Afrobeats singer Skales has opened up about his experience in police detention, revealing that he was arrested while defending his manager during a dispute with a billionaire.

In an interview with Zikoko media, the artist recounted how fellow inmates in the overcrowded cell recognised him and requested live performances of his popular songs “Shake Body” and “Emergency.”

Skales said he agreed to sing in exchange for a mat to sleep on — a rare comfort in the cell, where most detainees had to sleep on the bare floor.

“They showed me empathy,” he recalled, adding that one inmate even told him he didn’t deserve to be there.

Reflecting on the harsh conditions in detention, Skales noted that many inmates rely on support from family to get food. As a gesture of gratitude after his release, he bought food for the inmates he left behind.

“One time, my manager and I were locked up for no reason. We had an issue with a billionaire. Just because of power, they arrested my manager and told me to go home. I said, ‘How can you arrest my manager, and I’ll go home?’ I followed them to the station, and while I was writing a statement, they said I had to sleep in the cell.

“He asked if I had killed someone. I told him what happened, and he said, ‘That’s how these billionaires behave.’ He even offered to help me murder the man.

“The boss even sang some lyrics from ‘Emergency’ himself. He said if I perform for them, they’d let me sleep on a mat. Normally, everyone sleeps on the bare floor. So I performed, sang the lyrics, and everything shamelessly.

“The boss said, ‘This boy doesn’t deserve to be here. If your people don’t send money, you won’t eat. So when I left, I bought them lots of food and thanked them,” he said. (Via The Nation)