• Stonebwoy has criticised people who call him a “cripple”, saying such critics are “not in the right frame of mind”.

• He opened up about his accident, years of living with a damaged knee and his journey to becoming an award-winning artiste.

• He made the comments on the BBC’s This Is Africa ahead of his BHIM Festival headline show at OVO Arena Wembley on August 15, 2026.

Stonebwoy made the comments during an appearance on the BBC’s This Is Africa, where he opened up about the accident that changed his life, his long-term physical challenges and his journey to becoming one of Africa’s leading dancehall artistes.

The musician, born Livingstone Etse Satekla, said he was involved in an accident while travelling from Ashaiman to Accra at a time when he was preparing to travel to the United States.

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“I think I was about to leave for the States, you know, and that shattered everything,” he said.

Stonebwoy said the accident left him hospitalised for several months and caused significant damage to his knee.

“I was in the hospital for like, give and take, four months straight and then come back in and out. And I had to live with a stiff knee,” he recalled.

He said he lived with the damaged knee for about 13 years before undergoing surgery in Germany in 2016, where he received an artificial prosthesis and a total knee replacement.

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Despite his condition, Stonebwoy said he refused to abandon his education or his ambitions in music. He recalled attending senior high school on crutches while simultaneously beginning his journey on radio.

“I was on my crutches in senior high school when I got the opportunity through a friend to start going on radio to do the, you know, battling with all the people, and I took it still,” he said.

Reflecting on the insults he has faced throughout his career, Stonebwoy said some of his opponents have repeatedly referred to him as a “cripple”.

“Opponents have called me cripple every day. They do, and it doesn’t get to me,” he said.

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“But for anybody to be able to use that against you, then that means that they’re actually not in the right frame of mind. They don’t know better.”

Stonebwoy said his experiences have strengthened his resilience and helped shape his approach to life and music.

“I mean, I won a BET with a stiff knee,” he said, highlighting his achievements despite the physical challenges he has faced.

He described his journey as part of his purpose and said his struggles have contributed to the artiste he has become.

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“I am a stone for real to be able to become one of the biggest artists from the continent of Africa, spearheading Afro-dancehall, be a young pioneer through all the tribulations,” he said.

Stonebwoy also encouraged people going through difficult experiences to see their struggles as potential sources of strength and inspiration.

“Remember that your tribulation that you go through is actually supposed to shape you into the inspiration that the world needs,” he said.

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The BBC interview comes ahead of Stonebwoy’s BHIM Festival in London on Saturday, August 15, 2026. The event at the OVO Arena Wembley marks his first headline performance at the venue and is being positioned as a major milestone for Ghanaian music.