A lawyer for music company Ground Up, Chale has disclosed that rapper Kwesi Arthur exited the label before the expiration of his contract, contradicting claims surrounding the circumstances of his departure.

According to Mr Jonathan K. Amable ESQ, Kwesi Arthur “walked away from Ground Up even though he had one more year, that is 2023,” remaining on a two-year agreement with the label. He stressed that the artist “definitely” left before the contract expired, explaining that Arthur exited in 2022, shortly after the release of Son of Jacob.

The lawyer revealed that after four years with Ground Up, Chale, a new contract was signed in 2021 between the rapper and the label. Under the earlier agreement, net profits—after expenses—were split 60 per cent to the label and 40 per cent to the artist. However, the renewed contract improved the artist’s share to an even 50/50 split.

Not long after Kwesi Arthur left the label, the lawyer said the rapper instructed U.S. legal counsel to write to Ground Up, Chale with a draft termination agreement. According to him, the proposed terms were not acceptable to the label as they were “skewed” in favour of the artist, particularly at a time when “a lot of the expenses had not been recouped.”

He said this prompted a review of the proposed termination terms, but discussions eventually stalled. “Nothing came of it after that,” he stated.

Since then, the lawyer explained, the dispute between Kwesi Arthur and Ground Up, Chale has centred on two key issues. The first is the artist’s assertion of ownership over Son of Jacob, despite the project being released under Ground Up, Chale with label support, as reflected on digital streaming platforms. The second concerns Kwesi Arthur’s continued use of images and video footage recorded during the period he was under contract with the label.

“As I’ve explained, everything that was created during that period is owned by Ground Up,” the lawyer emphasised.

He alleged that much of the footage used by Kwesi Arthur to promote his current project dates back to his early years with the label, particularly his rise in the industry. According to the lawyer, the material carries strong emotive value for fans and helped generate significant online buzz, which benefited the artist’s recent promotional efforts.

“These were all images he was using without authorisation,” he said, adding that the footage was allegedly monetised and incorporated into the album artwork for Arthur's much anticipated Redemption Valley without the label’s consent. He explained that Ground Up, Chale formally asked the artist to desist, but he refused, prompting further correspondence.

Defending the label’s conduct, the lawyer insisted all communications sent to Kwesi Arthur were professional and “measured”.

“There’s no violence, there’s no threat. There’s nothing as a claim to own the human being, or rights to claim rights over his entire image,” he said, describing such allegations as “odd.”

The revelations add further detail to the ongoing public dispute between Kwesi Arthur and Ground Up, Chale, which has reignited debate within Ghana’s music industry about contracts, ownership rights, and the balance of power between artists and record labels.

On Wednesday, January 21, 2026, a disturbing post by Kwesi Arthur on social media claimed his life and general wellbeing were under constant threat from Glen Boateng the founder of Ground Up, Chale. The rapper said Boateng was manipulating him, and demanding $150,000 from him for using "images of myself" for Redemption Valley, among other damning allegations.

| Kwesi Arthur/X (Pic):