Ghanaian rapper Thorsten Owusu Gyimah, popularly known as Yaw Tog, has highlighted some drawbacks artistes face when they are signed to record labels.

Yaw Tog was discussing his life following his discision to become an independent artiste.

In an interview on 3Music on October 9, 2025, the rapper said signing up with a record label was great, but he was displeased with occasions where steps were taken without his consent.

A situation he described as one of the downsides of being signed to a record label.

“For me I like to be independent and I also like to go into deals, not 360 deals but partnership deals. It has been a great journey since I wanted to be an independent artiste.”

He continued, “I think being independent is calm but the pressure is too much. You have to have your team and control everybody to make sure everything is set. With labels, they run everything for you and sometimes, you don’t even get to know what they are doing and that’s the bad side of it,” he said.

Meanwhile, Ghanaian highlife star Kwabena Kwabena sparked debate over the existence of true record labels in Ghana.

Speaking on Joy FM’s Showbiz A-Z with Kwame Dadzie, the Adult Music hitmaker questioned the widely held belief that the Ghanaian music industry operates with established record labels.

When asked if he would accept to sign to a Ghanaian record label if the terms are favourable, he replied: “are there record labels in Ghana?"

“No, no, no. I am sorry there is no record label in Ghana,” he said.

Like Kwabena Kwabena, some people argue that many so-called record labels in the music industry are, in reality, just management and promotional firms.

He believes that while these entities offer label services, they do not function as traditional record labels in the true sense of the term.

On the other hand, some argue that the size of a record label does not define its legitimacy, as businesses worldwide vary in scale but often perform similar roles.

Several music companies in Ghana are commonly referred to as record labels, including RuffTown Records, Highly Spiritual Music, Lynx Entertainment, Black Avenue Musik, Mimlife Records, SarkCess Music, MicBurnerz Music, and Flip the Music, among others.

Ghanaian artist Mr. Drew also opened up about how working at Kaywa’s Highly Spiritual Music record label prepared him for the challenges ahead in his career.

According to him, because he got involved in various activities embarked on by the label, he did not encounter problems when he left the record company.

He told Kwame Dadzie on Joy FM’s entertainment analysis programme, Showbiz A-Z that he even had to pay for some of the projects.

“I did fund some of the stuff while I was on the label,” he noted.

Asked if that was the initial agreement, he said “no.”

He mentioned that he wasn’t worried about using his own money to foot some of the bills because he felt he had a vision so he needed to make things work for himself even though he had a record label.

He added that there were certain things he wished her knew earlier before getting into the music industry seven years ago.

“I think the business side of it. You actually need to learn a lot. The paper work side of it. Yea, you have to work a lot. From clearance to even how your money is going to trickle in from different places, even after you are done working with somebody, how you are going to get your earnings, you know there is a lot that you have to learn,” he told Kwame Dadzie.

He also indicated that because his contract with Highly Spiritual was supposed to have been the 360 type, he initially didn’t think it was necessary for him to know much about the business side of the craft.

However, he stated that going independent as an artiste has been a learning experience for him.

“Once you get off the label you learn a lot,” he said.

Known for hit songs such as ‘Dwe’, ‘Mood’, ‘This Year’, ‘Case’ and ‘Sneaky’, Mr. Drew is currently out with a new EP titled ‘The Loverboy.’