with the same visibility as the original posts.
Accra-based music company Ground Up Chale and its founder Glen Boateng have taken Ghanaian rapper Kwesi Arthur to the High Court, accusing him of libel over claims made in a recent social media post.
The plaintiffs are asking the court to declare portions of Kwesi Arthur’s post defamatory, order their removal, restrain any further publication of similar statements, and compel a public retraction and apology presented with the same visibility as the original posts.
In addition to the declarations and takedown orders, the suit seeks financial compensation totalling more than GH¢10 million, broken down as:
GH¢5,000,000 in general damages
GH¢2,000,000 in special damages for alleged economic loss and missed business opportunities
GH¢3,000,000 in aggravated and exemplary damages
plus legal costs
The company is also asking for an injunction to stop the rapper — and anyone acting for him — from repeating or circulating the statements.
The dispute stems from comments attributed to Kwesi Arthur in a post dated 21 January 2026. Among the claims referenced in the writ are allegations that:
he was being asked to pay $150,000 to use images of himself in an independent project
Ground Up Chale “claims to own” him, his image and music “from 2016 to this day”
he had “not made a dime” from his music while working with the label
the label’s management used threats, manipulation and tried to block his current releases
and, most controversially, that if anything happened to him, Glen Boateng and the Ground Up Chale team should be held responsible
The rapper’s claims sparked significant online discussion about artist rights and contract terms in Ghana’s music industry. Supporters rallied around him, including through hashtags such as #FreeKwesiArthur.
Ground Up Chale’s suit argues that the posts damaged reputations and business interests, and it wants the rapper to permanently delete the Instagram and X posts of 21 January 2026, along with any related content.
The company’s lawyer, Jonathan K. Amable, has publicly disputed core elements of Kwesi Arthur’s allegations.
Kwesi Arthur rose to national prominence after signing with Ground Up Chale in 2017, becoming one of the key voices in Ghana’s modern hip-hop wave with tracks such as Grind Day and Winning.
