Ghanaian hip-hop artist Mzbel is angry about the negative effects negative media criticism has had on her career.
During an interview on JoyPrime, she expressed that due to the extensive media coverage of the scandal, she has faced challenges in maintaining partnerships and opportunities with companies. Mzbel mentioned that securing collaborations with businesses and organizations has become a daunting task, especially when they prefer not to be associated with someone perceived as controversial due to negative media attention.
She further emphasized that this situation has had a detrimental impact on her business ventures, as most brands are hesitant to align themselves with individuals who are frequently in the spotlight for negative reasons. Whenever she trends in the media, it tends to revolve around negative events, which has had a significant adverse effect on her. Additionally, she pointed out that instead of the media providing support during difficult times, they often portrayed her as deserving of the challenges she faced.
Mzbel recounted a past incident in which she was assaulted by students during a performance at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in 2005. Media coverage of this incident, rather than showing empathy, focused on blaming her for the event and critiquing her attire. This unfavorable portrayal played a pivotal role in her missing out on potential contracts with interested businesses.
While Mzbel acknowledges the media’s role in covering scandals involving celebrities, she expressed a desire for such publicity to be more controlled. This would enable artists like her to engage in lucrative commercial agreements without fear of negative consequences.
