Shatta is currently embroiled in a legal battle with local media mogul Charter House which could end with a huge chunk of money being wrestled out of the dancehall King’s hands.

Quietly observing the proceedings from afar has enabled me to digest what is going on at my own pace. I have no investment in this whole thing, unlike his fans who judge through the lens of emotion. I could care less for his music, and Charter House is Charter House, a behemoth who is big on the local scene but invokes no loyalties one way or another in the viewing public.

So I can safely say I am observing this from no particular stance, and throughout the course of proceedings from when Shatta released the first video to their last appearance at court, the one thing that has stood out to me is that Bulldog’s handling of the entire mess does him nor his artiste any favours.

Shatta Wale is brash, always has been and always would be. It’s what he based the resurrection of his career on and I would go so far as to say that’s his business model. It’s been a hugely successful business model so far.

What this does is that it earns you enemies, and in such instances that’s where your manager comes in. Your manager should be the buffer between you and your enemies, and in instances like this where your (literal) big mouth is going to get you in trouble he must stay detached enough that when the diplomatic part of the issue is reached he can go to the table with a clean slate.

But what we see of Bulldog is that he stands right down there in the mud with Shatta, and that kind of management is what leads to the current predicament they are in. As a manager you are not supposed to throw your talent under the bus when issues like these arise, but you are also not expected to stand behind him to the point of unreasonableness.

In the early days after the release of the video when Charter House filed their suit Bulldog went on every platform he could find shouting to the rooftops how his client would never apologise.

After the interlocutory injunction was granted and it emerged Shatta’s camp wanted an out of court settlement you would think things have settled down. But then he goes and posts those messages on his Facebook, and whilst those are in no way defamatory and not explicitly stated as directed as Charter House anyone with half a brain would recognise it is and that does not bode well for whatever negotiations are ongoing.

He is a very passionate man, and probably believes in the grievances of his artiste; but some positions do not give you the luxury to behave like how Shatta Wale can, and even then he should think about getting a leash for his uncontrollable talent.

Shatta Wale has reached insane heights of popularity both locally and internationally that he does not need to stir the pot as often as he did in the past. He should just pipe down and concentrate on his music and pleasing his legions of fans, and it is Bulldog’s job to get him doing that.

As long as he keeps enabling Shatta Wale’s behaviour and not reining him in when he’s way out of line, this current lawsuit might not be the last one they have to deal with.