Mohammed Ismail Sharrif (born 9, January 2002) populary known as Black Sherif is a Ghanaian musician and performer from Konongo. He gained mainstream acclaim with his street anthem "Second Sermon" released in July 2021. His catchy hooks and choruses have garnered him over 100 million streams on Audiomack, while his music tops charts and is played everywhere from influencer videos on social media to NBA All-Star games.
His March 2022 single "Kwaku the Traveller" reached number 1 on the Ghanaian and Nigerian Apple Music charts, and by August that year was the most Shazamed song in the world across genres.
Source/WIKIPEDIA.ORG
Early life and education
Black Sherif was born and raised in Konongo-Zongo, his hometown in the Ashanti Region of Ghana. As both his parents stayed overseas, Black Sherif lived with his auntie 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.
Career
Black Sherif’s massive breakthrough had been heralded since the release of his “First Sermon” freestyle in May 2021. As a voice of the Youth, this viral hit followed up with "Second Sermon" two months later, introducing him as a force to be reckoned with in 2021.
During the maiden edition of the Ghana Music 2021 Awards, Black Sherif, who had been making waves in the local and international music space, bagged three awards on the night, including Hiphop Artiste of the Year, Hiplife Song of the Year and New Artiste of the Year.
He also took home four coveted awards at the 5th edition of the 3Music Awards which took place at the Grand arena of the Ghana international conference.
He performed at the final of the 2021 MTN FA Cup final match between Accra Hearts of Oak and Ashanti Gold SC.
In May 2022, Black Sherif together with Stonebwoy, Amaarae and Smallgod met Kendrick Lamar when he visited Ghana and held a private album listening party in Accra for his new album, Mr. Morales & The Big Steppers.In June 2022, Boomplay announced Black Sherif as the first Ghanaian artist to surpass 100 Million streams on their platform.
Controversies
On 11 April 2022, a lawsuit was filed against Black sheriff for alleged breach of contract. The lawsuit stems from allegations that Black Sherif ignored his investor after he invested in his career. Again, Black Sherif is said to have signed a distribution agreement with Empire Music without his investor's permission, despite the fact that he allegedly had a business management contract with him. His investor, 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
Selected singles
- Cry For Me A River
- Samir kinidi
- Money
- Money Remix ft AMG Armani & Tulenkey
- Destiny
- Ade Akye
- Ankonam
- First Sermon
- Second Sermon
- Amerado – Abotr3(Patience) as a featured artiste
- Second Sermon Remix ft Burna Boy
- Gold Digga ft Samsney
- Kwaku the Traveller
- Always – Darkoo ft Black Sherif
- Holy F4k – Smallgod, Vic Mensa & Ivorian Doll Feat. Black Sherif & Kwaku DMC
- Smallgod ft. Black Sherif & Tory Lanez – Gidi Gidi
Albums
- The Villain I Never Was
Black Sheriff released his debut album The Villain I Never Was, via RBA / EMPIRE. The album received 73.4 million streams on Audiomack during its first 24 hours of release. The album contains a fourteen song tracklist:
- Homeless Song
- Oil in my Head
- 45
- Soja
- Prey Da Youngsta
- Sad Boys Don't Fold
- Konongo Zongo
- Wasteman
- We Up
- Toxic Love City
- Don't Forget Me
- Oh Paradise
- Kwaku The Traveller
- Second Sermon - Remix (featuring Burna Boy)
Awards and nominations
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| Year | Event | Award | Recipient/Nominated work | Result | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Entertainment Achievement Awards | Entertainment Personality of the Year | Himself | Won | [26] |
| 3Music Awards | Hip hop song of The Year | Second Sermon | Won | [27][28] | |
| Breakthrough Act of The Year | Himself | Won | |||
| Hip life/Hip hop Artiste of The Year | Himself | Won | |||
| Song of the Year | Second Sermon | Won | |||
| Artiste of the Year | Himself | Nominated | |||
| Ghana Music Awards | Artiste of the Year | Himself | Nominated | [29] | |
| Vodafone Most Popular Song | Second Sermon | Nominated | |||
| Best New Artiste | Himself | Won | |||
| Best Hip life/Hip pop Artiste | Himself | Nominated | |||
| Best Hip pop Song | Second Sermon | Won | |||
| International Collaboration of the Year | Second Sermon Remix ft Burna Boy | Nominated | |||
| Male Vocal Performance of the Year | Gold Digga | Nominated |
