28th April, 2024
By Taiwo Okanlawon
Ghanaian dancehall artiste Shatta Wale, has opened up about a deeply personal aspect of his life, the trauma he experienced due to his parents’ separation.
In a candid online post, Shatta Wale revealed how his parents’ split impacted him emotionally and mentally.
According to the rapper, witnessing the dissolution of his parents’ marriage at a young age left a lasting mark on him, causing significant trauma that he carried into his adult life.
He reflected on the challenges he faced growing up in a broken home, highlighting the emotional turmoil and instability it brought into his life.
The ‘Already’ crooner emphasized how the absence of a stable family environment affected his sense of security and identity during his formative years.
Shatta Wale shared how he struggled to cope with the emotional fallout of his parent’s separation, often feeling lost and vulnerable as a result. He revealed that the experience left him with deep-seated emotional scars that impacted his relationships and personal well-being.
He recalled being consistently branded as a disrespectful son whenever he voiced concerns about his parents’ behavior. This, he explained, led him to leave home in search of peace, ultimately leaving him homeless for a period.
“Growing up, I lived with my parents for a while but they did not help me. They made a mistake and broke up. They created a broken home; our home was broken and it affected me so much. Our broken home affected me. Anytime I talked or complained about this, they labeled me disrespectful. So, I left them. I left the house. I run from my parents.
“You know what my parents put me through? Because of them, I slept on the streets, I slept in front of stores. Those days, it was the prostitutes at Nkrumah Circle who were watching over me. I slept at filling stations at Circle including the one that got burnt. I slept on the streets of Adabraka and so on,”
Shatta Wale revealed that as a result, he developed a coping mechanism of isolating himself from others. He explained that, much like his previous experience with his parents, he still doesn’t hesitate to distance himself from anyone who brings him trouble.
“As a result, I started running from stress, running from people who would stress me. That’s where I learned how to cut people off because I don’t want stress. I cut people off without thinking twice. I am the chief cutter. I have learned that in life, it is important to cut off anyone who wants to bring negativity into your life,”