Hiplife musician, Sidney Kofi Ofori, affectionately called Barima Sidney, has disclosed why he needed to take a long break from producing music.

After composing back-to-back hit songs including ‘Tinana,’ African Money,’ ‘Apuskeleke,’ ‘Papa No,’  ‘Awuchie Kpongor,’ during the early 2000s, the musician went off the scene for many years.

His last song, ‘Papa No’ exacerbated his situation, according to Barima Sidney, who claimed he received harsh criticism from industry players and social media users. Coming in the heat of the 2020 general elections in Ghana, many Ghanaians ascribed the song to ex-President John Dramani Mahama.

Speaking in an interview on Joy Prime’s Prime Morning show, the hitmaker recounted the hurdles he went through which broke him and made him stay off in order to heal.

“At a point, I was heartbroken when the ‘Papa No’ thing came up. The lashing was too much, and I remember somebody saying I wait for things to trend so I can use them for songs. And I was like, do you think it’s easy for you to compose a song instantly? No, it makes you very creative instead, but then people took it some other way around. So, I decided to be quiet,” he recounted.

However, the musician did not blame himself for everything that happened because he was managing himself in that there was no one to play that role and guide his actions. This, he said, influenced his journey, contributing to his inability to remain relevant over time.

Despite his lack of financial resources, he performed at events for free in order to maintain his relationship with the event organisers. But it took Shatta Wale's intervention to make him realise his mistakes.

 “Shatta told me something one time when we met. He’s my unofficial finance manager. He gave me advice a couple of years ago, and I think it happened. We were doing shows for free because of ‘paddy paddy’; we were following the love. So, shows that we were supposed to charge money, but we don’t do it because we feel like their friends, and that was when Shatta told me to collect the money. Truly, it got to the point where, when I needed help from them, they said no. Then I realised Shatta was right.”

Barima Sidney has returned with a new single titled ‘BBF,’ which he says is a way to console himself. The track features Kumasi-based rapper King Paluta.

The ‘African Money’ hitmaker says he is back for ‘good’ and will refrain from composing politically inclined and controversial songs.

He admonished individuals never to give up on themselves in times of difficulty. Instead, he urges them to consider such circumstances as moments for growth and self-strengthening, believing that things will eventually turn around for the better.