Mohammed Ismail Sherif Kwaku Frimpong (born 9 January 2002) professionally known as Black Sherif, is a Ghanaian singer and rapper. He gained popularity in 2021 with his song "First Sermon" in May 2021. This was followed up with "Second Sermon" in July. His breakthrough came in with his March 2022 single " Kwaku the Traveller", which reached number 1 on the Ghanaian and

Nigerian Nigerians or the Nigerian people are citizens of Nigeria or people with ancestry from Nigeria. The name Nigeria was taken from the Niger River running through the country. This name was allegedly coined in the late 19th century by British jour ...

Apple Music Apple Music is a music, audio and video streaming service developed by Apple Inc. Users select music to stream to their device on-demand, or they can listen to existing playlists. The service also includes the Internet radio stations Apple M ...

charts. He released his debut album, '' The Villain I Never Was'', on October 5, 2022.

Early life and education

Black Sherif was born and raised in Konongo-Zongo in the

Ashanti Region The Ashanti Region is located in southern part of Ghana and it is the third largest of 16 administrative regions, occupying a total land surface of or 10.2 percent of the total land area of Ghana. In terms of population, however, it is the mo ...

of Ghana. As both his parents stayed overseas, Black Sherif lived with his aunt and other extended family members at the age of 10. His nomadic lifestyle exposed him to multiple influences and different cultures at a very early age. He attended his basic education at Konongo Zongo Islamic Basic School, and completed his secondary education at Kumasi Academy, where he picked up an interest in music and dancing. He is a former student of University of Professional Studies (UPSA) and is currently studying at the

University of Ghana The University of Ghana is a public university located in Accra, Ghana. It the oldest and largest of the thirteen Ghanaian national public universities. The university was founded in 1948 as the University College of the Gold Coast in the Br ...

Career

Black Sherif began his career in 2019 with the release of his song "Cry For Me" on YouTube. His debut single "Money" released on May 25, 2020, with a music video. In May 2021, his single "First Sermon" released, further increasing his audience. The song's sequel, "Second Sermon" was released in July, and received a remix with fellow African artist

Burna Boy Damini Ebunoluwa Ogulu (born 2 July 1991), known professionally as Burna Boy, is a Nigerian singer, songwriter and record producer. He rose to stardom in 2012 after releasing "Like to Party", the lead single from his debut studio album, ''L.I. ...

. His breakthrough came in March 2022 with his single "Kwaku The Traveller" which reached number 1 on the Ghanaian and Nigerian Apple Music charts and became his largest song. He released his debut album '' The Villain I Never Was'' in October, supported by the singles "45" and "Soja". Black Sherif performed at the 25th anniversary of the Music of Black Origin (MOBO) Awards which took place at the OVO Arena in Wembley, UK. In December 2022, Black Sherif hosted his debut concert, the "Mozama Disco Concert" in Accra. On February 2023, Black Sherif won the Best Hip Hop award at the Soundcity MVP Awards which were held at the Eko Convention Centre in Lagos.

Artistry

Black Sherif's music is a blend of

highlife Highlife is a music genre that started in present-day Ghana in the 19th century, during its history as a colony of the British Empire and through its trade routes in coastal areas. It describes multiple local fusions of African metre and wester ...

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...

, and hip-hop, specifically

UK drill UK drill is a subgenre of drill music and road rap that originated in the South London district of Brixton from 2012 onwards. Initially borrowing heavily from the style of Chicago drill music before creating its own unique sound, UK drill artist ...

. He has stated his musical influences are rappers

Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer. Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, West gained recognition as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the ea ...

, Travis Scott,

Saint Jhn Carlos St. John Phillips (born August 26, 1986), known professionally as Saint Jhn (stylized as SAINt JHN; pronounced "Saint John"), is a Guyanese-American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He is best known for the 2019 remix to ...

, Dave, Stormzy,

J Hus Momodou Lamin Jallow (born 27 May 1995), known professionally as J Hus, is a British rapper and singer who has been credited with pioneering the genre afroswing. He is currently signed to Black Butter Records. He gained popularity in 2015 follo ...

, and Ghanaian artists

Mugeez Rashid Abdul Mugeez, professionally known as Mugeez, is a Ghanaian singer and songwriter. Born in Bimbila ( Northern region, Ghana) he became known through the influential Afrobeats/Hiplife duo R2Bees (Refuse to Be Broke), which he formed wit ...

and Sarkodie.

Controversies

On 11 April 2022, a lawsuit was filed against Black Sherif for alleged breach of contract after Sherif signed a deal with Empire Shadrach Agyei Owusu, the CEO of Waynes Chavis Consult, was seeking the court to restrict Black Sherif from performing at events without his authorization. Fortunately for Black Sherif, the Accra High Court (Commercial Division) dismissed the injunction filed against him which sought to prevent the singer from performing music he released under his old management.

Discography

Albums * '' The Villain I Never Was'' (2022)

Awards and nominations

References

External links

Official Instagram Profile

All new updates from Black Sherif
{{Commons Ghanaian rappers Living people 2002 births Kumasi Academy alumni