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.

The suit, filed on January 27, 2026, seeks damages exceeding GH₵10 million over statements the rapper allegedly made in a social media post about a week ago. The writ asks the court to declare the statements defamatory and libelous, order their removal, restrain further publication, and compel a public apology and retraction with the same prominence as the original posts.

The plaintiffs are seeking general damages of GH₵5 million, special damages of GH₵2 million for alleged economic losses and missed business opportunities, aggravated and exemplary damages of GH₵3 million, as well as legal costs.

At the heart of the dispute are five statements attributed to Kwesi Arthur in a post dated January 21, 2026. In the post, the musician claimed he had been asked to pay US$150,000 to use images of himself in an independent project and alleged that Ground Up Chale “claims to own me, my image, my music, and everything attached to it from 2016 to this day.”

He further stated that he had “not made a dime from any of my music” during his time with the label and accused its management of threats, manipulation, and attempts to block the release of his current work. The most serious allegation warned that if anything happened to him, Glen Boateng and members of the Ground Up Chale team should be held responsible.

The allegations sparked widespread reaction on social media and within the music industry, with commentators raising concerns about artist rights and contract fairness. Supporters of the rapper rallied online using hashtags such as #FreeKwesiArthur.

In its reliefs, Ground Up Chale is asking the court to order Kwesi Arthur to immediately and permanently delete the January 21 posts from Instagram, X, and all related content across his platforms. The suit also seeks an injunction to prevent further publication of the alleged defamatory statements and a vetted public apology.

Ground Up Chale’s lawyer, Jonathan K. Amable, has rejected key aspects of the musician’s claims. Speaking during a Joy FM X Spaces discussion, he said the company did not restrict Kwesi Arthur from using his image generally but only limited the use of footage and visuals produced by the label during their contractual relationship.

Mr. Amable also presented portions of email correspondence indicating that Kwesi Arthur received royalties amounting to £91,370, alongside payments from distribution deals, disputing the claim that the artist earned no income. He added that the 2017 contract granted the label ownership rights over materials created during that period.

According to the lawyer, the dispute centres on contractual rights over past works, and Ground Up Chale is prepared to defend its interests in court.

Kwesi Arthur rose to prominence after being signed by Ground Up Chale in 2017 and became a major force in Ghana’s hip-hop scene, with songs such as Grind Day and Winning resonating strongly with younger audiences.

As of publication, the musician had not publicly responded to the lawsuit.