Stonebwoy (Livingstone Etse Satekla): age, music career, children, philanthropy, controversy
The African music industry is now one of the biggest and most appreciated worldwide, thanks to the work of African musicians in different genres. The likes of Stonebwoy and Sarkodie are making the continent proud. Specifically, Stonebwoy's life has been amazing within and outside the Ghanaian entertainment industry.
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Source: Instagram
Like most artists, Stonebwoy always knew that he was destined for greatness in the creative business, but making it a reality was challenging at first. Nevertheless, the 34-year-old never shies away from putting in the work, and although he has been at it since high school, he continues to strive towards greater heights.
Profile summary
- Birth name: Livingstone Etse Satekla
- Nickname: 1GAD, StoneBwoy
- Date of birth: 5th of March, 1988
- Age: 34 years old (as of 2022)
- Profession: Musician, songwriter, actor, screenwriter, and philanthropist
- Birthplace/hometown: Ashaiman, Greater Accra Region, Accra, Ghana
- Nationality: Ghanaian
- Sexuality: Straight
- Current residence: Ghana
- Religion: Christian
- Ethnicity: African
- Zodiac sign: Pisces
- Height: 5 feet and 6 inches
- Weight: 65 kilograms
- Body build: Athletic
- Eye colour: Dark brown
- Hair colour: Black
- Siblings: 6
- Marital status: Married
- Spouse: Louisa Kwakye Ansong Satekla
- Children: Livingstone Janam Joachim and Catherine Jidula "CJ"
- Education: Tema Methodist Day Senior High and University of Professional Studies
- Degree: Bachelor's degree in Marketing
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Background information
The musician was born on the 5th of March, 1988, in Ashaiman, Greater Accra Region, Accra, Ghana, and christened Livingstone Etse Satekla. He is the 4th child out of seven children that his parents share.
The rapper, also known as 1GAD, attended the Tema Methodist Day Senior High before furthering his tertiary education. He earned a degree in Marketing from the University of Professional Studies in 2013.
Career
Livingstone knew that he was cut out for creative exploits from a tender age and embraced it. He started singing when he was four years old and began writing songs when he was just a Methodist Day Secondary School student.
Source: Instagram
Interestingly, he got his first hit single in 2012 before graduating from the university. The song, Climax, featured his mentor, Samini. Stonebwoy dropped another hot track within the same period; he featured musician Irene Logan on this track titled Ghetto Love.
As for Stonebwoy's albums, the rapper and actor released his first album in 2012. Below are some of these albums' titles, their year of release, and some of their songs.
Grade 1 album (2012)
He recorded this album, while under the record label of his musical role model, Samini. He dropped two singles from the 17-tracked album before releasing the entire body of work. He got his first Ghana Music Award nomination because of the numbers that these two tracks were doing at the time.
Necessary Evil (2014)
This 29-tracked album was released on the 23rd of November, 2014, and featured fellow Ghanaian musician and rapper Sarkodie. Some of the tracks on this album include Gbedegbede, Sneaky, Candy, Can't Cool, Pull Up remix, and Baafira.
Epistles of Mama (2017)
This album was written and recorded in honour of Stonebwoy's mother, Catherine Lucy Aku Ametepe Satekla. It was released on the 12th of December, 2017. It features top artists, including Burna Boy, Sean Paul, and King Promise.
Interestingly, the album reached 13 on the top 200 albums worldwide on Billboard Chart. In addition, Reggaeville rated Epistle of Mama (EOM) as the second-best album globally. It also hit the 10 million views on YouTube and got the honour that comes with it.
Anloga Junction (2020)
If you think that the rapper's 2017 album was dope, you will agree that his 2020 album, Anloga Junction, was even better. He released his fourth album by April 2020. Again, 1GAD featured top artists like Nasty C, Keri Hilson, Alicia Harley, Jahmiel, Kojo Antwi, Spanker, and Chivv.
Some of the producers who worked with him on the album include iPappi, Phantom, Riga, Streetbeatz, Mix Master Garzy, and M.O.G Beatz.
Stonebwoy's Everlasting single is one of the most exciting tracks on the album and became the anthem in Ghana during the festive period in 2020.
What are Stonebwoy's new songs?
Stonebwoy's songs talk about various subjects from love to real-life issues. Some of his recent songs in 2021 are:
- Ariba
- Yekambo
- Shitto
- Outside
- Nuked for (What's Up)
- Lights Down
One of the most trending songs is the Stonebwoy ft Davido in Activate single released in 2020. The mixture of Nigerian and Ghanaian lyrics in the song gives a vibe that will make you bob your head to the sound when you listen.
Personal life
Stonebwoy got married on the 16th of June, 2017. His wife is Louisa Kwakye Ansong Satekla; she comes from a family of doctors. There are about 17 doctors in the family, including Louisa. They were joined as husband and wife in Ghana's traditional and white wedding.
The union is blessed with Catherine Jidula and Livingstone Janam Joachim.
What language does Stonebwoy speak?
The Ghanaian artist speaks the Ewe language, which is native to the people of Ghana. He mixes his songs with this language and English. 1GAD is also versed in Patois, which is native to the Jamaicans.
Source: Instagram
But then, is Stonebwoy Jamaican? No, he is Ghanaian. However, Jamaican music legend Beenie Man once said that he always thought that Stonebwoy was a Jamaican because he speaks Patois fluently.
How many awards has Stonebwoy won?
Stonebwoy has won several awards since he came into the musical spotlight. He won the BET award in 2015 and an Artist of the Year award in the same year at the Ghana Music Awards. The musician also has at least two Billboard plagues to his name.
Philanthropic works
Stonebwoy is already a celebrated musician with a reasonable amount of wealth to his name. Still, he has not forgotten that people on the street need his help to break free from poverty and move up the ladder of success.
He founded a charity project known as the Livingstone Foundation and has sponsored about five pupils from his alma mater, Tema Methodist Day Senior High School.
1GAD also established a music label, Burniton Music, which he founded to assist upcoming musicians in getting a viable platform to greatness.
Controversy
Stonebwoy is not synonymous with scandals, but he has been in a couple of bad presses in the past. One of his greatest rivals is fellow Ghanaian musician Shatta Wale. Their respective fans started a fight at a concert where they were supposed to perform.
Stonebwoy pulled out a gun on stage during the fiasco, which led to his arrest the next day. He was also stripped of the awards he got at the previous night's event.
Stonebwoy is a Ghanaian who strived to become a star in the Ghanaian music industry. He believed in himself and trusted the process; now, he is getting the accolades that he deserves amongst fellow musicians on the continent and around the globe.
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