Black Sherif is on a spectacular rise in becoming Ghana’s music dynamite with an evident reign.
From the stables of Ghanaian Afrobeats, Mohammed Ismail Sherif professionally identified as Black Sherif has become Africa’s next global music export.
Starting his career at the age of 17, Black Sherif, who is now 20 years old brought the world into his music threshold with only three songs.
After a succession of tunes, Cry For Me, Money, Ade Akye, et al, Black Sherif decided to promote his upcoming debut EP with a series of freestyles in May 2021. “First Sermon,” his breakthrough tune, was born from this.
While “First Sermon” may have drawn the desired attention to Sherif, “Second Sermon” transformed his life. The Second Sermon is a large-scale epic tune.
Over a thundering guitar-inflected composition, he draws an intricate image of his existence on the streets in the “Second Sermon.”
He tells a sassy tale about how he and a couple of his mafia buddies completed a clandestine transaction and made a lot of money while rapping. They are, however, duped by the gang’s boss, who encourages them to undertake an offensive with “12 killing guys” to reclaim their portion of the money.
In addition, Black Sherif mentions his cousin’s death, asking for a minute of quiet in her honor and divine guidance.
Burna Boy caught wind of the blooming melody and jumped on it, generating an invigorated remix that boosted his reputation, from modest clubs in Accra’s environs to pounding house parties across Nigeria’s campuses. It was a continental hit- marketing its way into the West African soil and movement.
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Delivering his most recent, ‘Kwaku The Traveler’ – Blacko continued on his clear path of soothing deliveries.
He foregoes the upbeat production of “Second Sermon” in favor of a melancholy accompaniment that complements his reflective poetry. He uses a sophisticated blend of English and Ghanaian Pidgin, interspersed with bits and pieces of rap, briefly breaking from his prior manner, which had him going full-tilt towards Akan as his main channel of exchange.
The delivery was powerful and passionate. It was as though, Blacko was discussing a personal thing- either what happened to him, or what he did to someone.
He literally drew the world to him – making this track hit the Global Shazam record on the 7th of April.
Further, upon delivery, it chatted No1 on Nigeria’s Apple Music Charts, took the 76th position on Apple Music Global Chart, and reigned in 8 countries for many days. Alongside that, it debuted on Billboard Top Thriller Global Chart, claiming the 12th spot.
Personally, Blacko might just be the “wrecking ball” Ghanaian music needs to squash its way into a larger global audience. For many years, the Ghanaian music industry has been at the mercy of other African countries to promote African sound globally – Nigeria, and South Africa has been at the leading square.
Blacko shoves his unique ability to the world, and boom!!! Ghanaian music becomes a more continental classic.
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Regardless of how quickly Black Sherif’s career has taken the Nigerian and Ghanaian music industries by storm, it is important to understand that his rise has been planned.
In a chat with OkayAfrica, he explains that; “I did not want to call them freestyles,” he says of the sermons that have altered the course of his life, “if you tell them, the fans, it is a freestyle, they would bring their ears down before listening to the song. They are freestyles but I call them sermons. Ghetto preacher. Killa Blacko.”
With concert appearances planned in the UK and Germany, as well as a slew of music collaborations with other artists, it’s evident that Black Sherif is on the verge of becoming global dynamite with evident reign.