Ghanaian musician and performer Patapaa has said that when he travels outside of Ghana, he works as a car washer since it pays better than being a music celebrity in his own country.
On Thursday, July 20, 2023, the musician made a special appearance on the Ayekoo Ayekoo broadcast on Accra 100.5 FM.
The host, Nana Romeo, spread the myth that when Patapaa travels abroad, he works menial jobs like washing cars.
Patapaa’s response was, “Let them send you a video to verify,” and he said this as he reacted.
He claims that his manager complains about how much he sleeps, but his response is always the same: “I rise only to go play a programme.”
As he sat back down, he made his case as follows: “Excuse me, but an artiste who is a star [in Ghana] and throws their weight around does not earn as much or have the same opportunities as a car wash worker in the United States.”
He went on to say that persons who wash cars “in America, the UK, or Germany” had it better “both in terms of money and life in general compared to an artiste in Ghana.”
“When we Ghanaians get famous, we become pretentious and we lose all respect. He lamented that “when we see other people, we think we’re bigger than they are,” and he challenged people to “travel and see.”
According to him, it is common to find local artists in other countries who “have better jobs” and are disinterested in pursuing a career in music.
“They even get upset when you mention music because the money they would make in seconds is more than a week, two weeks, or a month’s worth of an artiste’s work here in Ghana,” he stated. “The money they would make in seconds is more than a week, two weeks, or a month’s worth of an artiste’s work here in Ghana.”
According to records, Patapaa became well-known not only in his home country but also in other parts of the world due to the success of his song “One Corner” and the Scopatomana catchphrase.