Award-winning gospel musician Perez Musik has praised Shatta Wale for his creative use of artificial intelligence (AI) on his latest African King album, describing the dancehall star as “smart” and always ahead of the curve.

Speaking on Daybreak Hitz, Perez Musik dismissed suggestions that AI should be used to create an entire album, insisting that the technology should serve as a tool rather than replace an artist’s creativity.

According to him, AI has been part of the music production process for some time, but the key lies in how artists use it.

Perez revealed that he listened to Shatta Wale’s African King album out of professional curiosity and was impressed by the way the musician incorporated AI into one of the songs.

“I listen to a wide range of music because I’m an artist. When I saw the album, I wanted to see what it was about. There was one of the songs where he used AI, and it was beautiful,” he said.

He explained that he first noticed the breakdown of the song on Headless YouTuber’s platform, where the use of AI in the production was analyzed. After listening closely, Perez concluded that Shatta Wale had found a creative balance between technology and originality.

“Shatta is smart. He’s always ahead. The way he has incorporated AI into his music is amazing. He’s not using it 100 percent. His personality is still there—you can literally feel it. He only uses it when it’s necessary, and I think that was so creative,” Perez Musik stated.

President of the Foundation of Concerned Arts Professionals (FOCAP), Kojo Preko Dankwa has maintained that although he believes the National Democratic Congress (NDC) government has performed poorly in the creative arts sector after 18 months in office, he remains optimistic that the industry can still experience positive change before the end of the government’s four-year mandate.

Speaking on Peace FM’s Entertainment Review, hosted by Ola Michael, Kojo Preko Dankwah and filmmaker Socrate Safo shared differing opinions on the government’s performance in the creative industry since assuming office.

Kojo Preko Dankwah argued that the NDC government has failed woefully in addressing the concerns of stakeholders in the creative arts sector over the past 18 months. However, Socrate Safo disagreed, insisting that 18 months is too short a period to fairly judge the government’s overall performance, adding that the administration should be given more time to implement its plans.

During the discussion, host Ola Michael asked Kojo Preko Dankwah whether he still saw “light at the end of the tunnel” despite his criticism of the government’s performance.

Responding to the question, Kojo Preko Dankwah said he remained hopeful.

“Yes, there is. The reason I’m saying there is hope is because the government hasn’t exhausted its mandate. It hasn’t been just a few months or only a year; it still has a four-year mandate. I believe there is hope for us.”

He stressed that constructive criticism is necessary if improvements are to be made within the sector.

“The reason there is hope is because if we continue to talk about these issues, there will be a way to straighten things out,” he stated.

Kojo Preko Dankwah further noted that his criticism was not intended to suggest that the government had failed across all sectors. He acknowledged that some ministries have delivered commendable performances within the same period, demonstrating that progress is possible when the right measures are implemented.

According to him, the creative arts sector deserves the same level of attention and commitment being witnessed in some other sectors of government.

President of the Foundation of Concerned Arts Professionals (FOCAP), Kojo Preko Dankwa, has criticised the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, saying the government has little to show for its first 18 months in office despite making several promises to the creative arts sector.

Speaking in an interview on Peace FM’s entertainment Review hosted by Ola Michael, Kojo Preko Dankwa questioned the progress made on key infrastructure projects promised in the National Democratic Congress (NDC) manifesto, particularly the construction and rehabilitation of theatres and cultural centres.

According to him, one of the major concerns is the lack of updates on theatre projects that were already underway before the previous government left office.

“What is even the update on the theatres the previous government was working on before it left office? The theatres have gathered dust. Nobody has told us anything. There has been no communication on what is happening,” he said.

He noted that although the current government’s manifesto promised to construct new theatres and rehabilitate existing ones, there has been no visible evidence that those commitments are being implemented.

Kojo Preko pointed specifically to the proposed theatre for the Ashanti Region, saying there has been no indication of where it will be built or when work will begin.

“Their own manifesto talked about building new theatres and rehabilitating existing national cultural centres. After one and a half years, there is nowhere showing where the Ashanti Region theatre will be built. What are we waiting for?” he asked.

The FOCAP President also criticised what he described as the government’s reliance on committees without producing tangible results.

According to him, several committees have been established since the administration assumed office, yet the industry has seen very little action.

“Too many committees have been set up. Some of the committees even conflict with each other, but we don’t see anything happening. I see that as a problem.”

He appealed to the ministry to become more proactive in addressing the challenges facing Ghana’s creative industry.

“We are pleading with them to be on their toes. We already know the problems. Solve them for us. Gather the stakeholders, bring everyone together and deal with the issues.”

Despite his criticisms, Kojo Preko commended the Minister’s decision to establish the Black Star Experience Secretariat, describing it as a strategic initiative.

He explained that the office was expected to coordinate the implementation of the government’s creative arts and tourism agenda as outlined in the NDC manifesto.

“The Black Star Experience was strategic because it was supposed to coordinate everything that was promised in the manifesto.”

However, he questioned whether the secretariat was effectively carrying out that responsibility.

“If that office is really coordinating what they said they would do, then we should be seeing visible results. If they are not coordinating, then there is a problem.”

Kojo Preko further expressed disappointment over what he described as the ministry’s limited engagement with industry stakeholders.

According to him, since the government assumed office about 18 months ago, there has not been a comprehensive stakeholders’ meeting or a press conference to brief the creative arts community on ongoing projects, future plans or implementation timelines.

“There have been no stakeholders’ meetings. For one and a half years, there hasn’t been any press conference to tell us what lies ahead. If we have all these problems and we don’t work on them, then it is bad.”