CEO of Lynx Entertainment Richie Mensah has dismissed allegations suggesting his involvement in Guru’s exclusion from winning an award at the 2013 Vodafone Ghana Music Awards (VGMA).
Speaking in an interview on Hitz FM, Richie expressed disappointment over persistent accusations of bias against his label and addressed misconceptions about his role in the VGMA process.
Richie clarified his connection with the VGMA board, stating, “I’ve been on the board before, and that particular year, Lynx didn’t release any artiste—that was in 2013. In 2014, when we signed MzVee, I left the board.”
He explained that the misunderstanding began when he was asked to represent the VGMA PRO during an interview, a role he performed reluctantly but which led to unwarranted assumptions about his continued involvement.
“That’s when people started tagging me as a board member. I don’t know why people want to spread this narrative,” he added.
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Addressing Guru’s allegations, Richie admitted to being blindsided. “The first time I realised I had an issue with Guru was when I saw the interview. I never knew there was an issue. I also don’t have any issues with anyone,” he said.
Despite being aware of the industry’s competitiveness, Richie expressed frustration over repeated claims of favouritism, particularly those suggesting Lynx Entertainment’s success in award nominations is linked to his supposed influence.
“It’s painful. We work hard all year, and the industry talks about how hard my musicians work. My label consistently produces hit songs, yet when we get nominated, people say it’s because I’m on the board.
But I ask myself, do they want to say those songs weren’t hits?” Richie questioned, highlighting the credibility of Lynx Entertainment’s achievements.
Richie also revealed that his team has, on occasion, felt shortchanged by the awards board, contradicting claims of undue advantage.
“The funny thing is, we also feel cheated by the board. Ask Robert Klah; I sometimes call him to ask why some of our songs didn’t win awards, and he tells me to send my concerns via email. But we never hear anything back,” he noted.
He emphasized that the experience of being overlooked is not unique to any one artist or label.
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