My ‘Atia’ hit song was not a mockery of northerners – A. B Crenstil clarifies with new details

Despite being beaten to pulp at the Catering Rest House in Bolgatanga over one of his controversial hit songs ‘Atia’, legendary Ghanaian musician Alfred Benjamin known widely A.B. Crentsil has revealed that the track was not meant to mock northerners.

He disclosed that he enjoyed good patronage from the Northern Region of Ghana and therefore would have the last thought to make a song that sought to denigrate them.

Speaking on the Best Entertainment Show on Accra-based Okay FM monitored by MyNewsGh.com, he told host Halifax Ansah-Addo that it was meant to educate residents on the dangers of alcoholism and the need for hard work.

This he added, was however misconstrued to mean northerners were alcoholics for which reason he and his band were beaten and musical instruments destroyed in the process after he was told in the face he would be beaten whether he performed that track or not.

“We used to visit Bolga for shows and we used to play at Catering Rest House. I am used to Northerners and their lifestyle. The song was actually not meant to mock at them but to educate on the dangers of alcoholism and the need for the youth, in particular, to engage in hard work”.

Recounting the circumstances under which they were attacked “You know that the songs of A.B Crentsil songs are always characterized by controversies. We went for a performance in Bolgatanga at the time I had just released the “Atia” song and there was a misunderstanding here and there. When we got to the venue we set up and were ready for the show and took a rest waiting for the time to begin. It was a time we attached a concert group to the band so we could enter the rural areas. The place was packed to capacity and we performed different types of music including highlife, Funky and Raggae. It was during highlife I was expected to mount the stage.

When it got to my turn I performed several tracks and made them understand that I would be done with my performance and the concert group will take over. A young man mounted the stage and demanded to know why I wanted to end my performance because I had not performed ‘Atia’. Unknown to me they wanted to perform ‘Atia’ so they could beat me but when I tried to convince them, they disagreed. He told me in the face that whether I play Atia or not beatings await me.

Looking at the scene, there was no escape route so I passed by the wall as though I was going to urinate and jumped over to escaped beatings”.