The majority of Ghana might be in love with Afrobeats and dancehall music but Kumasi has different priorities. The city has its heart firmly set on Rap music and nothing else. Rap music is in fact more than a sound to its inhabitants; it’s a culture, a movement, a lifestyle choice that is aptly known “Kumerica” – a fusion of the words Kumasi and America. Numerous musical creatives are expressing their pain and struggles through the unique sounds of Trap and Drill music, and from that talented crop a young rapper has found fame, a rising fortune, and a potential quick route to international prominence. His name? Black Sherif.
Born on January 9, 2002, and christened Mohammed Ismail Sherif, Black Sherif hails from the town of Konongo which is only about 50 kilometres from Kumasi. Still only 19 years of age, the rapper has been able to get the whole of Ghana to stop and take notice through a series of brilliant singles. He combines rapping and singing in English, Pidgin and Twi into Trap music that sometimes carries a sweet tinge of R&B music. Although born in a comfortable home, he identifies with the streets and often chronicles the poverty that plagues most people in the region in his music. Perhaps it’s that honesty and passion in his lyrics, or maybe it’s just his smoothness and easy listening that defines his flows, whichever it is, Black Sherif has ascended to enviable heights in just 2 years in the industry.
His first official release came in 2019 and was titled “Cry For Me”. 2020 saw him earn his first hit single with the release of “Money”. This and a couple of other singles had Ghana sitting up to listen. Encouraged by the reception to his music, he pressed on with more singles in 2021 and then his rising career achieved escape velocity with the release of the freestyle “First Sermon”. The song earned him social media recognition and cosigns from rap legends Sarkodie and M.anifest. He followed that up with a sequel “Second Sermon”, the video of which racked up a million YouTube views in its first 5 days of release. It now stands a total of 4.9 million views, making it his biggest song so far. And it’s inevitably going to get bigger for him.
In July of this year, award-winning UK producer JAE5 explicitly stated on Twitter that Black Sherif is the very first artiste he’ll be getting into the studio with when next he touches down in Ghana to make music. If that collaboration ever comes to fruition, the young rapper would be opened up to an even wider market and it can only possibly go up from there. It’s exciting times for him and one wonders how he even has time for the Marketing degree he is currently pursuing at the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA). Word on the street is that his debut project is in the works already and going by the reputation he has built for himself, it’s going to be nothing but fire. If you haven’t already, now is the perfect time to get on Black Sherif’s tsunami-level wave.
