Black Sherif was undoubtedly Ghana’s biggest breakout star last year. The 21-year old rapper, singer, songwriter, and performer from Konongo, Ghana first made his debut in 2020 and went on to have two years of meteoric stature. From dropping singles that birthed viral TikTok challenges to securing a Burna Boy feature, Black Sherif’s career has already seen moments that rival the likes of artists many years more established.

Black Sherif came onto the radar with his debut single “Cry For Me” in 2020. The single aired the honest sentiments of a young hustler trying his best to make it in the face of highly unfavorable odds. This was Blacko’s—as he's also called by fans—narrative, and he owned it more and more with each new release. The Ghanaian artist then proceeded to drop a string of further singles, and each one did increasingly better than the last. Black Sherif gained impressive traction on streaming services, such as the local favorite Boomplay Music.

Then came “First Sermon.” With its release, people began to really pay attention to the newcomer. At this point videos began to make the rounds on social media of the young rapper performing in his animated, impassioned delivery, which became his identifying signature. With the release of “Second Sermon” in July 2021, his first breakthrough arrived. The sequel outdid its first iteration by miles, became a smash hit single, and caught the eye and ear of Nigerian afrobeats star Burna Boy who ended up jumping on the official remix of the song just a few months later.