Stonebwoy signs deal with Samsung

The Instagram handle of Ghana's branch of Samsung tagged the artist in a post to commemorate the deal on social media: “We are proud to welcome @stonebwoyb to the Samsung Team. Double tap and drop a comment if you’re excited.”

The partnership with Samsung comes seven years after Sarkodie was announced as the company's brand ambassado. Since then, companies in the smartphone business have increasingly been associated with pop artists.

In Nigeria, Davido is the face of Infinix phones; in the past, as an ambassador for Nigerian phone retailer SLOT, D'Banj promoted the brand in the video for his song ‘Emergency’. For Stonebwoy, the deal will see the ‘Kpokeke’ singer work with a Samsung branded device.

In a video posted online yesterday, Stonebwoy is seen at the Samsung premises. A representative speaks about the new deal and the artist closes the video with a brief speech.

“Something big about to happen,” he says. “This is a marriage between an A brand and another A brand. We are about to go all out for another A brand. So be on the lookout. It’s all about the A. Be an A-guy, be an A-girl. Be the topmost.”

The deal marks the latest development in partnerships between stakeholders in the African music industry and global players. Since the start of the year, several partnerships have been announced, mostly between establishments.

These include Boomplayer’s deal with Warner Music, Chocolate City’s arrangement with Warner Music and Universal Music Group’s partnership with Nigerian streaming service uduX. For recording artists, Ghanaian musician Blitz the Ambassador has had his debut film acquired by Netflix and Kenya’s Blinky Bill composed a song and featured in a music video campaign for airline company Emirates.

These deals have come as the world becomes more interested in the commercial potential of the African market, which has the largest youth population in the world.

Watch the video for Stonebwoy’s new single ‘Tia Tia’ below: